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Fantasy Football Fantasy Football Rookie Matthew Golden has struggled to breakout for the Packers. Barry Reeger / Imagn Images I’m back, baby! Speculation was rampant on the internet (OK, in my mind) regarding my absence from this column last week. No, I was not arrested — I’m a good clean boy, thank you very much. No, I was not institutionalized, although that isn’t an implausible theory. Wasn’t in rehab. Or dead — I think. Advertisement Being a Browns fan could be construed as hell, though. The reality is family emergencies don’t care if it’s football season or not, and family is all that matters. So, this dummy had to step away and help out his peoples. Things are better now (until the next disaster), so after that week on the NFI list, I am ready to start handing out pink slips again. And lemme tell ya, after a week-plus of close contact with mi familia, I am pettier and more vindictive than ever. Love ya, Mom! As always, whether the players listed here should be dropped in your individual league is a relative concept. The size of the league and the depth of its rosters are important factors — there will be many more replacement options available in a shallow 10-team league than in a deep 14-teamer. And to drop a guy, there needs to be someone to drop him for. But all eight of these quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers (no tight ends this week, although a couple are on thin ice) have reached the point where any sober fantasy manager wants no part of them in the starting lineup. If the idea of starting a guy makes you physically ill, why is he on the roster at all? Rostered percentages courtesy of Yahoo. I haven’t forgotten about you, Kyler! You hear me? Sure, your rostered percentage is down, but it’s still approximately 61 percent too high. I will not stop my Ky-sade until the stain of your presence has been wiped from fantasy football forever! OK, that may have been a wee much. From all indications, Murray will return to action in Week 9, and Redbirds head coach Jonathan Gannon has repeatedly insisted that despite being outplayed this season by Jacoby Brissett, Murray is the team’s starter under center. That whole being outplayed by Jacoby Brissett thing says all that need be said about Murray’s fantasy value. Well, that and a QB22 ranking in fantasy points per game among quarterbacks. Advertisement Imagine, if you will, Mr. Rodgers’ Neighborhood was hosted by Aaron Rodgers instead of Fred Rodgers. Rodgers would walk through the door (no singing whatsoever), change his shoes, put on a T-shirt from a place that sells intracranial brain supplements made from ground-up monkey bones, take some Ayahuasca and then tell kids that reality is a myth and love is a lie told by people afraid to be alone. That would be more fun than rolling out Rodgers in fantasy as anything other than a desperation injury fill-in. Rodgers has more starts with fewer than 15 fantasy points this year than games with 20-plus, and he doesn’t have a remotely favorable matchup coming until Cincinnati’s invisible defense comes to Pittsburgh in Week 11. Perhaps we should have listened to the drumbeats around Jones in the offseason … his RB26 ADP … a birthday cake that requires a permit from the fire department. Even before the season started, there were calls for Jordan Mason to be Minnesota’s lead back. Yes, part of Jones’ seven touches for 30 yards last week against the Chargers can be attributed to easing him back after an IR stint. But that doesn’t change the fact Jones is averaging just 3. 4 yards per carry this year. He has looked old. And the Vikings have mostly been a disaster offensively. Last year, the 14-3 Vikings were 12th in total offense and ninth in scoring offense. This year? 18th and 15th — and that’s buoyed by a 48-point outburst against Cincinnati. Minnesota is learning the hard way it should have just paid Sam Darnold in the offseason. Tennessee’s Tony Pollard was headed for this spot, but with speculation growing Pollard could be traded soon, he has received a stay of execution for now. I also considered dropping Alvin Kamara in here, but he’s another back mentioned in more than a few trade rumors and I may just be lashing out because Kamara is murdering my joy in 2025. Advertisement However, unless Isiah Pacheco’s leg falls off, fantasy managers are fresh out of reasons to keep Hunt rostered. With Pacheco healthy, Hunt has been relegated to a backup role, carrying the ball just 10 times for 41 yards in Weeks 6 and 7 combined. The Chiefs are also one of the teams rumored to be pursuing an upgrade in the backfield at the trade deadline. Hunt’s two Monday touchdowns? After I wrote this. My powers defy all explanation. Life comes at you fast in the NFL. Over the first four weeks of the 2025 campaign, Johnston was fourth in PPR points among wide receivers. He didn’t have fewer than 14. 9 points in any of those four games. But then Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh did something so awful I can barely find the words to describe it. A couple of weeks ago, Harbaugh whispered in Justin Herbert’s ear, “Bro, Ladd Mc Conkey is still on our team. ” The fiend! Over the past two games, Johnson has been targeted just six times and caught just two passes — including a donut in both categories last week against the Minnesota Vikings. Over that same span, Mc Conkey has 25 targets and 15 catches. Johnston was fun while he lasted. Golden was going to be just that this season. The first wide receiver drafted in the first round by Green Bay since (approximately) 1952, the speedster from Texas was going to rise above a crowded wide receiver room and emerge as a fantasy star. Well, someone did rise up and claim a spot in fantasy stardom. The problem is it was tight end Tucker Kraft. To be fair, Golden has had his moments. But Kraft is Jordan Love’s favorite target, and the return of Christian Watson last week in Pittsburgh further diluted the wideout target share. Golden has seen more than five targets just once this year, and last week’s three looks are likely to be more rule than exception moving forward. Advertisement Seriously, can someone please explain to me why Jeudy is rostered in 70 percent of leagues? Explain it to me like I’m five. After recording the sixth-most receiving yards in the NFL last year, Jeudy has disappeared — and the magician who pulled that trick off is none other than Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who has such a noodle-arm he should have an endorsement deal with Creamette. Seven weeks into the season, Jeudy is WR56. Last week against New England, he was targeted twice and didn’t have a catch. Over the past month, Jeudy has had 20 receiving yards in a game once and has yet to find the end zone in 2025. It’s past time for fantasy managers to come to grips with the fact it isn’t going to happen with Keon Coleman in 2025. Yes, we tried to will it into reality with the “Summer of Keon. ” When Coleman posted a 8/112/1 line in the season opener, we were convinced Coleman’s time was now. Apparently, Coleman can’t tell time, because he has fallen off a cliff since. Since Week 1, Coleman has eclipsed 30 receiving yards in a game all of once. He’s seen five targets in a game just twice. And he’s WR74 in PPR points, behind the likes of Jalen “Not Justin Jefferson” Nailor of the Minnesota Vikings and Dyami “Murphy” Brown of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Gary Davenport is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow Gary on X at @IDPGodfather. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle Gary Davenport is a contributor to The Athletic and is one of fantasy football's leading experts on Individual Defensive Player (IDP) leagues. A member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Fantasy Sports Writers Association, Gary was the 2017 FSWA Fantasy Football Writer of the Year. Follow Gary on Twitter @IDPSharks