After two months, roles are no longer theoretical. Backfields have settled, target trees are defined, and injuries have reshaped depth charts. For managers in standard 10–12 team redraft leagues, it’s time to clear out low-leverage profiles and free space for streamers or upside stashes. Below are the Fantasy Football Cut Candidates: Week 8, with current context and usage data to back each move. Suggestions on who to pick can be found in the Week 8 waiver wire article.
Fantasy Football Cut Candidates: Week 8
Jordan Mason, Minnesota Vikings (91% rostered)
Aaron Jones returned on Thursday and immediately took the bigger slice of work. In Week 8, Jones logged 25 snaps to Mason’s 16 and saw 4 targets to Mason’s 1 —reclaiming the receiving role that typically decides weekly RB viability when the team trails. Minnesota continues to lean on Jones in passing situations, which leaves Mason touchdown-dependent and game-script sensitive. In most 12-teamers, that profile can be streamed off the wire instead of occupying a permanent bench spot.
T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings (79% rostered)
Hockenson has been more name than numbers to this point. Through Week 8 he sits outside the top-tier options at tight end in fantasy points per game with just one top-12 TE finish all season. His raw line reflects it: 27 receptions for 222 yards and one touchdown, with modest efficiency and a target share that has dipped from expectations as Minnesota spreads looks. In shallow and standard-depth formats, that’s streamer territory.
Darnell Mooney, Atlanta Falcons (61% rostered)
Week 10 Fantasy Football
Nov 3, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney (1) walks off the field after a victory over the Dallas Cowboys at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
If there were a week for a spike, it was Week 8 with Drake London inactive. Mooney still managed just 1 catch on 4 targets for 11 yards as Atlanta’s offense stalled. When even a clear path to volume does not yield startable production, it signals that weekly floors and ceilings are both too low for a hold. He can be recycled to waivers in typical 10–12 team leagues.
Keon Coleman, Buffalo Bills (68% rostered)
Coleman’s splash in Week 1 has not carried through. Since Week 2, he has averaged roughly 3 catches and 26 yards per game (19 receptions for 155 yards over six games), with only one touchdown in that span. Buffalo continues to feed other options first, and Coleman’s weekly yardage has stayed capped. In redraft without deep benches, he profiles best as a watch-list name rather than a cling-and-hope roster spot.
Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland Browns (73% rostered)
The Browns have handed the offense to rookie Dillon Gabriel, but the Jeudy connection has not materialized. Across Gabriel’s four starts (Weeks 5–8), Jeudy has 9 receptions for 75 yards and zero touchdowns, including a Week 8 goose egg on two targets. With Cleveland leaning on defense and the run, Jeudy’s weekly volume and scoring chances are thin. He can be cut for a hotter hand or a higher-upside stash.
Cam Skattebo, New York Giants (98% rostered)
This one is straightforward. Skattebo underwent surgery for a dislocated right ankle and is out for the season. In redraft formats, he should be released immediately to open a spot for a streamer or an injury hedge with real rest-of-season utility.
Bottom line
At this stage, the opportunity cost of a bench spot is high. If a player’s path to startable weeks depends on multiple things breaking perfectly—game script, injuries ahead of them, efficiency spikes—it’s more prudent to churn that spot toward immediate utility (RB/TE streamers) or contingent upside (next-man-up handcuffs). Make clean cuts now; you’ll be faster on the wire when a real difference-maker emerges.
Main Image: Gary A. Vasquez – Imagn Images