Week 14 Fantasy Football Drop Candidates: Khalil Shakir, Kenneth Gainwell 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 14. 

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Deep League Drop Candidates

QB Justin Fields, New York Jets (27% Rostered)

With Tyrod Taylor having a solid outing in the Jets' third win of the season on Sunday, Fields' non-injury-based path back to fantasy relevance for the season is essentially closed. Taylor did suffer an injury that forced Fields back into a starting role after his first benching, but I don't see him getting so lucky twice.

Just as importantly, Fields hasn't actually been that good for fantasy when he has played for the Jets. Despite occasionally showing he still has an elite dual-threat ceiling, he averaged just 16 points across his nine starts this season. The complete duds were nearly as common as the booms, making him an unstartable option at a position that is usually a source of relative stability for fantasy managers.

With a slim path to starting again this season and limited fantasy appeal even if he does, Fields is droppable in all formats. 

RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders (53% Rostered)

Honestly, Bill Croskey-Merritt is in the same kind of situation as Fields. He has lost his job, as Chris Rodriguez Jr. has taken over as the Commanders' lead early-down rusher. On Sunday, JCM saw just four carries on 12 snaps, finishing with a useless two half-PPR points.

But even if Croskey-Merritt were to reclaim his role as the Commanders' top ball-carrier — whether thanks to a coaching decision or injury —  it wouldn't really be a big deal. The rookie was the Commanders' RB1 from Week 5 through Week 10, including multiple games where he actually saw elite rush shares … and he still averaged just 7.5 half-PPR points per game. Even that number vastly overstates his actual weekly usability, as he scored below 5.4 half-PPR points in five of six outings as the team's lead rusher. 

In absurdly deep leagues where literally every NFL RB2 is rostered, Croskey-Merritt is a viable hold. Otherwise, there are probably better options to stash even if you're looking for an injury-contingent back. After all, we've seen him as the starter, and it wasn't exactly a fantasy gold mine. 

TE David Njoku, Cleveland Browns (66% Rostered)

Over the last two weeks, Njoku has posted route participation rates of 29% and 37%. That's really all that needs to be said here.

It's essentially impossible to maintain fantasy relevance as a receiver if you are on the field for that low a share of your team's passing plays. That's doubly true for Njoku, who isn't exactly an explosive playmaker at this stage of his career and is on a still-terrible Cleveland offense.

He's an easy drop in all formats. 

Average League Drop Candidates

QB C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans (55% Rostered)

This isn't the first time I've included Stroud. He last appeared back in Week 10, when I highlighted his low average and low number of QB1 finishes. Since then, he has missed three games with an injury, then returned on Sunday to score just 10 points. 

He has now finished outside the top-24 QBs more times (three) than inside the top 12 (two). Even if you insist on holding a backup, there are probably better options on waivers in most 1QB leagues. 

RBs Rachaad White/Sean Tucker, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (64%/29% Rostered)

Bucky Irving returned on Sunday, and the sophomore RB immediately claimed the lion's share of work in the Buccaneers' backfield. That left White and Tucker — who both had fantasy relevance in Irving's absence — fighting over scraps. White saw two carries and three targets on a 37% snap share, while Tucker saw just two carries on a 14% snap share.

Neither White nor Tucker is a viable fantasy play now that Irving is back, especially if his role — which was slightly limited in Week 13 — continues expanding back toward his early-season highs. However, they're also not hugely exciting as handcuffs, as we saw them eventually settle into a relatively ugly split when Irving was out.

I would recommend dropping either for a player who is more clearly the lone RB2 in his team's pecking order. 

WR Michael Wilson, Arizona Cardinals (79% Rostered)

Marvin Harrison Jr. returned to the Cardinals' lineup in Week 13, and Wilson's Linsanity run ended immediately. After averaging 12.5 catches for over 150 yards over the previous two weeks, Wilson recorded just three receptions for 36 yards on Sunday. 

To be fair, Wilson did post a 17.5% target share (seven targets), his highest of the season in a game with Harrison Jr. active. But, although he was active, the second-year WR didn't actually play a full role, with just a 58% route participation rate.

Going forward, as Harrison ramps back up to a full-time route share, Wilson seems to be on the fast track back to fantasy irrelevance. 

Shallow League Drop Candidates

RB Kenneth Gainwell, Pittsburgh Steelers (70% Rostered)

It may seem crazy to suggest dropping a running back with two top-10 finishes in the last three weeks. Gainwell's usage wasn't even that bad in Week 13, as he still played 42% of the Steelers' snaps, saw five carries, and ran just two fewer routes than Jaylen Warren.

But in shallow leagues, that's simply not going to cut it. Gainwell has fallen back to clearly be the RB2 behind Warren, trailing his backfield-mate in snaps, carries, routes, and targets. And, although I've spent this whole article talking about high-value handcuffs, which Gainwell is, handcuffs aren't must-roster players in shallower formats.

Now that he is no longer genuinely competing to be the Steelers' RB1, Gainwell isn't a must-roster option.

WR Khalil Shakir, Buffalo Bills (84% Rostered)

Shakir is still the WR36 in total half-PPR points and WR46 in points per game. He's also the undisputed top target on one of the league's best offenses. So maybe I'm just overreacting because I was in on him for an excellent matchup with the Steelers' defense, and he immediately dropped a dud … but that's exactly the problem.

Shakir's role in the Bills' offense is small and inconsistent enough that he is capable of being a complete non-factor even in theoretically excellent matchups. In shallow formats, a WR who is liable to have a day of one catch for five yards on a 52% route participation rate is simply never going to make your lineup.

And if he's not going to make your lineup, you shouldn't be holding Shakir — it's not like there is any contingent upside here. 

TE T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings (79% Rostered)

Hockenson might be the single player I have featured in this column the most this year. Despite being a completely useless fantasy asset for essentially the entire season, he is somehow still holding steady as a top-10 most rostered tight end in the league. I guess fantasy managers are just that desperate for usable tight end production, but there simply have to be better options available in shallow formats.

To be fair, Hockenson had his second-most-productive game of the season in Week 13, catching all six of his targets for 59 yards. But when his second-best game of the season still landed him outside the TE1 range for the week (he was the TE14), that's saying something.

Especially now that Max Brosmer's disasterclass has confirmed that there is no one coming to save the Vikings' offense from J.J. McCarthy, Hockenson is an easy drop in shallow formats.