Fantasy Football: 4 Players You Can Drop After Week 8

Wendell Smallwood, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

Yahoo Ownership: 48%

Wendell Smallwood's chances for fantasy relevancy took a positive turn when the ancient but still effective Darren Sproles broke his arm and tore his ACL in one play back in Week 3.

After putting up a stellar 71 rushing yards on 12 carries against the New York Giants, Smallwood followed up that effort in Week 4 by tallying 14 touches, including 4 receptions, that made his owners excited about having found a potential waiver wire gem.

Unfortunately, the injury bug bit Smallwood, with a knee injury keeping him sidelined for two games. During that time, teammate LeGarrette Blount got his groove back. Still, the operating assumption was that upon return, Smallwood would at least occupy the receiving back role in the Philadelphia Eagles' offense.

But in his two games back in action, he's received a combined 4 targets through the air, as the Eagles don't seem too concerned with replacing Sproles' role, having only directed 9 total targets to all of their running backs in those two games.

Even if Smallwood had more of a role in the passing game, three of Philly's next four opponents include the Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears, and Seattle Seahawks. Each of those teams rank in the bottom seven in terms of receiving yardage given up to running backs on the season.

On top of all that, the Eagles just acquired running back Jay Ajayi in a surprising trade with the Miami Dolphins, bumping down Smallwood even further in the pecking order.

Without a secure role, Smallwood isn't worth owning until further notice. As such, drop him for Alex Collins, if Collins is still available in your league.