Fantasy Football: 3 Players You Can Drop After Week 5

Every week, 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 5

Jerry Jeudy, WR, Browns

Despite heading into the season as the Cleveland Browns' WR1, Jerry Jeudy has severely underperformed with only 5.5 fantasy points per game. His efficiency is setting off alarms as Jeudy carries a -13.3 catch rate over expectation (CROE) and -14.1 receiving yards over expectation (RecYOE) -- per NFL Next Gen Stats.

It may be time to move on from the Browns' target.

This passing attack is adding little value with 5.2 yards per passing attempt (the fewest) paired with only 14.6 points per game (second-fewest). Scoring touchdowns on this offense is difficult enough, and on top of that, Jeudy has an underwhelming 10.0% red zone target share.

After posting 8.0 target per game over the first two games, Jeudy's workload has dipped to 6.0 targets per contest over the last three. He's also recorded only 2.0 catches and 26.7 receiving yards per game during the span.

Even his average depth of target (aDOT) could be in danger at this point. He carried an aDOT of 14.2 yards from Week 1 to 4, but it was only 9.8 in Dillon Gabriel's first start in Week 5. Following the injury of Cedric Tillman (hamstring), Isaiah Bond is stepping into an elevated role; his 19.7% target share and 37.5% downfield target share over the last two games is already rivaling Jeudy's marks of 21.2% and 33.3%, respectively, during the span.

With 3.7 fantasy points per game over the last three games, Jeudy's Yahoo! roster percentage of 83% is likely too high.

Emari Demercado, RB, Cardinals

Following the injury of Trey Benson (knee), the Arizona Cardinals' backfield had plenty of touches available, making Michael Carter and Emari Demercado top priority waiver targets a week ago. We got our first look at Arizona's backfield in Week 5, and Demercado looks like the odd man out.

Demercado got a handful of snaps as a third-down back prior to Benson's injury. Carter didn't take one snap until Benson was out of the fold. With that said, most expected Demercado to fill in a third-down role at the very least. However, he didn't have one target in Week 5. Instead, Carter turned five targets into five receptions and 22 receiving yards.

Furthermore, Carter dominated the rushing attempts with 18 carries for 51 rushing yards and one touchdown. Meanwhile, Demercado had only three rushing attempts and 81 rushing yards. He didn't help his case by dropping the ball before crossing the goal line on a 72-yard run.

Going forward, Carter should take most of the work for the Cards. He touted a 59.4% snap share and 28.0 adjusted opportunities compared to Demercado's marks of 26.6% and 3.0, respectively. Expect Demercado's 57% roster rate to fall prior to Week 6.

Juwan Johnson, TE, Saints

Juwan Johnson quickly found himself on fantasy rosters after posting 11.0 fantasy points per game over the first three weeks. However, he's trending the wrong direction now.

Since Week 4, the New Orleans Saints' tight end is averaging 3.5 targets, 2.5 catches, 22.5 receiving yards, and 3.5 fantasy points per game. Johnson posted a 24.1% target share and 26.7% red zone target share over the first three weeks. This has plummeted to a 12.5% target share and 9.1% red zone target share over his previous two games.

Similar to Jeudy's situation with the Browns, this offense is already offering little fantasy value due to scoring only 18.4 points per game (sixth-fewest) and notching 5.6 yards per passing attempt (third-fewest). As we've seen over the last two games, this attack will likely be led by Chris Olave (34.3% air yards share since Week 4) and Rashid Shaheed (38.5% air yards share since Week 4).

Frankly, I'm not sure if there will be any room for Johnson to provide consistent production -- especially if he's rarely getting red zone targets. Johnson could become a streaming option if he's in an ideal matchup, but he doesn't need to be rostered right now.

New to FanDuel Sportsbook? You’ll receive $300 in Bonus Bets if your first $5+ bet wins! See here for full terms and conditions. Learn about today’s other offers at FanDuel Sportsbook Promos.

Which NFL bets stand out to you? Check out FanDuel Sportsbook's latest NFL betting odds to see the full menu of options.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

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.