Your fantasy team suffered a loss. Maybe a player got injured. Maybe he's just not playing well. Either way, you get to play the waiver wire now. It's all good when you're looking through the list of names, hoping to find the spark that will ignite your squad to the playoffs and beyond. But when it's in the with new, it has to be out with the old. Sometimes, it's easy to see the player that no longer deserves a spot on your roster. Sometimes ... not so much. Don't worry. We're here to help. Consider us the break up counselor that will help ease the separation.
All ownership percentages based on NFL.com leagues
Adrian Peterson, RB, New Orleans Saints (62.4 percent owned)
NOTE: This was written prior to the news breaking that Peterson was traded to the Cardinals. However, that still shouldn't change your fantasy opinion on him just yet.
We've been telling you for a few weeks that it's okay to drop Adrian Peterson. Apparently, some of you are in extremely deep leagues with a sincere lack of running backs ... or you're just nostalgic. If it's the latter, you can stop now. Peterson isn't the same player he was for the majority of his tenure with the Vikings. Add to it that he's playing in an offense that is completely unsuited to his skills and is battling for touches with a pair of younger, more productive backs. New Orleans running back coach Joel Thomas is trying to convince us that big things are still coming for AD. That seems quite optimistic for a player averaging seven touches per game.
Isaiah Crowell, RB, Cleveland Browns (92.9 percent owned)
Yes, I know that productive running backs are getting harder to come by every week. I also know that Crowell was hyped as a big-time sleeper this year. We're through five weeks, folks. It's time that we look ourselves in the mirror and admit that we may have made a mistake. Through the Browns' first five contests, Crowell is seeing a fair number of snaps and touches. The problem is that he's barely averaging more than three yards per carry while being fully outplayed by Duke Johnson in the Cleveland backfield. Head coach Hue Jackson has repeatedly said that the team wants to get Crowell going but with upheaval at quarterback and general disarray in the offense as a whole, kickstarting a struggling running back seems like it's well down the list of priorities.
Paul Perkins, RB, New York Giants (67.3 percent)
The Giants don't have the worst run game in the NFL ... but it's not far off. The team had hoped Perkins could be the answer this season but the UCLA product is averaging just 1.9 yards per carry and hasn't had more than 22 rushing yards in a single game. Enter Orleans Darkwa and rookie Wayne Gallman who have both been far more productive and are in line to take over Big Blue's running game. Combine this with myriad injuries to the team's receivers and there's little reason to be hopeful about this running game.
Brandon Marshall, WR, New York Giants (71.4 percent owned)
Speaking of injured receivers, Marshall left Sunday's loss with an ankle injury adding to the insult of a season that has seen him catch just 18 passes for 154 yards. Marshall wasn't expected to be the same player he was early in his career but his lack of involvement with the Giants passing game has been shocking. Now at 0-5, it's fair to wonder how much the Giants will shake up the offense and what Marshall's role in it will be (if any). The short version of that whole paragraph is that Marshall has shown nothing that suggests he'll have any real fantasy value moving forward.
Eric Decker, WR, Tennessee Titans (71.4 percent owned)
Marshall's former running buddy in New York, Eric Decker, isn't exactly having a career renaissance in Tennessee. Even before the injury to Marcus Mariota, the veteran receiver wasn't getting a ton of opportunity. His season-high of targets (eight) came in Week 1. Decker hasn't caught more than four passes in a game this season, has yet to crack the 50-yard plateau in any contest and is still looking for his first touchdown of the season. There could be a big game or two coming for Decker this season but right now, he's battling Rishard Matthews and Delanie Walker for consistent looks in the passing game. This isn't a situation you want to be a part of.
New England Patriots D/ST (79.5 percent owned)
Yes, I know it's the Patriots. I'm also aware that every time we kick dirt on them, they find a way to come back stronger and make fools of us all. Hey, it's cool. I still don't want this defense on my fantasy roster. The Pats have allowed a 300-yard passer in every game they've played and the secondary, while a little better in Week 5, still has a lot of issues to work out. Maybe you want to wait on the Patriots to turn things around. That's fine. But since there's no real need to carry two defenses on most fantasy rosters, you might want to consider letting them get better on the waiver wire. At this point, the threat of anyone snagging them from you is pretty minimal.
Marcas Grant is a fantasy editor for NFL.com and a man who would prefer to see anyone but the Yankees or Red Sox win the World Series. Do not @ him about that. Do @ him about fantasy football on Twitter @MarcasG. Or find him on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat (marcasg9).
