Fantasy Football: 5 Players You Can Drop After Week 3

Adrian Peterson, RB, New Orleans Saints

ESPN Ownership: 99%

Yahoo Ownership: 68%

It's never easy advising fantasy footballers to drop one of the greatest players of all time at his position. But it's time to recognize that Adrian Peterson on the New Orleans Saints won't work out for fantasy football owners.

It's certainly not out of the question that he could just be starting slow in terms of his efficiency. While his -0.08 Rushing Net Expected Points (NEP) per rush so far isn't good at all, it far bests the -0.39 Rushing NEP per carry he put up in limited work in 2016.

And Peterson could just be starting slow, as he's done quite a bit over the years. After all, per Rotoviz Game Splits app, he averaged 15.8 PPR points per game in the first 8 games of the season between 2012 and 2016, compared to 19.3 PPR points per game in the last 8 games of the season. So this recommendation isn't to say he looks cooked.

But Peterson is just not getting enough opportunity to be a viable fantasy asset. Only averaging 5.67 carries per game since joining the team, his entire fantasy value rests upon getting in the end zone, which has yet to happen. Moreover, he's only gotten two carries within the 10-yard line.

And as the third best pass-catching option among Saints' running backs, his three targets through three games also don't make him a PPR-viable option. Peterson may or may not have a future in the NFL after this season, but his future on your fantasy squad for 2017, at this point, looks like it should be non-existent. Try and grab Chris Carson if he's still unclaimed on your waiver wire instead.