Who do I drop? Miles Sanders, Roschon Johnson and more Week 9 fantasy football cuts

Read The Athletic’s latest fantasy football drops advice.

OK, here’s the thing. Occasionally, even a fantasy analyst as awesome as me is wrong on a call.

I know, it’s a stunner. It’s like learning that Captain America doesn’t put his shopping cart back in the corral at the store. Shatters your innocence and sense of security. Take a minute. It’s cool.

But in this business, it’s going to happen.

It happened to me last week with Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell, who I advocated dropping just before a 397-yard, four touchdown effort against the Philadelphia Eagles that made him fantasy football’s highest-scoring quarterback in Week 8.

Um…oops.

I underestimated how well Howell plays against the Eagles. Overestimated how much success the Philly pass rush would have against a Washington offensive line that led the league in sacks allowed entering last week. I ate Taco Bell before making the prediction.

I was wrong. And this is me owning that.

The thing is, unless I only mention players who are rostered in like eight percent of leagues, or name the same guys over and over again, I’m going to whiff on some calls. The first alternative isn’t helpful. The second is boring as hell. I’d rather be wrong and take the heat; I don’t mind. I’ve been wrong a few times over 15 years of having takes.

Plus, just because I mention a guy here doesn’t mean I’m screaming “DROP THIS GUY RIGHT THIS SECOND OR ELSE YER DOOMED!” while pointing a bazooka at you. There are variables every manager needs to consider, whether it’s team makeup, the options available to replace that player, the phase of the moon and so on.

If I list a player here, it’s because I think their value has crested and fantasy managers would potentially be better served by moving on. And these are players I have either already cut bait on or am seriously considering.

The decision of whether to join me is yours to make.

I was also sorta wrong about Jahan Dotson (he was in the Week 7 column), but I’m not apologizing for that. He’s still dead to me.

Not that I hold grudges or anything.

(Rostered percentages courtesy of Yahoo)

Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams (71 percent—Droppable in 12-team 1 QB leagues)

Much like his team, Stafford has been neither great nor terrible this year, completing just under 60 percent of his passes with eight touchdowns. He was the Rally’s of fantasy quarterbacks — inexpensive, but you’re not stampeding to acquire more of him. Now Stafford has a strained UCL in his right thumb, and while the veteran avoided major injury, head coach Sean McVay admitted to reporters that he’s not sure when the 35-year-old will be able to play.

“Hopefully it was just a good scare,” McVay said. “That’s what the scans revealed, and then we will see how quickly some of that stuff that is key and critical to being able to grip and throw a football, some of those symptoms, subside with Matthew and how quickly that makes him available to return for us.”

It’s not like Stafford was setting the world on fire before he got hurt — he was 17th in fantasy points among quarterbacks over the first seven games of the season. Now it’s unlikely that he’ll play in Week 9, and the Rams are on a bye in Week 10. With roster spots at a premium this time of year, holding a meh QB2 who won’t be playing until Week 11 at the outside just isn’t necessary.

Roschon Johnson, RB, Chicago Bears (50 percent – Droppable in 12 team leagues)

With Johnson sidelined by a concussion and Khalil Herbert on injured reserve, D’Onta Foreman got the backfield in Chicago essentially all to himself—and responded with three touchdowns. That performance had many a fantasy manager clamoring for Foreman to retain his lead role even with Johnson cleared from the protocol, and while speaking with reporters Foreman even did a little polite clamoring of his own.

“I definitely feel like (I’ve earned the lead role), honestly, but it’s a business,” he said. “I’ve been around a lot of really good running backs, a lot of good competition. So, I take nothing away from those guys, they push me each and every day to continue to excel and get better. I definitely do think my physicality brings energy to the team. I think they kind of feed off that energy when I go out there and do what I do.”

The good news is that Foreman did lead the Bears in carries Sunday night. The bad news is that he received all of 10 touches for 36 yards, while Johnson had nine touches for 31 yards and Darrynton Evans poached the team’s lone rushing score. This is a three-headed quagmire of a fantasy backfield even without a healthy Herbert. Foreman’s big game a couple weeks ago buys him some time. But the rookie just isn’t getting enough work to be fantasy-relevant. Roschon is Ro-Gone.

Come on… you had to know that was coming.

Miles Sanders, RB, Carolina Panthers (86 percent – Droppable in shallow 12-team leagues)

When Sanders signed a four-year, $25.4 million contract with the Panthers after becoming the first 1,000-yard running back for the Philadelphia Eagles since 2014, this analyst was admittedly excited for his fantasy prospects. I figured he’d be the featured back in Carolina and had the potential to be a value pick as a fantasy RB2.

Well, remember what I said about being wrong? Um…yeah. Partly due to a groin injury he picked up in the preseason, Miles Sanders has been about as effective running the ball as Colonel Sanders — without the 11 secret herbs and spices. Sanders has averaged 3.0 yards per carry, and per Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer, even Panthers head coach Frank Reich admitted that Chuba Hubbard has been the more effective ball-carrier.

“I think it happens a couple different ways,” Reich said. “One thing is feeding him the ball. You can get him some touches and then sometimes, it’s a question of, ‘Hey, even if it’s limited touches, I gotta make the most of what touches I get and what plays I’m in.’ We have a lot of confidence in Miles. Chuba is getting the bulk of the carries the way our run game is going. He’s a more physical, downhill runner, but Miles is a great player, so we want to continue to mix it up.

Last week against the Texans, Hubbard had 45 snaps. Sanders had 12. The latter’s fantasy value is Extra-Crispy.

I may stop with the fast-food metaphors at some point. But no promises.

KJ Osborn, WR, Minnesota Vikings (51 percent – droppable in 12-team leagues)

Last week, Osborn had his best game of the season, catching eight of 10 targets for 99 yards in Minnesota’s win over the Green Bay Packers. However, that win was marred by the torn Achilles suffered by veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins — an injury that Osborn admitted is going to be a tough one for the team to overcome.

“I always say that Kirk’s preparation is so amazing that it pushes me to want to prepare and be at my best. And if I’m a leader, guys are looking to me as that. I get that from him,” Osborn said. “His preparation, his detail, his focus. Kirk, he’s not really a rah-rah guy, but if he’s out there, [even if] he’s yellin’ at us as receivers, we feed off that even more. We don’t look at that as negative. We look at it as he’s that focused, he’s that prepared and he’s that hungry.”

Some fantasy managers are going to find it hard to jump off Osborn’s crazy train after his big game (see? It’s music now), but that’s how it goes. The reality is that Osborn is the third option in a passing attack that will be led the rest of the season (barring a last-minute trade) by a fifth-round rookie. If Justin Jefferson comes back, he’ll drop to fourth. Cut bait now while better options are still available on your waiver wire.

Gerald Everett, TE, Los Angeles Chargers (24 percent – Droppable in 12-team leagues)

Chargers tight end Donald Parham has always been something of a freak of nature — the 6’8” 237-pounder looks like he’d be more at home on an NBA court than on a football field. But with Gerald Everett sidelined against the Chicago Bears Sunday night, Parham saw added playing time. He made the most of it, catching four of five targets for 43 yards and a score, drawing praise from head coach Brandon Staley in the process.

“This was a lot closer to that 2021 version of Donald Parham, who’s a difference maker,” Staley told reporters. “You saw the run after catch. He did that all of 2021. He’s a weapon out there.”

After missing most of 2022, Parham is healthy this year and on pace to set career-highs across the board. He already has a new career-best in scores with four touchdowns over his first seven games. At this point in the season, he has actually accrued more PPR fantasy points than Everett. Why the veteran tight end is rostered in even one of four fantasy leagues is one of life’s great mysteries, like the Nazca Lines and why people eat Burger King on purpose.

OK, so there’s one more fast-food reference left. I had a quota.

Gary Davenport is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers’ Association Football Writer of the Year. You can yell at him about Sam Howell on Twitter @IDPSharks.

(Top photo: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)