New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields (7) reacts in the fourth quarter against the Carolina Panthers at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Oct. 19, 2025.

One of the most difficult weeks of the year for fantasy football managers is on the horizon. Week 8 will be the proverbial "Byemageddon," when six of the NFL's 32 teams will be out of action for a much-needed week off.

That means fantasy football managers are going to need to find bye-week replacements for their stars on the Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks.

That may require some tough add/drop decisions, especially for those without much flexibility due to bye weeks and injuries.

It's not always easy to part with a player who was an early-round draft pick, or someone who has the upside needed to be a high-volume fantasy flex. But with the fantasy regular season at its midpoint and desperate managers needing to win now, parting with underachievers for current-week assets can sometimes be the best approach.

Here's a look at eight players fantasy managers can feel comfortable purging from their roster ahead of Week 8.

Waiver wire players to drop: Week 8

QB Justin Fields, New York Jets

Fields was still rostered in 78% of Yahoo leagues as of Sunday. That number should decline precipitously after the 26-year-old quarterback was benched before halftime in favor of Tyrod Taylor.

Fields logged just 91 passing yards over his last six quarters of action. He still has rushing upside, but that alone won't be enough to make him a viable fantasy starter, especially if Aaron Glenn opts to roll with Taylor amid the Jets' 0-7 start to the 2025 NFL season.

QB Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

Murray didn't play in Week 7 while dealing with a foot injury. He isn't expected to be out long because of the malady, but the Cardinals are one of the six teams on bye in Week 8.

If you need another roster spot for Byemageddon, don't be afraid to drop Murray. He entered Week 7 averaging just 16.2 fantasy points per game (FPPG), tied for 27th among quarterbacks, making him just a middling starter at best.

RB TreVeyon Henderson, New England Patriots

Many of Henderson's fantasy managers were holding out hope the Patriots' Week 7 game against the Tennessee Titans would be his coming out party. The Titans had allowed a league-high nine rushing touchdowns entering Sunday's game, so many expected Henderson would take advantage of that even with limited touches.

Instead, Rhamondre Stevenson completely dominated the workload in a Patriots blowout. Henderson had just two carries for five yards and was even out-worked by third-string running back Terrell Jennings, who had five carries late in the 31-13 Patriots win.

Unless Mike Vrabel has a change of heart about Henderson, it looks like he won't be a significant fantasy asset during his rookie season.

RB Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs gave Isiah Pacheco 15 carries against the Raiders while Brashard Smith saw 14. How many did Hunt get? Just four, which he turned into 18 yards.

It's worth noting the Chiefs blew out the Raiders 31-0 in Week 7, so Andy Reid may have just been looking to get the 30-year-old Hunt some rest. And Hunt's 4.5 yards per carry was the best mark among the team's running backs.

At the same time, Pacheco seems to be Kansas City's No. 1 back while Smith is quickly establishing himself as the best pass-catcher of the unit. If they continue to earn those roles, it will be hard for Hunt to establish himself as anything more than a touchdown-dependent handcuff at best.

RB Kendre Miller, New Orleans Saints

Miller handled just one carry before exiting Sunday's game against the Bears with a knee injury. Saints coach Kellen Moore said "there's concern" about the status of both Miller and starting center Erik McCoy.

Miller was eating into Alvin Kamara's workload before his injury, so he could still be worth stashing. However, the TCU product has been injury-prone during his career, and any sort of longer-term absence would likely render Miller a non-factor in fantasy football.

RB Michael Carter, Arizona Cardinals

Carter has fallen behind Bam Knight in Arizona's running back rotation. Knight handled 14 carries to Carter's seven and turned them into 57 yards while Carter had just 11.

The Cardinlas are on bye in Week 8, so it's fine to release Carter for a player in action this week. It's also worth noting Trey Benson is eligible to return from IR in Week 10, so Knight and Carter's remaining time atop Arizona's depth chart may be limited anyway.

WR Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland Browns

It's hard to read too much into Cleveland's depressed passing numbers Sunday, as inclement weather prevented both the Browns and Dolphins offenses from ripping off chunk plays through the air.

Still, Jeudy was targeted just four times Sunday and hasn't topped 48 receiving yards over the last five weeks. It's hard to recommend rostering him, let alone considering him as a flex play, in a run-heavy offense starting a rookie quarterback.

WR Luke McCaffrey, Washington Commanders

McCaffrey was one of fantasy football's most added players before Week 7. It was only logical, considering Washington was set to be without Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel due to injury, and McCaffrey had logged touchdowns in three of his last four games.

However, McCaffrey wasn't involved at all in the Commanders' offensive attack. He was targeted just twice and failed to make a catch while Jaylin Lane, Chris Moore and Zach Ertz led Washington's passing game. That makes McCaffrey an obvious cut, especially with Jayden Daniels now nursing a hamstring injury.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fantasy football Week 8 drops: 8 players you need to consider cutting

Reporting by Jacob Camenker, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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