Trades always seem to release the most dopamine in my brain of any fantasy football action. The anticipation of finding out whether I made a brilliant move or big mistake in and of itself is a reward, and each trade creates that storyline to follow. But what if you are in a league where people are reluctant to make trades? Another fun risk/reward move is the "sabotage drop", a term coined by my friend Paul Charchian.
What is a "Sabotage Drop"?
A Sabotage Drop is a player with:
- Strong name value/ADP
- Fantasy value that is dim/inconsistent enough to make you not want to consider them in any given week
That makes them a drop, but where does the sabotage part come in?
- Another team will spend significant FAAB or waiver priority
- Drop another potentially useful player and clog a roster spot
- Use that player in their lineup and find out why you were willing to drop them
- Maybe even in a matchup against you!
In other words, "sabotage drops" are players who have more value than the lower-end waiver pickups of the week, but are more likely to cause aggravation than help your fantasy team in the long run. The fantasy football conventional wisdom has been to hold this type of player on your bench to see if they come around, but by being decisive, we can create new ways to entertain ourselves in the context of our leagues! Now let's figure out who our sabotage drop of the week will be. We will also track how the previous sabotage drops are going each week as we take on this topic.
"When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time" - Maya Angelou (RIP)
On Sabotage Drop Watch
Terry McLaurin (WR-WAS) - It appears Stefon Diggs and Antonio Williams will be the main targets in this pass offense because of offensive line limitations. We shouldn't drop McLaurin yet because he could be a matchup play, and he faced the very good Eagles outside cornerbacks in Week 1. If McLaurin doesn't draw more targets and make an impact in Week 2, we may do something drastic leading into Week 3.
Tony Pollard (RB-TEN) - Running back can be a brutal position that leaves us willing to start a running back who gets half of the backfield work in one of the league's worst offenses by Week 4 or 5, so I won't be too quick to drop Pollard, but the matchup vs. Philadelphia is more vomit in the aisles of Nissan Stadium. With the Giants, Baltimore, and Houston up in Weeks 3-5, Pollard could end up walking the plank. Tyjae Spears isn't known for staying healthy, so that's another reason to pause before making Pollard a sabotage drop.
Justin Herbert (QB-LAC) - Now we are getting spicy. Mike McDaniel rebounded vs. New England in Week 2 with Tua Tagovailoa as his quarterback after a 33-8 trouncing in Week 1 last year, so we are expecting (hoping for) a bounce-back game against the Raiders this week. If not, the Chargers get the Bills in Week 3 and then face a gauntlet of Seattle, Denver, Kansas City, the Rams, Houston, and Baltimore from Weeks 4-10 (their bye is in Week 7). If he's not worth a start against the Cardinals or Raiders, how can you trust him against those units?
Rico Dowdle (RB-PIT) - The Steelers faced a vastly inferior opponent and still passed more than twice as much as they ran. Dowdle was on the field for more than half of the snaps, but never got in a groove. If the Steelers won't feature him in a matchup like this one, should we ever feel like we can trust Dowdle in our lineups? The chance of Jaylen Warren getting hurt and the Steelers course-correcting is enough reason to keep Dowdle for now.
Harold Fannin Jr. (TE-CLE) - It appears Fannin's 2025 late rookie season spike was more due to a lack of other viable options than Fannin being a truly special breakout talent. First-round pick KC Concepcion is the top struggle target now. This offense won't score many touchdowns, and they'll have one of the smallest pass-game production pies to split in the league. Fannin is still good enough to have a few hits on his growing abilities, but good luck figuring out which weeks.
Jordan Addison (WR-MIN) - With T.J. Hockenson doing more in the passing game and a viable running game, Addison just isn't going to see consistent targets. He is a good player and a big play threat, but zeroes are a real possibility every week. Feel free to drop him, but with a matchup against Chicago and Carson Wentz likely starting, he could be a sell-high after this week instead of a sabotage drop.