The 2026 NFL season is now three weeks old, and fantasy football managers are growing increasingly frustrated with their underachieving players.
Many early-round fantasy draft selections have gotten off to slow starts. While approaching slow-starting players with patience could behoove fantasy managers, the reality is those with a losing record may not have the luxury of being able to wait.
As such, fantasy managers will face a plethora of difficult decisions about what to do with their underachievers. Patience aside, the best option for those looking to move on from these players is to sell them low.
But fantasy managers who can't find trade partners can also move on in hopes of finding more productive options on the waiver wire.
Here's a look
at five notable players who fantasy football managers can feel comfortable with cutting, if necessary, ahead of Week 4.
Waiver wire players to drop: Week 4
QB Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Look, you don't have to drop Maye yet. The 2025 MVP runner-up still has upside, and it's well within the realm of possibility that he could eventually bounce back from a slow start.
At the same time, Maye has just one touchdown across his first three games. He has thrown a whopping six interceptions and hasn't been nearly the same type of deep-ball playmaker that made him such a fantasy football threat last season.
Maye still has good mobility and should eventually figure things out as a passer, but fantasy managers may not be able to patiently for that to happen. Those considering a change at quarterback can consider parting with Maye, though the preferred method would be a sell-low trade.
RB Jadarian Price, Seattle Seahawks
Might this be a little aggressive? Sure, but it's hard to be confident Price has fantasy value after the way he's started his rookie season.
Price has struggled to hang onto the ball through three weeks. He has handled 32 touches but has already lost two fumbles. And after Price lost the ball in his Week 3 game against the Washington Commanders, Mike Macdonald barely played him. As a result, Price was out-touched by both Emanuel Wilson (nine touches, 14 yards) and George Holani (eight touches, 58 yards), an arrangement that could continue as long as concerns about his ball security remain.
Price already wasn't seeing red-zone touches and could see his role shrink further when Zach Charbonnet returns from the torn ACL he suffered during last year's playoffs. Fantasy managers should try to sell low on Price first, but if they can't find a buyer, dropping him wouldn't be outlandish.
RB MarShawn Lloyd, Green Bay Packers
Many expected Lloyd to emerge as the lead back for the Packers with Josh Jacobs out. Instead, Green Bay has utilized a frustrating and unproductive backfield-by-committee approach with Lloyd, Chris Brooks and Kaleb Johnson leading the way.
Lloyd has garnered a position-group-leading 27 touches but has only turned them into 81 yards. He is averaging just 3 yards per touch and doesn't seem likely to improve much behind a beleaguered, struggling Packers offensive line. That makes him a boom-or-bust, touchdown-dependent flex option, so he can stay on the waiver wire.
WR Khalil Shakir, Buffalo Bills
Shakir is about 50% rostered in Yahoo fantasy leagues. That number should drop after his one-catch outing against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Josh Allen seems hyper-focused on targeting DJ Moore, which has left Shakir to compete with Dalton Kincaid and Keon Coleman for targets. That trio could end up in a frustrating target split, especially when the Bills go more ground-dominant, as they did against the Chargers.
Shakir can still be solid receiver depth, but his low floor/ceiling combination makes him more of a fringe roster candidate than someone you need on your fantasy team.
WR Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs
Worthy recorded 20 receiving yards for the Chiefs in a favorable Week 3 matchup against the Miami Dolphins. In his first two games of the 2026 NFL season, he recorded 18 and 25 receiving yards, respectively.
Does Worthy have explosive, playmaking capabilities? Yes. Does he have touchdown upside as part of a good-looking Chiefs offense? Sure. But Worthy hasn't yet proven he can capitalize on his opportunities, and he remains behind Rashee Rice and Travis Kelce in what may be a run-heavy Chiefs offense.
As such, Worthy is an unpredictable boom-or-bust flex option who isn't even guaranteed to succeed in easy-looking matchups. That makes him hard to trust, and also hard to roster.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fantasy football Week 4 drops: 5 players you need to consider cutting
