It’s Time To Give Up On These Guys!! Steve Ciardi, Fantasy Football Staff Writer Sep 25, 2003 | More

Okay, so 3 weeks have gone by and you are wondering which players you should give up on. You haven’t gotten any production out of these guys, and their bye week is coming up as well. One quarter of the season is basically gone and you are still waiting. Well, my opinion is, if you have one of these guys on your roster you should cut bait and pick up someone else. If your free agent pool is shallow, try and pull the wool over another owner’s eyes and make a deal if you can. There are numerous other players who could have been on this list, but I thought I would narrow it down to those who are probably on active rosters and shouldn’t be.

1. Tim Brown (WR OAK) – He’s 37 years old and he is playing like it. He only has 82 total yards in 3 games, with 1 touchdown. Last week he only managed 1 lousy catch for 11 yards. If Brown can’t get the rock while Jerry Porter is out, he isn’t ever going to get it. Brown has lost a leap, and he isn’t going to get it back as the year goes on. I would drop him faster than 3^rd period French at this point!
    
2. Curtis Martin (RB NYJ) – Man, this guy is killing me! I had to draft him the past 2 years due to lack of anything else available, and he isn’t doing me any favors. He only has 133 yards rushing, with ZERO touchdowns. Since Pennington is out, no one is scared of Vinny, so defenses are keying on shutting down the Jets’ rush (or lack thereof). On the goal line, the ball goes to Lamont “Air” Jordan, so you can’t even count on some junk touchdowns when those opportunities arise. I am not suggesting you drop Martin, but throw him out on a trade and see who bites. His name alone might draw another league member off sides and you might get something halfway decent in return. GOOD LUCK!
    
3. Thomas Jones (RB T.B.) - Not that it really needed to be written! He looked like he might be given a shot at getting a decent amount of carries in Tampa Bay when he was brought over from Arizona, but now Pittman will get his carries. Jones has only rushed 15 times for 37 yards – not even 3 yards a carry. He has no touchdowns, and 1 lost fumble. Get rid of him if you still have him, for obvious reasons.
    
4. Duce Staley (RB PHIL) – I still like the guy from a fan standpoint, but from a fantasy standpoint (sit down). He only has 12 carries for 37 yards (62 rec yards to his credit) with 1 touchdown. He has 2 fumbles lost and there is Correll Buckhalter waiting to take over. Trade him while he is still somewhat marketable. 
    
5. Kordell Stewart (QB CHI) – To quote the movie Major League, “new haircut – same dead arm.” I thought a change of scenery for Stewart might help him be somewhat productive – NOT! The Bears can’t run the ball and they can’t stop anyone from scoring, so it all rests on Stewart’s shoulders. He is running for his life in the pocket and he doesn’t have the leadership right now to lead anyone to anything. He has thrown for just 232 yards in 2 games with only 2 touchdowns. He has a 49.1% completion rate and he has 3 interceptions. He does have 46 yards rushing though, only 22 yards behind the team leader, Anthony Thomas – THAT IS SAD! This leads me to my next player…
    
6. Anthony Thomas (RB CHI) – What happened to this guy? I loved the A-Train coming out of Michigan and what a rookie season. He had 1,183 yards rushing and now he has 68 yards after 2 weeks. He has the talent to be a good runner, he is young, and he is close to home. What does that translate into this year – SQUAT! The lack of a passing attack and always being behind doesn’t help his cause. If you have him in a keeper league, you may entertain the idea of gambling on him next year. The defense will certainly be addressed in the off-season, that is Chicago’s bread and butter. Also, if Stewart gets replaced, the Bears could get back to semi-playoff form. BUT, that is a long way off. So, make a trade or build a bigger bench.
    
7. Warrick “is” Dunn (RB ATL) – I have never been a big fan of this guy. He is a scat back who doesn’t know whether he prefers running the ball or catching it. He really doesn’t produce in either category, but people keep drafting him year after year. This year he has 110 yards in 3 games (averaging 3.1 yards per carry). He does have 1 receiving touchdown to his credit. T.J. Duckett is getting more involved in the Falcons offense and will be the main guy before too long. Duckett also has 2 touchdowns and he will get all the goal line carries. Dunn doesn’t do enough to warrant starting him on a weekly basis. Get rid of him and get someone else that can help you, at least some of the time. That would be an improvement over Dunn.
    
8. Antowain Smith (RB NE) – Check this stat out…31 rushes for 87 yards (that is 2.8 yards per carry if you don’t have a calculator handy) with no touchdowns. That won’t get the job done anywhere, well – except in Chicago where they would take those numbers at this point. Kevin Faulk is going to be the main man, so Smith’s days are all but over. Barring injury, Smith carries will be non-existent. Cut/trade/barter – whatever it takes to move this guy, do it!
    
9. Priest Holmes – Obviously I am just kidding (haha)!!   I was just seeing if you guys were paying attention!!

There are many more that could have made this list, but I figured I’d start with the big chum first. Happy fishing!!