Fantasy Football Players to Give Up on Before It’s Too Late
The first few weeks of the fantasy football season are all about separating temporary struggles from legitimate problems. Some players deserve patience. Others are showing enough warning signs that continuing to wait could cost fantasy owners valuable roster flexibility.
This is the point of the season when I start asking a simple question: If I didn’t already roster this player, would I still want to acquire him today?
For these four fantasy football players, my answer is increasingly no.
That doesn’t necessarily mean every player should immediately be dropped. Trade value, roster depth and league settings still matter. But the time has come to lower expectations, explore trade possibilities and stop assuming a turnaround is inevitable.
1. Justin Herbert (QB — Chargers)
Herbert entered 2026 with plenty of reason for optimism, but the Chargers have opened the season 0-2 with consecutive 26-14 losses to Arizona and Las Vegas. Herbert has thrown for 401 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions while posting a 71.6 passer rating through two games.
Why I’m Ready to Give Up on Herbert
- The Chargers are 0-2. Losing to two teams that weren’t widely expected to be major contenders makes the start even more concerning.
- The fantasy production hasn’t matched the draft investment. Herbert currently sits in QB3 range through two weeks, but the underlying offensive environment is difficult to trust.
- The passing efficiency has been mediocre. He has completed just 32 of 54 attempts with three interceptions.
- The schedule gets tougher. Los Angeles now heads into a stretch that includes Buffalo and New England, among other challenging opponents over the next two months.
- The offense isn’t creating enough margin for error. Herbert has thrown only two touchdown passes while also fumbling far too much.
Herbert still has the talent to turn this around, but fantasy owners drafted him expecting reliable weekly production—not a quarterback they have to continually talk themselves into starting.
Fantasy recommendation: I’m willing to trade Herbert for a more dependable weekly quarterback, and if the market isn’t there, I would rather stream the position than blindly continue starting him.
2. Jonathon Brooks (RB — Panthers)
This one is easier.
I’m done.
Brooks was placed on injured reserve after suffering a core muscle injury and is expected to undergo surgery, with a recovery timeline of at least six weeks. It’s the latest in a long list of injury problems for a player who has struggled to stay on the field since entering the NFL.
Why I’m Ready to Give Up on Brooks
- He’s back on injured reserve. Brooks will miss at least four games because of the IR designation.
- The injury required surgery. This isn’t simply a player missing a week or two with a minor issue.
- Availability has become the biggest concern. Brooks missed most of his rookie season after tearing his ACL, suffered another ACL tear shortly after returning and missed all of 2025.
- The latest injury came after another issue. He had already been dealing with a problem between the preseason and Week 1 before aggravating it.
- The opportunity cost is too high. Fantasy owners can only wait for a player’s talent to materialize for so long.
The talent has never really been the question. Brooks was a highly regarded prospect for a reason. The problem is that fantasy football is ultimately about accumulating points, and a player sitting on your injured list isn’t doing that.
Fantasy recommendation: Trade Brooks for whatever reasonable value you can get or move on entirely in shallow leagues rather than continuing to stash a player whose availability remains so uncertain.
3. Marvin Harrison Jr. (WR — Cardinals)
Harrison’s third NFL season was supposed to be the breakout season.
Instead, through two games, he has one catch for 33 yards on just four targets.
That’s particularly alarming because Harrison is now in his third season—the point when fantasy owners were expecting his enormous talent to finally translate into consistent NFL production.
Why I’m Ready to Give Up on Harrison
- The target volume is awful. Four targets through two games is nowhere near enough for a player with Harrison’s draft capital.
- He’s barely involved in the offense. Harrison has been playing plenty of snaps but isn’t being featured as a primary option.
- Other Cardinals are getting the valuable touches. Trey McBride, Michael Wilson, Kendrick Bourne and rookie running back Jeremiyah Love have all been more involved.
- The quarterback situation isn’t helping. Jacoby Brissett has struggled to consistently get the ball downfield, making Harrison’s role even more difficult to unlock.
- The coaching staff isn’t promising a major change. Head coach Mike LaFleur has defended the limited usage and indicated that the offense has different roles for its players.
- The problem has now lasted beyond one season. This isn’t simply an isolated slow start to a rookie campaign.
There is still a massive amount of talent here. That’s what makes this one so frustrating. But fantasy owners don’t get points for prospect pedigree. They get points for production and opportunity.
Fantasy recommendation: I’m willing to sell Harrison at a discount to escape the situation, and if the trade market has completely dried up, he is no longer someone I feel obligated to keep in my starting lineup.
4. Kyle Pitts (TE — Falcons)
Kyle Pitts’ career is starting to feel like the Olympics.
Every four years, the great athlete shows up.
His 2021 rookie season produced 1,026 yards. Then, after years of disappointment, Pitts finally looked useful again in 2025 with 88 catches for 928 yards and five touchdowns.
Now?
Through three games of the 2026 regular season (including Thursday’s victory over the Packers), Pitts has two catches for 20 yards and zero touchdowns.
Why I’m Ready to Give Up on Pitts
- The 2026 start has been unusable. Two catches through three games isn’t remotely close to what fantasy owners need from a starting tight end.
- He’s coming off an encouraging 2025 season. That makes the sudden lack of involvement even more difficult to explain.
- The big-play upside hasn’t translated into consistent volume. Pitts needs targets to turn his athleticism into fantasy production.
- His career has become extremely inconsistent. The elite production has appeared in isolated stretches rather than becoming the norm.
- Fantasy owners can’t keep paying for the theoretical upside. At some point, the historical production has to stop carrying the current evaluation.
Pitts is still an extraordinary physical talent. That’s never been the issue. The issue is that fantasy owners have been waiting for the production to consistently match the talent for years.
Fantasy recommendation: I’m willing to trade Pitts for almost any reasonable return rather than continue holding out for another isolated spike in production.
The Bottom Line on These Fantasy Football Players to Give Up On
The hardest part of fantasy football is knowing when to stop waiting.
There will always be reasons to hold onto talented players. Herbert has the arm talent. Brooks has the running ability. Harrison has the pedigree. Pitts has the athleticism.
But talent alone isn’t enough.
Fantasy owners need opportunity, health, consistency and production. Right now, each of these players has significant questions in one or more of those areas.
That doesn’t mean every one of them is guaranteed to remain a disappointment. Football can change quickly, and a single injury return, coaching adjustment or offensive breakout can completely alter a player’s outlook.
But if you’re asking which fantasy football players to give up on before the early-season struggles become a season-long problem, these are four names I’m no longer willing to wait indefinitely for.
