We are officially halfway through the 2025 NFL season. While we can still say it is still “so early” for rookies who have not made a name for themselves, veterans struggling to produce in fantasy do not earn the same grace. There is plenty of information on efficiency, targets, routes, snaps, injuries, and general production to make the claims necessary to move forward.
Of course, season-ending (or fantasy season-ending) issues are going to be ignored in this piece because you should have dropped Mike Evans, Joe Burrow, Cam Skattebo, Travis Hunter, and others by now. Meanwhile, players like Bucky Irving and Omarion Hampton are set to return eventually and at least on IR, making it easier to hold them as BYE weeks and other injuries pile up.
This list is not comprised of players you should drop immediately, but you can consider depending on the depth of your roster and league-wide waivers.
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The Drop List
QB Brock Purdy (SF)
Mac Jones is starting…again. This turf toe injury for Brock Purdy is lingering, and he will miss his seventh game in eight weeks. While Purdy is likely the better QB than Jones, they are comparable enough for the 49ers to keep Purdy sidelined until he is 100% (or when Jones shows that he is not a quality replacement).
Regardless, the upside for Purdy is rooted in his rushing ability. He is not Josh Allen, but the mix of passing efficiency and rushing makes him a quality fantasy asset. If Purdy operates primarily as a pocket passer upon return, he would not be very valuable in fantasy due to the low passing volume in SF. There likely would not be much of a difference, fantasy-wise, between him without rushing and what Jones does weekly. The 49ers believe Purdy has a shot to play in Week 11, but we have heard something similar to that every week for the last month.
RB Tony Pollard (TEN)
The Titans did not trade Tony Pollard (to everyone’s chagrin) and thus are stuck with a two-headed backfield between him and the superior Tyjae Spears. Spears should be the higher-scoring fantasy back in the second half as he is further removed from a preseason high-ankle sprain. While Pollard’s earned a quality 15.3 touches per game this season, he is averaging just 9.9 points per game in PPR.
He is outside of the top-24 RBs and has scored single-digits in three of the past four games. This is a glorified handcuff RB stuck in one of the league’s worst offenses. Let go if you’re in a pinch for starters or see better upside on the waiver wire.
RB Alvin Kamara (NO)
This is potentially the end of Alvin Kamara. He is averaging a career-worst 3.9 yards per touch and has scored just one touchdown through nine games. The former all-pro RB has played 70% of the backfield snaps this season, yet is averaging just 9.2 points per game. He could have potentially salvaged his season with a trade to any competent offense, but he threatened to retire if a deal occurred.
The Chiefs, Chargers, Rams, and Patriots all could have used the services of a committee Kamara, but alas, he wastes away on the team that drafted him. Kamara is 30 now and not getting younger. Even with the loss of Kendre Miller, the offense is too poor for any expanded workload to carry Kamara to relevance. He should be dropped in half-PPR/standard redraft leagues and borderline undrafted next season unless he lands on a contender.
RB Nick Chubb (HOU)
It is over. Nick Chubb could have a week with a touchdown here or there down the stretch, but he is no longer Nick Chubb. Of course, the Houston offensive line and playcalling are not helping, but it is clear that Chubb lost multiple steps. The Texans are relying on Woody Marks as much on the ground and through the air as well.
Chubb is averaging 7.9 points per game this season, with just two hitting double-digits. His season high in PPR is 15.2, a far cry from what he was once capable of producing. Even if an injury strikes Marks, Chubb’s usage would not expand enough to warrant weekly trust due to his limited receiving work. If someone else picks him up, let them.
WR Matthew Golden (GB)
Golden missed multiple practices this week due to a shoulder injury and is questionable to play on Monday. The loss of Tucker Kraft leaves a lot of targets on the table for Green Bay’s solid passing offense, but Golden has not done much with the targets he has seen. There was hope for a breakout early in the season while Golden was burning defenders downfield; however, he has been utilized as an underneath gadget WR with minimal deep shots in recent weeks.
Despite being a first-round pick, Golden is low on the Packers’ target totem pole with a target share similar to RB Josh Jacobs. Rookies tend to break out in the second half of seasons, but they often flash in the first half. We have seen very little of that flash, and if your roster spots are tight, Golden can be let loose.
WR Ricky Pearsall (SF)
The 49ers have delayed the return of both Purdy and Ricky Pearsall. Pearsall is dealing with a PCL injury he suffered in September and is reportedly not back to full speed yet. Kyle Shanahan noted that neither Pearsall nor Brandon Aiyuk has hit their typical GPS speeds, thus neither will be ready to return until they do.
While Pearsall is closer to returning than Aiyuk, the missed time and added delays suggest that this injury was more severe than initially reported. Pearsall is a talented receiver, but between George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, and Jauan Jennings, he will struggle to earn his usual targets in a season hampered by injury. If your IR spots in fantasy are stretched thin, Pearsall can be let go for a healthy player.
WR Chris Godwin (TB)
This is nearly a lost season for Chris Godwin. The leg he fractured in 2024 is a nuisance, and the Buccaneers do not expect him back until late November or early December at the earliest. This news is coming after a BYE week, where Godwin had ample time to get right.
Even with Mike Evans essentially out for the season, Godwin holds little value as a shell of his former self. The Buccaneers will likely rely on star rookie Emeka Egbuka and emerging slot WR Tez Johnson even upon Godwin’s return. Let him go regardless of format.
TE T.J. Hockenson (MIN)
This year has been fantastic for tight ends…unless your name is T.J. Hockenson (or Evan Engram). The veteran Hockenson is struggling to create anything on the field this season despite a decent 16.7% target share. Hockenson tore his ACL and MCL in 2023, yet returned to quality form in 2024 with 455 yards on 62 targets through 10 games. Somehow, Hockenson is posting the worst efficiency of his career despite being two full years removed from the injury and playing in an offense with talented receivers like Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.
Unless Hockenson somehow finds his pre-injury juice, he is a waiver wire streamer rather than a must-have TE for the rest of 2025. He is in the same tier as Cade Otton, David Njoku, and Dalton Schultz rather than the expected tier of Sam LaPorta and George Kittle.
