Week 2 Fantasy Football Drop Candidates: Tank Bigsby, Evan Engram and More

The hardest thing to do in fantasy football is drop a player. At least for me, any player on one of my rosters is a player I believed in, at least a little. Admitting defeat and letting go is difficult, especially because the “best” possible outcome when you cut a player is that they underperform moving forward. If they turn things around, start seeing more usage, or even get a lucky break with injuries, every point they score on someone else's roster will hurt. 

On the other hand, dropping players is necessary. Every fantasy football roster spot is extremely valuable, especially at this time of year. Holding onto players too long just because you drafted them high is one of the most common ways to hurt a fantasy roster. 

With this in mind, today I'm looking at players who are widely rostered that it may already be time to give up on heading into Week 2. I will also include honorable mentions of already less-rostered players you can definitely cut, as well as players on thin ice who are another rough week away from a one-way ticket to waivers. It won't be fun, and some of these calls will probably be terrible in hindsight … but let's get started. 

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QB C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans (73.7% Rostered)

Yes, the Rams' defense is a tough Week 1 matchup. But after last year's abysmal campaign, in which he ranked as the QB28 with a miserable 13.7 points per game, Stroud needed to show signs of life to justify his spot on fantasy rosters. Instead, he finished with no touchdowns, less than 200 yards, one pick, and 9.7 fantasy points. 

If we're looking for reasons to believe, Stroud did rush for 32 yards, the third-highest total of his career. Consistently adding value with his legs would be a massive step in the right direction for his fantasy value. But this isn't a case where managers should be desperate. There are simply so many other fantasy quarterbacks with more exciting profiles in better situations that Stroud is an easy cut in 1-QB leagues. 

Honorable Mention: Bryce Young, CAR

On Thin Ice: Trevor Lawrence, JAC; Jared Goff, DET

RB Tank Bigsby, Philadelphia Eagles (70.3% Rostered)

It turns out that all that juicy preseason usage was just the Jaguars auditioning Bigsby for a trade. He was minimally involved in their offense in Week 1 and has now been shipped to Philadelphia, where he will be stuck behind Saquon Barkley. In shallow leagues, he's an easy drop.

In deeper formats, Bigsby can be held for handcuff value behind Barkley. Will Shipley has a fractured rib, and Tank should at least be able to beat out A.J. Dillon. But he is a pure handcuff at this point. There are plenty of arguably better pure handcuffs available in most leagues — Tyler Allgeier, for example, is only 37% rostered. If Allgeier is available in your league, you can safely let go of Bigsby.

Honorable Mentions: Chris Rodriguez Jr., WAS; Rico Dowdle, CAR

On Thin Ice: Jaydon Blue, DAL; Jerome Ford, CLE

WR Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings (40.7% Rostered)

I'm here for the reunion between Thielen and the Vikings from an NFL perspective, but it's time to give up on the 35-year-old as a fantasy asset. He ran just 15 routes for a 63% participation rate on Monday and failed to catch his only target. He's clearly the fourth option in the Vikings' passing game behind Justin Jefferson, Jalen Nailor, and T.J. Hockenson … and Jordan Addison comes back in just two more weeks.

Honorable Mentions: DeAndre Hopkins, BAL; Xavier Legette, CAR; Tre' Harris, LAC

On Thin Ice: Josh Downs, IND; Marvin Mims, DEN; Cooper Kupp, SEA

TE Evan Engram, Denver Broncos (93.2% Rostered)

Okay, this one is a bit aggressive. In deeper leagues and leagues with additional value for tight ends (either through scoring or extra roster spots), you shouldn't drop Engram just yet. After all, he did see four targets in Week 1 on an elite 33% target per route run rate.

However, those of you doing the math at home may have already seen the problem with those two numbers: Engram only ran 12 routes in Week 1. That was good for a disgusting 28% route participation rate. He did exit early with a calf injury, so that number probably should have been a bit higher. But it could double and still be a very concerning number. 

With minuscule ADOTs (2.5 yards in Week 1) and no YAC ability, Engram has been a volume merchant in recent years. It doesn't seem like he's going to get that volume in Denver, so I'm happy to let him go in shallower formats. 

Honorable Mentions: Mike Gesicki, CIN

On Thin Ice: Mark Andrews, BAL; Colston Loveland, CHI

Ted Chmyz is a fantasy football contributor for FantasySP. Find him on Twitter and Bluesky @Tchmyz for more fantasy content or to ask questions.