Week 12 Fantasy Football Droppables: The Ito Smith Experiment is Over

Ito Smith leads our look at players who no longer have meaningful fantasy value.

Early in the week, the fantasy football community is focused on the waiver wire. Of course, to pick up one player, you must drop another. This column covers the other side of that transaction. Get acquainted with our Week 12 Droppables.

As always, remember that these are not players you must drop. Specific league parameters, such as starting lineup requirements, roster size, and number of teams, will go a long way toward determining who should be dropped, and who should be kept. Droppables, then, can still be roster-worthy, but no longer deserve a guaranteed spot on a roster in most leagues.

Ito Smith, RB, Falcons

Smith had a standard Smith game on Sunday, running the ball six times for 10 yards and catching both of his targets for 12 yards in the Falcons’ 22-19 loss to the Cowboys. While the Cowboys certainly are a formidable opponent, Tevin Coleman racked up 58 yards on eight carries and caught three passes for 27 yards. Smith, who inexplicably received a ton of love from the fantasy community after Devonta Freeman went on IR, now has 199 yards on 59 carries and 19 receptions for 126 yards on the season. He’s entirely touchdown-dependent, and with byes all but in the rear-view mirror, he’s no longer a viable play in any fantasy formats.

Rashaad Penny, RB, Seahawks

So much for Penny’s rebounding fantasy stock, huh? Chris Carson returned earlier than expected, playing on a short week after aggravating his hip injury in Week 10. He looked great, too, running for 83 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries in the Seahawks’ 27-24 win over the Packers. Penny did pick up 46 yards on eight carries, though 30 of them came on one play, and he limped off the field after that run with an ankle issue. He was able to play the rest of the night, but clearly didn’t look the same. Even if that hadn’t happened, though, Carson’s return would have all but zeroed out his fantasy value on its own. The second-year player out of Oklahoma State is clearly in command of Seattle’s backfield.

BELLER: Fantasy Football Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

T.J. Yeldon, RB, Jaguars

Yeldon got five carries and three targets on Sunday, totaling 32 yards from scrimmage in the Jaguars’ 20-16 loss to the Steelers. In two games with Leonard Fournette back on the field, Yeldon has had eight carries and nine targets. Fournette, meanwhile, has been fully restored to a workhorse role, handling 52 carries and seven targets in those games. Yeldon is a decent handcuff if you’re a Fournette owner, but that’s his only fantasy value for the rest of the season.

Royce Freeman, RB, Broncos

Freeman played his first game in a month in the Broncos' 23-22 win over the Chargers after missing a couple of contests with an ankle injury. He got in the end zone on a short carry, but had just seven rushes for 23 yards. Phillip Lindsay, meanwhile, carried the ball 11 times for 79 yards and two scores—including one at the goal line—and caught four of five targets for 27 yards. Lindsay is the obvious lead back in Denver, yet Freeman is still owned in about 60% of fantasy leagues. It’s long past time to admit that grabbing him at his average draft position was a loss this season.