NFL Roster Cuts Fantasy Football Update: Elijah Mitchell, Samaje Perine, Kadarius Toney and More

Today is a huge day across the NFL, as each team has to trim down their preseason rosters to meet the 53-man limit. Of course, this means hundreds of players across the league will be cut, some of whom will quickly find greener pastures on other teams. And that’s not the only impact of this deadline: Teams are also forced to make decisions on injured players, and we saw a few surprise names head for the season-ending IR today. Without further ado, let’s break down the biggest pieces of fantasy news from the deadline action:

Elijah Mitchell Placed on Season-Ending IR: Jordan Mason to Serve as 49ers’ RB2

This was perhaps the most surprising news of the day. Mitchell had been dealing with a hamstring injury, but he had returned to practice as recently as last Wednesday. Now, his season is over before it even began.

Mason, who had already reportedly overtaken Mitchell as the 49ers’ RB2, is now locked in as one of the league’s most valuable handcuffs. Isaac Guerendo, a fourth-round rookie with great explosiveness, is also someone worth watching in case Christian McCaffrey misses time. 

Chiefs Cut Kadarius Toney 

Honestly, this one doesn’t have much of a fantasy football impact. Toney was, at best, the Chiefs’ WR5 behind Rashee Rice, Marquise Brown, Xavier Worthy and Justin Watson. The former first-rounder may find a home elsewhere, but he isn’t likely to be fantasy-relevant. 

Chiefs Keep Carson Steele, Cut Deneric Prince

These two UDFA RBs both flashed at times during the Chiefs’ preseason, but the rookie eventually won out. Steele will compete with veteran Clyde Edwards-Helaire to serve as Kansas City’s RB2, and there is a good chance he will win that competition. He is worth rostering in deep leagues as a handcuff to Isiah Pacheco.

Denver Broncos Cut Tim Patrick 

This is another surprising one, as it wasn’t too long ago that the 30-year-old Patrick was rumored to be one of the Broncos’ three starting WRs. Instead, the veteran is rumored to be joining the Lions practice squad. Patrick will likely make an NFL appearance at some point this season, but he is unlikely to be fantasy-relevant.

In Patrick’s absence, second-year player Marvin Mims will likely start the season as the Broncos’ WR3, if not WR2 ahead of veteran Josh Reynolds. Meanwhile, rookies Troy Franklin (fourth round) and Devaughn Vele (seventh round) both also made the team. Someone might emerge here on a team lacking targets behind Courtland Sutton, so it’s worth watching all of these players.

Samaje Perine Parting Ways with Broncos

Another veteran exciting Denver, Perine’s fantasy future is more exciting than Patrick’s. The former Bengal has had periods of fantasy production and can contribute as a receiver out of the backfield. He ranked fourth among qualified RBs in PFF Receiving Grade in 2023 and has a real chance to make an immediate impact on a new team. He’s worth adding in deep leagues to see where he lands, and managers of running backs in weak backfields should hold their breaths. (If I had to guess, he’s going to reunite with the Bengals in a passing-down role.)

Jonathon Brooks Set to Miss at Least Four Weeks on NFI List

This is by no means a huge surprise, as we have long known that Brooks would miss at least a few weeks to start the season while recovering from an ACL injury suffered in his final year at college. Still, it’s not a good sign that the Panthers are confident enough that he will not be ready by Week 4 to leave him on the NFI list. Even once he returns, it will likely take Brooks a few weeks to build his way back to a full workload. The rookie should be downgraded some in draft rankings, while Chuba Hubbard gets a boost with at least four games of a starting workload locked in.

AJ Dillon Heads to Season-Ending IR; MarShawn Lloyd Makes Active Roster

In a surprising move, Dillon, who was expected to serve as the lead backup or even split duties with Josh Jacobs, has been placed on season-ending IR with a neck stinger. Meanwhile, rookie Lloyd, who has been dealing with a hamstring injury of his own, was not placed on IR. This is great news for Lloyd, who now has a clear path to the RB2 job and is presumably ahead of schedule in his recovery. He is worth adding in all leagues if he went undrafted. In deeper leagues, Emanuel Wilson is worth a look as he will likely serve as the RB2 while Lloyd recovers. 

Browns Keep Jerome Ford, Pierre Strong; Cut D'Onta Foreman

The Browns made plenty of moves at the running back position today, eventually landing with just two backs remaining on their active roster (with Nick Chubb placed on PUP, as expected). Although Chubb’s return is looming, both of these backs have to be moved up draft rankings, especially Ford. Most NFL teams will use at least three backs to some extent; the Browns keeping only two means their usage will be very concentrated, which is fantasy gold.

Meanwhile, Foreman, who has quietly been very efficient on the ground when given opportunities over the last few years, will look for a new home. With limited receiving potential, he’s unlikely to land in a fantasy-relevant role, but he might see just enough work somewhere to ruin an incumbent RB’s value, assuming this decision isn’t a sign that the 28-year-old has lost a step.