Fantasy football Week 8 drops: 5 players you need to consider cutting

Most fantasy football leagues reached the midpoint of their regular seasons in Week 7. By now, most championship contenders have figured out the basic structure of their rosters.However, many fantasy managers are still looking for ways to upgrade their rosters for a playoff or title push. The easiest way to do that is to add top potential contributors from the waiver wire, where new fantasy assets emerge weekly.Identifying who to add from that crop of talent is usually easy, but figuring out who to cut to make room can be harder.Who are some potential sunk costs managers can part with ahead of the Week 8 waiver wire? Here are five players to consider parting with – or at least downgrading – as the fantasy season enters its second half..oembed-frame {width:100%;height:100%;margin:0;border:0;}Waiver wire players to drop: Week 8QB Kyler Murray, Minnesota VikingsMany expected Murray would have a chance to break out coming off a bye in Week 7 against a below-average Colts defense. Instead, the veteran signal-caller continued his lackluster start, throwing for just 150 yards and a touchdown in a 16-10 win despite the favorable matchup.Murray still has rushing upside, as evidenced by his 39 yards on five carries facing the Colts, but he hasn't yet logged multiple touchdowns in a game with the Vikings. Add in that Minnesota's defense is one of the best in the league and the Vikings' offense may not need to rack up a lot of points to earn victories.Murray will still have some appeal as an occasional matchup-based streamer, but he's not a player you need to roster given the strong depth at quarterback this year.RB Kendre Miller, New Orleans SaintsThere was some hope Miller would emerge as the Saints' temporary backfield leader after handling a career-high 20 carries and turning them into 70 yards in Week 6 against the Giants. In Week 7, Miller again led the Saints with eight carries, but he turned them into just six yards.Miller's inefficiency coupled with Alvin Kamara's strong receiving skill set makes it hard to trust the fourth-year back. Travis Etienne Jr. will also be eligible to return from IR starting in Week 9, so Miller and Kamara's time as a backfield tandem appears to be over ahead of the team's Week 9 bye.Kamara seems more likely than Miller to remain involved as a change-of-pace option once Etienne returns, so fantasy managers can feel free to part with Miller. The TCU product is merely a low-upside, touchdown-dependent flex.TE Juwan Johnson, New Orleans SaintsMiller isn't the only Saints player to consider dropping. After a torrid start to the season, Johnson's production has cratered. The veteran tight end has posted just five catches for 23 yards over his last three games combined, as quarterback Tyler Shough has turned his attention more toward Chris Olave and Kamara in the passing game.The pendulum could swing back in Johnson's favor, but the mercurial nature of the tight end position makes him hard to trust. The Saints are also on bye in Week 8, so fantasy managers needing an extra roster spot can feel free to part with Johnson. It's unlikely he would immediately be a hot commodity on the waiver wire.WR Chris Godwin Jr., Tampa Bay BuccaneersShould we be reading too much into Godwin's production in a blowout win during which the Buccaneers only attempted 11 passes? Maybe not, especially since Godwin soaked up five targets on those 11 Baker Mayfield pass attempts.However, Godwin totaled just 27 yards on four catches and failed to find his way into the end zone. He hasn't scored at all across seven games and hasn't yet eclipsed 46 receiving yards in a game, so the 30-year-old will remain a low-upside option even with Mayfield returning to the fold.TE Mark Andrews, Baltimore RavensAt this point, fantasy managers are rostering Andrews more for reputation than production. He has posted less than 30 receiving yards in five consecutive outings and has only once found his way into the end zone during the 2026 NFL season.Could Andrews' production improve when Lamar Jackson returns from his ankle injury? Sure, it's possible. But even with Jackson in the lineup, Andrews was averaging just 3.3 catches for 20.8 yards across four games while struggling with drops.The Ravens have also started giving fifth-round rookie Josh Cuevas more opportunities, which could further erode Andrews' already declining workload.This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fantasy football Week 8 drops: 5 players you need to consider cutting