Players Who Could Be Cut This Preseason
Year in and year out, fantasy football enthusiasts must bear witness to the dismissal of several big-name players in the months that lead up to the regular season. Oftentimes, these players are guys who you may have spent decent draft capital to acquire. Last year it was LeSean McCoy and Antonio Brown (for mostly non-football related reasons) who broke the NFL subsector of the internet by being released in the weeks leading up to the season opener. While it’s unlikely that a player of that caliber sees themself cut this season, there are some notable names that could wind up in a similar position.
1. Alshon Jeffery
Jeffery is expected to miss a portion of the 2020 season while he recovers from a Lisfranc injury he suffered near the end of last season. While cutting him would not be the smartest financial move, it’s possible that the two sides could come to a solution through some form of an injury settlement. With the addition of guys like Jalen Reagor and Marquise Goodwin, it’s hard to imagine the team needing Jeffery even if he returns to health given his deteriorating performance (as evidenced by his career-low 11.4 YPC in 2019). Yet while the best move may be to cut ties with Jeffery, the dead money on his contract would make an outright release seemingly impossible.
Jeffery has been taken as the WR61 in redraft leagues, ahead of much higher upside guys like Mike Williams and Robby Anderson. While it wouldn’t be the end of the world for a fantasy manager to blow a late-round selection on the veteran wideout, it’s safe to say that one could definitely do better at than Jeffery, even if he avoids being cut.
2. Kenny Stills
With the additions of steady veteran wideouts Randall Cobb and Brandin Cooks to the team’s receiving core, the Texans can afford to cut ties with the disappointing Stills, a player who never seems to be able to provide consistency on a week-to-week basis. Although the same could be said of Stills’ teammate Will Fuller, the latter would be much more expensive to cut and has shown a much more enticing upside when he has managed to boom, as evidenced by his monstrous outing in Week 5 last season that saw him account for over 200 receiving yards and a trio of touchdown catches. Should Stills fail to impress this preseason he could easily lose his spot on the roster to a younger, cheaper player like rookie Isaiah Coulter or 2018 sixth-round pick Keke Coutee.
Stills currently possesses an ADP of 14.10 in redraft formats, so taking him in a league is likely a low-risk maneuver. Should he maintain his spot on the Texans roster, he may even become a steal in BestBall leagues, although that outcome is predicated on the condition that both Fuller and Cooks fail to stay healthy (which is entirely possible).
3. Adrian Peterson
Peterson’s current ADP in redraft leagues has him going ahead of much higher upside players, such as Rashaad Penny, Joshua Kelley, and Jaylen Samuels. In non-PPR formats, Peterson may continue to produce at a relevant rate, with a touchdown-dependent weekly upside. Should Washington elect to move on from him, it’s unclear whether another team will seek out the veteran’s services, given his limited upside as a pass-catcher.
4. Gio Bernard
Let’s open this section with a disclaimer, as the Bengals will likely keep Bernard until they reach a contract resolution with starting running back Joe Mixon, who has stated that he is willing to holdout until he gets a contract offer that he deems acceptable. A very effective receiving back, Bernard is still one of the better backups in the NFL, although it’s entirely possible that he could be pushed off of the roster by an upstart like Trayveon Williams or Rodney Anderson. Coming off of a season that saw him average a career-low 3.2 YPA, it’s clear that Bernard’s best days are behind him.
Bernard’s current ADP of 14.08 in redraft leagues is a testament to the lack of faith that the fantasy football community has in him at this point in his career. Even with Mixon threatening to holdout, the demand for Bernard has remained low. Although he did receive an extension from the organization last season, Bernard’s contract would be easy to move if the Bengals brass decided to move forward with some younger alternative.
5. Danny Amendola
Amendola is what he is: a steady presence in the slot who can covert shallow targets into marginal gains. The best way to describe the veteran at this stage in his career would be “solid but unspectacular”. Moreover, Amendola’s 63.9% catch rate was his worst mark since 2012, perhaps evidencing a significant deterioration in his reliability out of the slot. If the Lions can find a receiver who can be at least 80% of what Amendola was for them last season, then it’s possible that we could see the scrappy veteran get cut during the preseason. Should Amendola be let go, it’s likely that he could catch on with a team fairly easily, thanks to his prowess on special teams.
While Amendola is simply a blip on the radar in most formats, he could become a valuable desperation flex in non-BestBall leagues regardless of which team he ends up playing for.
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