Week 13 Fantasy Football Drop Candidates: Jameson Williams, Jordan Mason and More

The fantasy football playoffs are just around the corner, so it's well past time to take a hard look at players at the end of your fantasy football bench. If someone doesn't have a clear path to cracking your lineup when it matters most, drop them. 

Even if they do have a clear path, consider if someone else on waivers (like a high-value handcuff) has more upside with a similar chance of cashing in. With that in mind, here are nine players you can let go of heading into Week 13.

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Deep League Drop Candidates

RB Joe Mixon, Houston Texans (51% Rostered)

If I featured every overrostered player who was officially done for the season in this article, I wouldn't have room for anyone else. Tyreek Hill, whose season ended in Week 4, is still rostered in nearly 50% of leagues. But I'm making an exception for Mixon, as this situation is simply so weird.

It's hard to remember at this point, but there was a point early in the offseason where the idea that Mixon would miss any time at all was just a rumor. Coming off an impressive season as the Texans' bell-cow, the veteran was dealing with a foot issue, but it wasn't supposed to be a big deal. Now, he is officially not expected to return this season.

Maybe one day we will get all the information on what exactly kept a 29-year-old RB with no major on-field injury sidelined for an entire year. But this is just a reminder that the NFL reporting landscape is still capable of being incredibly unhelpful, even in the age of 24/7 coverage.

There were rumors that Mixon was going to miss the whole year before the season even began, but no credible reporter actually ever said anything. If you were unfortunate enough to miss (or ignore) the whispers, you can officially let go of Mixon now — I hope it feels like freedom.  

WR Keon Coleman, Buffalo Bills (45% Rostered)

Coleman has had just two weeks of scoring more than five half-PPR points all season — Week 1 and Week 10. However, we haven't seen the 2024 first-round pick since his second relatively productive game, as he was a healthy inactive in both Week 11 and Week 12.

Reportedly, the issue keeping Coleman off the field is a disciplinary one. Theoretically, this means he could return at any time. But it's not like he was providing usable fantasy production when he was available.

Putting those two factors together, I don't recommend burning a bench slot for who knows how long on the young receiver. 

TE Evan Engram, Denver Broncos (58% Rostered)

Guess how many times Engram has finished among the top-10 tight ends in half-PPR scoring this season. If you guessed zero, congratulations!

Of course, this is the deep league section, so maybe top 10 is an unfairly high bar. But in his 10 games played, Engram has just one top-15 finish and only three top-20 finishes. If you prefer your depressing stats in point form, he is averaging just 4.9 half-PPR points per game.

The issue with Engram's fantasy profile is simple: he's not running enough routes. For the season, Engram is averaging a 54% route participation rate. That number had trended up slightly prior to Week 11, but he was back down to 56% the last time we saw Denver's offense.

With bad usage to match bad production, there's no reason to expect a turnaround from Engram, and therefore no reason not to drop him. 

Average League Drop Candidates

RB Jordan Mason, Minnesota Vikings (69% Rostered)

I listed Mason a couple of weeks ago as a shallow-league drop candidate, but the former 49er has officially reached the point where he's not a must-roster even in average-sized leagues. Since Aaron Jones Sr.'s Week 8 return, Mason is averaging just 4.7 half-PPR points per game on 6.4 carries and less than one target per game — that sample even includes a game that Jones left early due to injury.

Without flexworthy usage, Mason's only fantasy value is as a handcuff … and he doesn't make for a particularly appealing one. He dominated rushing work when Jones missed time early in the season, but he wasn't a true three-down workhorse, as Zavier Scott mixed in as a receiving back. 

Meanwhile, the Vikings' offense is flailing with J.J. McCarthy under center. This further decreases Mason's value both now and if Jones were to miss time. If you're holding him for RB depth, I recommend dropping him for a higher-upside handcuff like Tyler Allgeier (38% rostered), Bhayshul Tuten (42% rostered), or Ollie Gordon II (9% rostered).

If you're currently screaming that all those guys have been unavailable in your league for weeks, consider Malik Davis (0.7% rostered), the Cowboys' new RB2. 

WR Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts (61% Rostered)

Between Week 6-9, Downs scored at least 11.4 half-PPR points every week. Outside of that three-week span (the Colts were on bye in Week 7), he has never scored even nine points or finished inside the top-40 weekly receivers.

This is the same depressing game we played with Engram, and the reason for Downs' struggles is the same as Engram's: routes. Playing essentially only in three-WR sets (he has a grand total of 17 routes in two-WR sets this year), Downs has averaged just a 59% route participation rate. That number is trending down, too, as he posted a season-low 42% in Week 12. 

In past years, Downs has maintained at least some fantasy consistency despite his part-time usage with elite per-route target-earning. But with Tyler Warren's arrival and Alec Pierce emerging as more than a deep threat, his efficiency has fallen there, too.

In 2024, Downs averaged 2.20 yards per route run. So far in 2025, that number is 1.45 — this dropoff is even bigger than it sounds once we consider that the Colts' overall passing offense has gone from terrible to elite. 

Downs is a talented player and will likely have another big game or two this season. But there's no way to reliably predict when that will come, and his usage isn't good enough to expect consistency. That makes him a pure roster-clogger for most formats, so don't be afraid to move on and let him rot on someone else's bench. 

TE T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings (81% Rostered)

Like his teammate Mason, Hockenson is slowly working his way up this list. With yet another dud (3.9 points) on Sunday, he is now the TE24 with just 5.5 half-PPR points per game. He actually did this on a 21% target share, his second-best mark of the season. But that only converted to four targets, as the Vikings' offense has become very run-heavy to protect McCarthy.

For the season, Hockenson is still averaging a 15% target share and a 74% route participation rate. For the tight end position, those are actually respectable numbers. But given how nonexistent his production has been, they only keep him from being a deep-league drop. In most formats, there's simply no point waiting any longer for the production to come. 

Shallow League Drop Candidates

QB Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (95% Rostered)

This one is aggressive, but hear me out. In shallow leagues, backup quarterbacks usually aren't worth holding. At QB17 with just 17.2 points per game, Mayfield is clearly not a fantasy QB1 anymore (especially in 10- or eight-team leagues). 

Combine that with the fact that he left Sunday night's game early with a shoulder injury, and we're looking at an injured backup quarterback. If that's not a droppable player in shallow formats, I don't know what is. 

RB Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots (74% Rostered)

Sometimes, when a team's starting back misses time due to an injury, they will get a chance to reclaim their job upon their return, even if that role eventually goes to their more efficient backup (we saw this in action with Chuba Hubbard in Carolina). At worst, we will often see respected veterans get the “start” despite not actually being the team's lead back. 

The Patriots didn't even give Stevenson that courtesy on Sunday. In his return from a toe injury, Stevenson saw just six carries and two targets on a 31% snap share. Rookie TreVeyon Henderson got the start and saw 22 total opportunities on more than twice as many snaps.

There are a few reasons to hold out hope for Stevenson in deeper formats. Maybe he was just being eased in for his first game back. And, although he had a couple of huge fantasy outings thanks to some huge plays and a bunch of TDs, Henderson hasn't actually been that efficient on the ground this season. 

Unfortunately, neither has Stevenson. Given that both backs have struggled, New England's choice between the explosive second-round rookie and the unexciting veteran is probably an easy one. Stevenson's role in Week 12 certainly wasn't enough for him to be fantasy-viable, and his handcuff value is nothing to write home about in shallow leagues.

It probably hurts to give up immediately if you held him through his injury, but it's the right choice in shallow formats. 

WR Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions (93% Rostered)

For a couple of weeks there, it looked as though Dan Campbell taking over play-calling duties had officially unlocked Williams as a fantasy option. Well, Williams dropping a complete goose egg on a day where the Lions recorded 34 points and nearly 500 total yards puts an end to that theory.

In deeper formats, Jamo is still a very valuable fantasy option. His big-play ability means he can have good fantasy outings even if his usage isn't ideal … which it isn't, as he has averaged 4.7 targets per game for a 15% target share. 

But in shallow formats, every manager should be choosing between multiple high-volume options at receiver every week. Ask yourself this question: if/when Williams has another big game, will you consider starting him over your other WR options, or will you remember this donut and opt for a safer choice?

If Williams can't earn your trust — which he probably shouldn't be able to in shallow formats — let someone else consider starting him then decide against it every week.