Much of fantasy football's in-season team strategy centers around which players to pick up from the waiver wire or to target in the trade market. However, roster spots are a premium (and finite) resource. Cutting a player - or adding them to a trade - opens a roster spot for a key waiver wire addition or the flexibility to keep a currently injured player through a missed game or two. Here are the key players to cut or trade after Week 8:
Roster Rate references data collected from myfantasyleague.com leagues.
Shallow Formats
15-18 roster spots
RB Omarion Hampton, Chargers
Why: The season has been lost for the Chargers, but fantasy-wise there was some level of "they have to fix things during their bye week, right?" optimism for at least something different or change coming out in Week 8. It was more of the same for the offense, which was closer to scoring a touchdown on a Hail Mary attempt before halftime than any other point during the game. Hampton drifted to the third-most snaps among the Chargers' running backs, and the entire offense continues to look lost. In all leagues, Hampton is a bench-until-further-notice option and a legit cut candidate in all redraft formats. The RB22 in Roster Rate is completely unstartable in what is trending towards being a gap year in the career arc of the former first-round pick.
RB Emanuel Wilson, Seahawks
Why: After 15+ PPR points in three of the past four games as the team's RB1, the cavalry returned to the depleted Seattle depth chart. Wilson did not see an offensive snap against Chicago in Week 8 as Jadarian Price and Zach Charbonnet were the primary backs on offense. While Wilson showed his value if the depth chart is cleared out, Wilson now needs multiple injuries (again) for relevancy. Reserve Wilson for only leagues approaching 30 roster spots where rostering RB3 types with upside later in the season is palatable.
TE Mark Andrews, Ravens
Why: TE18 in Roster Rate, Andrews has yet to show any ceiling this season. His game-high is 49 yards, and that was back in Week 2. Since then, Andrews's best game was 27 yards and a touchdown in Week 4. The most optimism was centered around Lamar Jackson returning, which unfortunately lasted all of one pass attempt. With Jackson out for at least the rest of the fantasy regular season, Huntley's turf toe keeping him out this week and possibly longer, and Baltimore's season hanging in the balance, Andrews is a redraft cut.