Nine Roster Cloggers To Drop In Dynasty Leagues

Nearly twelve years ago, I wrote my first version of a “Roster Clogger” article. I recently re-read that article and wanted to begin this year’s version by looking back at the definition and thought process regarding identifying these players that can actually damage your dynasty fantasy football squads. Here’s what I wrote back in October of 2012…

This week, I want to delve deep into your dynasty rosters and provide some analysis for the players who reside at the end of your bench. A typical dynasty team starts seven or eight offensive players and often allows owners to carry a roster of 24, 26 or even more players. The strategies for managing your roster can vary greatly, but are primarily dependent on your team’s status for the current year. Are you a playoff contender or are you rebuilding? Those are really the only two options.

No matter if you are undefeated and cruising towards the title game or winless and already scouting the top college prospects, all owners should share one rule when building a roster – there shall be no roster cloggers. A roster clogger is my term for players stuck on the end of your bench who are not actually deserving of a roster spot. These players offer little to no upside and will likely never be a starting option for your fantasy team. While these players occasionally post a big statistical game, their production is not steady enough to rely on on a weekly basis. Also, your leaguemates are well aware of these players’ subpar performances, so they have little or no trade value.

With all of this, why do we keep these players around?  One cause could be the status on their own team. In many leagues, every starting NFL quarterback or tight end is on a roster – this should not always be the case. There are many backup quarterbacks who offer far more upside in the long term. Another reason is name value. Many veteran players have been solid fantasy options in the past and dynasty owners are basing roster decisions on data and memories from years gone by.

Sometimes, clearing off the roster cloggers can be a tough decision. I know many owners who fear giving up value and worry that if they drop a player, another owner could quickly snag that player. To that I say “so what?” If I deem a player not worthy of my roster and decide he is not even worth shopping in a possible trade, that should be a player I want clogging up my competitor’s roster. Finally, sometimes these players tempt us with the occasional nice game I mentioned before. There is a certain quarterback who I will focus on soon that began the year with a very impressive game. He was even one of the top quarterbacks of that week. The downside is, since then, he has been disappointing and unreliable. He will likely never be a starting fantasy quarterback. So, why waste a roster spot on a player that I won’t start and can’t trade? I shouldn’t. In fact, I would rather take a shot on a deep dynasty prospect who could eventually become a starting caliber player for my team.

Identifying the roster cloggers depends on the current status of your team as I mentioned before, but is also greatly affected by the type of league you’re involved in. While I could make an educated guess if I knew the rules and other dynamics of specific leagues, I can really only speak from the point of view I know best. Most of my leagues are PPR leagues that allow 26 roster spots and very flexible starting lineups. The majority of owners in my leagues only carry one kicker and defense at a time. The players mentioned below are based on those league settings, but could change if you are playing under different rules. One example would be a two-quarterback league. These leagues obviously place greater value on that position and would create a change in the definition of roster cloggers. Another important factor that affects roster cloggers is the number of roster spots you have. If your dynasty league only allows 18 players rostered, the end of bench management is greatly affected.

Since I wrote that years ago, many things have changed with the dynasty game and all aspects have been impacted, including Roster Cloggers. While there are still tons of leagues like the ones I described, larger starting lineups and larger rosters in general are now the norm. Also, superflex leagues have become very popular and common with die-hard dynasty players.

These changes have impacted the value of quarterbacks and running backs. In a superflex league, obviously all starting quarterbacks are worthy of a roster spot as are a large number of backups. Over the years, we’ve seen the number of useful running backs increase, thanks in large part to the popularity of committee backfields around the league.

Former DLF writer Scott Connor has done excellent work with his theories about the value of the quarterback and running back positions in superflex leagues, suggesting #AnyQBOnA2Deep and #AnyRBOnA53 are worthy of roster spots in dynasty leagues. In case you’re not familiar with Scott’s ideas or his lingo, he’s suggesting the top two quarterbacks on a depth chart and any running back on an active NFL roster could have dynasty value. I completely agree, which is why you won’t see any quarterbacks on this list and only a few running backs.

What remains the same from a dozen years ago is the definition of a Roster Clogger. If you identify a player who has no trade value in your league and has seemingly no path to cracking your starting lineup, you’ve found a clogger. Those are players you want on other teams’ rosters around your league, so dump them now and improve your team while potentially damaging other rosters.

Chris Rodriguez, RB WAS

As a rookie last season, Rodriguez spent most of the season on the sideline, playing behind Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson. Now, Austin Ekeler has replaced Gibson, while Robinson remains ahead of Rodriguez on the depth chart. Rostering Rodriguez is essentially a bet on a Robinson injury because the two have similar strengths and styles. Rodriguez did pop off with an RB1 performance in Week 16 last year when Robinson was sidelined.

Israel Abanikanda, RB NYJ

This one stings as Abanikanda was one of my favorite incoming rookies a year ago. If you thought the Jets’ landing spot looked bad last off-season, it’s even worse now after the Jets drafted both Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis. Oh, and there’s still that Breece Hall guy, who is now locked in as a top-three dynasty back. I had a little hope for Abanikanda late last season after the Jets dumped Michael Carter, but the Pitt product never scored more than seven fantasy points in a game and is now buried on the depth chart.

Tank Bigsby, RB JAX

It is rare to give up on a Day Two running back just one year into his career, but that’s how bad Bigsby’s rookie season was. Early in the year, the Jags gave the rookie a shot at a significant role. He responded with a pair of rushing touchdowns in the first three weeks of the year but he was simply so inefficient in all aspects that the team eventually went with veteran D’Ernest Johnson as the primary backup to Travis Etienne. Bigsby saw only four targets all season, catching one of them, and had a season-high of 32 rushing yards.

Kadarius Toney, WR KC

When I started planning and researching this article, Toney was the first player I thought of as a Roster Clogger. The Giants gave up on Toney early in his career after using a first-round pick to acquire him and he’s been a total tease playing with Patrick Mahomes and the Super Bowl champion Chiefs. Toney has been an all-around disappointment and has had trouble staying on the field as well. Toney didn’t eclipse double-digit fantasy points in a single game last season and then the Chiefs added Marquise Brown and Xavier Worthy.

KJ Osborn, WR NE

One way I identify potential Roster Cloggers is by monitoring how a player performs when given increased opportunity. Osborn, the former Viking wideout, played well late in the 2022 season and became a trendy sleeper when veteran Adam Thielen left the team following that season. Then, the team drafted Jordan Addison, and Osborn’s upside was once again capped. Last season, Osborn seemed to take a step back posting a pair of WR2 games even with Justin Jefferson out of the lineup for much of the year. The Vikes let Osborn walk as a free agent and he eventually landed with the Patriots. This is a rough spot as New England has a ton of depth at the receiver position but also questions about the overall offense.

Tutu Atwell, WR LAR

After a quiet rookie season in 2022, many dynasty managers gave up on Atwell despite the upside of the Rams and Sean McVay’s offense. Then, Atwell stepped up with weekly fantasy finishes of WR15, WR31, and WR19 to begin the 2023 season. Once veteran Cooper Kupp got healthy, Atwell’s role and production declined. Atwell finished the season as the WR62 and only eclipsed 50 receiving yards once after Week Three. Veteran Demarcus Robinson enjoyed a bounce-back performance last season, overtaking Atwell as he served as the Rams WR3 for much of the year.

Michael Gallup, WR LV

Another tried and true way to find Roster Cloggers is to look at underperforming players who are also moving to a less-than-ideal situation. One example of that this year is Gallup, who signed with the Raiders after six seasons with the Cowboys. Essentially, if a receiver can’t play well in the Dallas offense, what expectations should dynasty managers have for him as a Raider? Gallup hasn’t produced a WR1 game since 2020 and only has five WR2 performances in the past three seasons.

Greg Dortch, WR ARI

In 2022, Dortch climbed the depth chart following injuries to multiple Cardinals’ receivers. He produced a couple of WR1 games and averaged 10.5 fantasy points per game. Last season, Dortch was mostly buried, posting two WR2 games late in the year. Arizona then upgraded their depth chart, adding Marvin Harrison Jr. and Zay Jones, Dortch is still atop the Arizona depth chart as the projected slot receiver, but with the added weapons, along with an upgraded running game and tight end Trey McBride, Dortch would be the fourth or fifth option at best.

JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR NE

What a massive fall for one of my all-time favorites, Smith-Schuster. At his value peak in 2019, Smith-Schuster was a top-six dynasty pick and the WR2, based on our ADP data. In our latest ADP, Smith-Schuster went completely undrafted, giving him no ADP. Smith-Schuster has struggled to find a job multiple times over the past few off-seasons, settling for one-year “prove it” deals multiple times. The Patriots surprisingly gave him a multiple-year deal last off-season but he only managed to finish as the WR95 for the year, with a season-high of 13 fantasy points. As mentioned earlier, the Patriots also have a lot of depth at the wideout position, which hurts Smith-Schuster’s value even more.