Fantasy Football: 3 Players You Can Drop After Week 3

Every week, basically every fantasy website in the industry puts out a waiver wire column -- here's ours for this week. But in some instances, the real problem isn't deciding who to pick up; it's figuring out which players to part ways with.

Knowing when to drop an under-performing player is a tough call, but I'm here to help you out.

These are tough decisions to make -- if they weren't, I wouldn't need to write this article. But it doesn't have to be so hard. After this past week, here are some players you can drop and why.

All NFL projections via our numbers at FanDuel Research, and NFL odds references are to FanDuel Sportsbook. Statistics via NFL Next-Gen Stats and Pro Football Focus unless otherwise stated.

Fantasy Football Players to Drop After Week 3

Dylan Sampson, RB, Browns

Jerome Ford made regular appearances on our drop list over the last few weeks. Now that he's rostered in only 31% of leagues, Dylan Sampson is the next Cleveland Browns running back on the chopping block.

Quinshon Judkins made his debut in Week 2 and immediately took a stranglehold of the starting spot. After posting 10 rushing attempts for 61 rushing yards (6.1 yards per carry) with only a 26.4% snap rate in Week 2, his snap share jumped to 57.9% in Week 3 en route to 18 carries for 94 rushing yards (5.2 yards per rushing attempt).

Sampson enjoyed a 45.1% snap rate to open the season, but this has only dipped since Week 2. After logging a 23.6% snap share in his second game, Sampson played just 7.0% of snaps in Week 3. Since Judkins debuted, Ford has a 41.9% snap rate, compared to Sampson's mark of 16.3%.

At this point, Sampson is buried on the depth chart as RB3. Furthermore, Judkins dominated the touches in his second outing with 22.0 adjusted opportunities while Ford logged 8.0 and Sampson posted 1.0.

Cleveland's top tailback is as clear as day as Judkins leads all rookie backs with 155 rushing yards, and he's done so in one fewer game than his counterparts. Furthermore, his impressive efficiency is undeniable with 2.01 rushing yards over expectation (RYOE) per carry -- per NFL Next Gen Stats.

Sampson's efficiency pales in comparison with -1.42 RYOE per rushing attempt. Expect Sampson's 52% roster rate to take a huge dip this week (via Yahoo Sports).

Josh Downs, WR, Colts

After logging only three targets in the season-opener, Josh Downs' volume was boosted to eight targets in Week 2. The Indianapolis Colts' wideout still produced only six catches and 51 receiving yards for 8.1 fantasy points in half-PPR leagues.

Week 3's volume makes Downs a potential drop. It was back to Week 1's production, recording only three targets, two receptions, and 34 receiving yards (4.4 fantasy points). With 4.9 fantasy points per game, Downs ranks as WR72 in the category.

Through three games, the third-year receiver has a 16.1% target share, 17.8% air yards share, 14.8% downfield target share, and 16.7% red zone target share. According to PlayerProfiler, Downs is mostly featured in 11 personnel with a 66.2% slot snap rate. The Colts have the second-lowest pass-play rate, causing even more concern for his workload.

This already limits his fantasy potential, and Downs isn't known for explosive plays or scoring touchdowns (seven in his career). Indianapolis is off to a scorching start, totaling 34.3 points per game (second-most) and 6.6 yards per play (the most). Yet, Downs has still lacked fantasy production in this high-scoring offense.

Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jaguars

Despite hiring offensive-minded Liam Coen as head coach, the Jacksonville Jaguars' passing game has underperformed through three weeks. Trevor Lawrence is averaging only 13.8 fantasy points per game, which ranks as QB21.

Jacksonville's air attack has a long list of problems. After a standout rookie season, Brian Thomas Jr. has severely underperformed by logging 38.3 receiving yards on 8.3 targets per game -- leading to a -33.4 catch rate over expectation (CROE) and -38.7 receiving yards over expectation. Travis Hunter has yet to make a notable impact, posting 25.3 receiving yards per game and -12.3 RecYOE. Further adding to the issue, Dyami Brown leads starters with 2.2 RecYOE but sustained a shoulder injury in Week 3.

Lawrence has played poorly, too. In fact, he touts -0.09 expected points added per dropback (EPA/db) and a -10.8% completion percentage over expectation (CPOE). Alongside his 5.9 yards per passing attempt, 223.7 passing yards per game, and 1.3 passing touchdowns per contest, Lawrence has four interceptions and PlayerProfiler credits him with the most interceptable passes (four) and danger plays (five).

Jacksonville's offense has totaled a solid 23.3 points per game (14th-most), but most of its success has come from 5.1 yards per rushing attempt (6th-most). The air attack as a whole -- led by Lawrence -- is a clear fade right now.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.