Week 15 Fantasy Football Drop Candidates: Troy Franklin, Jayden Daniels and More

The fantasy football playoffs start this week. Now more than ever, it's important to seriously consider what value (if any) bench players are adding to your roster. 

If someone is multiple steps away from actually making your lineup, it's time to move on. At this time of year, even a defense that has a juicy matchup in an upcoming week is more valuable than a backup you will never play.

With that in mind, here are players it's safe to drop heading into Week 15. 

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Deep League Drop Candidates

WR Troy Franklin, Denver Broncos (62% Rostered)

And just like that, Sean Payton's usage rollercoaster claims another fantasy football victim. For one glorious month, Franklin was the Broncos' WR1.

In Weeks 8-11, he led Denver in each of route rate (84%), target share (26%), and air yards share (51%). Those numbers are genuinely elite, so they unsurprisingly turned into a solid 13.3 half-PPR points per game.

But here we are just a few weeks later, and Franklin has clearly fallen out of favor. He posted a useless 40% route participation rate on Sunday, closer to Marvin Mims (37%) than Pat Bryant (67%) or Courtland Sutton (81%). He did still see four targets, but he managed only 11 yards on his three receptions.

Going forward, there is a chance that Franklin's usage bounces back. But, at least for me, I'd need to see at least two (if not three) weeks of legit improved usage before trusting that he was a playable fantasy option. Not only is that unlikely given his recent trends, but by the time it happened, the fantasy playoffs would be over. Franklin is a safe drop in all formats.

WR Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts (56% Rostered)

Really, Downs has barely been fantasy-relevant all season. He is the fifth option in the Colts' offense, averaging just 6.5 half-PPR points on a 59% route participation rate. But this week's injury to Daniel Jones (who is officially done for the year with a torn Achilles) is the final nail in his fantasy coffin.

With Anthony Richardson Sr. already on IR and rookie Riley Leonard suffering a knee injury of his own on Sunday, the Colts appear to be turning to Philip Rivers to potentially be their QB1. To be fair, Rivers — who is 44 years old and hasn't appeared in the NFL since 2020 — probably can't throw more than five yards down the field at this point, which fits Downs' role.

But it's undeniable that losing Danny Dimes will be a massive downgrade for the Colts' overall offensive efficiency, especially on the passing front. Downs wasn't a usable fantasy option when Indianapolis' offense was elite, so he's definitely not going to do anything now that they're likely to be terrible.

Average League Drop Candidates

QB Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders (78% Rostered)

Daniels returned to the field after a four-week absence in Week 14. It didn't go well, as he completed just nine of 20 passes before exiting early in the third quarter with a reaggravation of his dislocated left elbow. On the bright side, Daniels reportedly avoided any major injury (or re-injury).

However, I still expect the Commanders (who have been eliminated from the playoffs) to take things cautiously with their second-year franchise QB. If he misses just one game, his first game back will be the fantasy football semifinals. And will you really trust him in that situation?

Unfortunately, your answer to that question should be no. Even when he is active, Daniels simply hasn't been the elite fantasy QB we expected him to be this season. He has just one QB1 finish all year, despite having played 100% of the snaps in four games and 65% or more in seven. If Daniels were a no-doubt fantasy stud when healthy, I'd recommend holding him. Given that he's not, it's time to move on.  

RB Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs (75% Rostered)

I learned my lesson from Rhamondre Stevenson, so I didn't list Pacheco as a drop after he had just three attempts in his return from injury in Week 13. And his role did grow in his second game back this week … but it didn't grow enough.

Pacheco was still the Chiefs' clear RB2, trailing Kareem Hunt in carries (nine to 12), snap share (36% to 58%), route rate (24% to 48%), and targets (zero to one). He finished with just three half-PPR points as Kansas City's offense struggled against Houston's elite defense. 

Pacheco has averaged just 6.2 points per game on the season. He only has two double-digit outings in half-PPR, neither of which reached even 12 points. Especially considering that the Chiefs are one loss from elimination and have two tough matchups in the fantasy playoffs (the Chargers next week and Denver in Week 17), he's not worth holding in most leagues.  

Shallow League Drop Candidates

QB Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (90% Rostered)

Situations simply don't get better than the one Goff had in Week 14. He was at home, in the dome, facing the Cowboys' terrible defense. Detroit had a massive implied total coming in, and they blew past it with 44 points. 

Despite all this, he finished with just 16.2 fantasy points. Sure, he got a little unlucky that four of the Lions' five TDs came on the ground, but that's not too surprising given that Dan Campbell has leaned into the run game since taking over as the team's playcaller. 

Going forward, Goff doesn't get any more dream matchups. The Steelers in Week 16 are a relatively soft opponent, but the Rams this week and the Vikings in the fantasy championship are far from ideal. If you can't see yourself starting Goff in any of those matchups (and in a shallow league, you really should have better options), he's an easy drop. 

WR Stefon Diggs, New England Patriots (92% Rostered)

At this point in the season, Diggs is the absolute definition of a useless roster-clogger for shallow leagues. Since Kayshon Boutte's return in Week 12, he has posted route participation rates of just 51% and 56%. Unsurprisingly, that part-time usage turned into lackluster fantasy outings of 3 and 4.1 half-PPR points.

In a shallow format, you should have multiple wide receivers who will project better every week than Diggs in this part-time role. In fact, there are almost certainly wideouts on your waiver wire who are safer options, even if they don't have the same name value as the former All-Pro. 

Is Diggs still capable of having a big outing over the next three weeks? Absolutely. He's played well this season, and Drake Maye is on absolute fire. But those points won't help from your bench, and he's not going to have the underlying usage to earn a starting spot in a shallow league.

Let him take up space on someone else's roster.