Fantasy Football Drop Candidates Going into Week 6: Isiah Pacheco, Christian Kirk and More

We are officially in the full swing of the NFL and fantasy football seasons. Byes have begun and, aside from the weekly spate of injuries, we more or less know what each player will provide on a weekly basis. 

With that in mind, this weekly drops article has become trickier to write. With five weeks of data on their side, fantasy managers are more or less doing a good job of rostering (and not rostering) the correct players. My remaining options are to pick on the same players each week, make bold calls against generally rostered players, or focus on fringe players who are already not widely rostered.

This week, I'll be doing a mix of options two and three, with a few players you can give up on even in deep leagues and one controversial pick of a running back to let go of. Without further ado, let's get into it.

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QB Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders (29% Rostered)

Given that Smith is already only rostered in just under 30% of leagues, this is one of the “safe” picks I mentioned earlier. However, I don't feel too bad about this pick.

There are only so many fantasy-relevant QBs in the league, and I've already featured all of the most egregiously overrostered names (check the Honorable Mention section below). With that in mind, let's scroll down a bit to Smith.

Smith is currently the QB24 in terms of roster percentage, meaning he is technically a QB2. But he is just the QB27 in fantasy points per game with a miserable 14.3. He has scored 13 or fewer fantasy points in three of five weeks, including each of the last two.

Especially with his top weapon, Brock Bowers, now week-to-week, there's simply no upside here worth holding onto. Smith is potentially droppable even in shallower superflex or 2-QB leagues. In 1-QB, he should be nowhere near your roster.

Honorable Mention: J.J. McCarthy, MIN (previously featured); C.J. Stroud, HOU (previously featured twice); Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals (previously featured)

On Thin Ice: Kyler Murray, ARI

RB Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs (86.5% Rostered)

Here's the bold call for this article, as Pacheco is technically still the starting running back for a revitalized Kansas City Chiefs offense. And he is by no means a must-drop. But, in shallow formats where every bench slot is critical, it's time to take a long, hard look at what Pacheco provides. 

Through five weeks, Pacheco is averaging just 6.3 half-PPR points per game. While he has started every game and leads the Chiefs' backfield in snaps, he does not have the most valuable fantasy role on the team.

I've been pointing out for weeks that veteran Kareem Hunt seems to be KC's preferred goal-line back; that theory was confirmed last night, as he scored two goal-line TDs. For the season, Hunt has five carries on 13 snaps inside the five-yard line. Pacheco hasn't even touched the field in those situations.

Combine this lack of goal-line work with Pacheco's lack of explosiveness and limited receiving work, and we have a fantasy profile with essentially zero upside. In shallow leagues where you want to prioritize upside on your bench, I would literally rather have fellow Chiefs RB Brashard Smith (12.7% rostered). At least the rookie has a non-injury-contingent chance to force his way into your lineup.

Pacheco's only value is as a bye-week fill-in, and he hasn't even been productive enough to be trustworthy in that role. Cut him and don't look back.

Honorable Mentions: Tank Bigsby, PHI (previously featured)

On Thin Ice: RJ Harvey, DEN; TreVeyon Henderson, NE

WR Christian Kirk, Houston Texans (37% Rostered)

After missing the first two weeks of the season due to injury, Kirk's 2025 debut in Week 3 was promising. He posted eight targets (a 21% share) on a 67% route participation rate. Especially if those numbers trended up as he worked back to full health, there was room for the veteran to be a solid PPR flex option in a Houston offense desparate for playmakers outside of Nico Collins.

Instead, Kirk has trended in the wrong direction. His route participation rate has fallen each week, from that decent start at 67% to 63% in Week 4 and then 54% in Week 5. It's the same story with his target share: 21%, then 14%, then 13%. Even in a game where Stroud threw for 244 yards and four touchdowns, he finished with just 8.4 half-PPR points (four catches for 64 yards) on Sunday. 

With the pair of Iowa State rookies (Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel) both seeing more usage week-over-week, Kirk is only likely to keep trending down. As a low-ADOT slot receiver, he's always relied on volume to have fantasy value. He's not going to have that in a shrinking role on this mediocre offense. He can safely be cut in the vast majority of formats. 

Honorable Mentions: Josh Downs, IND (previously featured); Joshua Palmer, BUF

On Thin Ice: Travis Hunter, JAC; Marquise Brown, KC

TE Chig Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans (22.2% Rostered)

Tight end is in a similar position to quarterback. It's a shallow position, so most of the widely rostered players deserve their status. Those who don't are already in the Honorable Mention section (and even my favorite punching bag, Evan Engram, is trending up).

With that in mind, let's scroll down a bit to find a clearly overvalued player in Okonkwo. A 22% roster percentage isn't much, but it's far higher than he should be, especially considering some of the names below him.

Okonkwo actually started the season incredibly promisingly, with solid usage in the first two weeks. However, he has trended rapidly in the wrong direction ever since. The reason why is simple: fourth-round rookie Gunnar Helm is cutting into his work.

The two tight ends have combined for route participation rates between 89% and 110% in each of the Titans' five games this season. Early on, Okonkwo accounted for 70%+ of those routes. In Week 5, he and Helm tied with a 55% participation rate. 

Helm also saw more targets than Okonkwo in Week 5, but that almost doesn't matter. Being barely your team's TE1 isn't enough for fantasy viability, especially on an offense as woeful as the Titans'. To be a playable fantasy option, Okonkwo would need Helm to be irrelevant.

Helm is already clearly relevant, and there's a real chance his role simply keeps growing. With that in mind, it's easy to cut Okonkwo for a different TE in a better situation (I recommend Jets rookie Mason Taylor, if he's available). 

Honorable Mentions: Evan Engram, DEN (previously featured twice); Jonnu Smith, PIT (previously featured)

On Thin Ice: Colston Loveland, CHI