Week 14 Players to Drop in Fantasy Football: Say Goodbye to Aaron Rodgers

Last week, I had this fabulously funny story about how you can miss signs that are right in front of you. Unfortunately—or fortunately, for you all—it wasn’t Google friendly and it rambled, so it had to be cut. Which brings me to Week 14, nothing about the Philadelphia Eagles' offense is funny, and the Baltimore Ravens' offense is rambling (thankfully, says this Pittsburgh Steelers fan). But the point is, who do we have the balls to drop with Week 14 so close to the fantasy football playoffs?

Let’s see the players you should drop in Week 14.

Week 14 Players to Drop in Fantasy Football

Aaron Rodgers, QB, PIT

Aaron Rodgers has 19 touchdown passes. Eight of them were in two games, against the New York Jets and the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Steelers are 32nd in pass plays per game (55.6). Rodgers has a 44.7% completion percentage under pressure. A 25% deep ball completion percentage and a 28.6% deep ball catchable pass rate. And, oh yeah, the Steelers, who once sat gloriously atop the AFC North, have been surpassed by a hobbled Lamar Jackson Baltimore Ravens team and are in serious danger of being caught by a Joe Burrow-led Cincinnati Bengals team.

It’s not personal. It’s facts. Did you know that corrosive environments and excessive stress can break steel? Just worth mentioning.

Better options: Tyrod Taylor, 4% rostered, Trevor (gulp) Lawrence, 26.8% rostered

Xavier Legette, WR, CAR

I am seriously happy when Bryce Young and the Panthers do well. This has made my weeks a constant rollercoaster of emotions. As opposed to the dejection my Steelers are providing—you just want to feel something other than sadness and despair.

The Panthers are 17th in pass plays per game, averaging around 60. Their play calling is, at times, unbalanced. I mean, come on, you have Rico “friggin” Dowdle and you are going to pass three times in the red zone … against Robert Saleh and the Niners … ugh … talk about Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl flashbacks) But I digress.

Earlier, I had Tetairoa McMillan on watch because of the apparent lack of a connection with his quarterback. Who knew all it took was for Jalen Coker to return? Now there are multiple hungry mouths to feed in Carolina—including Dowdle, who has a 9.5% target share, a 41.4% route participation, and a 79.4% catch rate—and Legette’s share is trending downward.

In the last three weeks:

Week 11: 8 targets, 4 receptions, 83 yards, 1 touchdown
Week 12: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 22 yards
Week 13: 2 targets, 1 reception, 1 yard

The Panthers are on a bye Week 14. Time to let him go.

Jerry Jeudy, WR, CLE

How is this the first time Jerry Jeudy is showing up on this list? I’ll just say this: he has 76 targets and 32 receptions. I’m no math whiz, but that’s not good enough. Jeudy is third among wide receivers in drops with 7. And for all of this, he has 1 … ONE … touchdown for the season.

Week 12, he had 3 targets, 1 reception and 39 yards. And just when you thought it couldn’t get worse … TADA … Hello, Week 13. No stats.

This one is not funny, and no rambling, drop him now.

Tez Johnson, WR, TB

Tez Johnson is fun, and I like fun. And he is also the ultimate Boom-or-Bust acquisition. As I stated earlier, my rollercoaster ride is currently filled.

In Week 10, Johnson boomed with 2 touchdowns. This was on only a 12% target share. He hasn’t had a target share above 15% since then. He also had a bust week in Week 11 with 3 targets, 1 reception and 6 yards, followed by a semi-boom Week 12 with 4 targets, 3 receptions, 21 yards and a touchdown. And you guessed it, Week 13 was the bust week with 2 targets, 1 reception and 5 yards.

The Buccaneers are in a fight for the playoffs (with the CAROLINA PANTHERS)! Quarterback Baker Mayfield is playing injured. Wide receiver Chris Godwin is regaining his form, returning from a tough injury, and Emeka Egbuka is still there.

Fun is fun, but it isn’t always reliable. This is SPARTA … er, the playoffs. Kick Johnson to the pit.

Better Options for wide receiver: Adonai Mitchell, 2% rostered, Alec Pierce, 40.7% rostered, Christian Watson, 36.8% rostered

Shallow-League Drop to Consider

Brian Thomas Jr., WR, JAX

Did we begin this journey with Brian Thomas with unrealistic expectations? Last year, Weeks 13-18, we took notice of BTJ. It was glorious. He averaged 23.03 fantasy points per game, propelling us through the fantasy playoffs and many teams to titles. However, the man under center during this run was Mac Jones, not Trevor Lawrence.

Thomas’ fantasy ADP was 12.7. For the season with the Jaguars and Lawrence, he has a 21.1% target share with a 2.8 designed target share. He is on the field for a 94.2% snap share (on a team that is sixth in pass plays per game). Thomas—he no longer deserves the BTJ moniker—has 60 targets and 30 receptions. He leads all wide receivers with drops (9) and has a 30.8% contested catch percentage. This week he returned after missing three games, so he may not be 100% healthy.

But the main reason you are considering dropping him, he is averaging 10.7 fantasy points per game, and we can't be waiting for him to get reacclimated to playing with Lawrence. And oh yeah, the drops.

On The Watch List to Drop

Justin Jefferson, WR, MIN

I know he was on the “wouldn’t blame you if you sat him” list last week. This is a move up, and it’s no fault of Jefferson. This week, Jefferson played with Max Brosmer under center. Jefferson finished with 2 receptions for 4 yards.

He is (again, no fault of his own) slowly creeping up to the drop list. But let’s wait and see, he is, after all, Justin Jefferson.

Ricky Pearsall, WR, 49ers

The man survived a gunshot wound and played the same year; he deserves a watch. But right now, Ricky Pearsall isn’t doing your fantasy team any favors. With quarterback Bock Purdy doing the Dougie and the Niners going into a bye week, Pearsall is worth a wait-and-see.

Michael Wilson, WR, ARI

This is more of a will they or won’t they wait and see. When Marvin Harrison Jr. was out, Michael Wilson and Trey McBride were the fantasy darlings—yeah, yeah … I know it’s about the matchups. But in Week 13, Harrison returned, and while McBride was still the man, Harrison jumped into the No. 2 position, with 6 receptions on 7 targets. To be fair, Wilson also had 7 targets, but he had only 3 receptions. Perhaps Wilson is Jacqueline de Bellefort, and Harrison is Linnet Doyle (without the murder).

Mr. Right Versus Mr. Right Now

I realize there are mostly wide receivers this week. When the spotlight is on, it’s the wide receivers who shine the most. Well, quarterbacks also, but it is a little co-dependent. Anyway, it is fantasy playoff time. If you are in the playoffs or are fighting still to get in the playoffs, it is not the time to settle. Mr. Right Now is looking pretty good. When you find him, remember it doesn’t have to be long term; it’s just for right now.

Players Mentioned in this Article

Week 14 Players to Drop in Fantasy Football: Say Goodbye to Aaron Rodgers