I hope this article finds you atop your fantasy football league and primed for bragging rights come the offseason. In what has been a wild NFL campaign thus far, if you’ve reached Week 9 as the lead dog, take a second to pat yourself on the back. As Halloween enters the rearview mirror and we steamroll into next week, here are five players who are safe to drop, courtesy of OwnersBox.

Sam Darnold, QB, Carolina Panthers

After an inspiring start to the season, Darnold and the Panthers have returned back to Earth. After accumulating 18 or more fantasy points in each of his first four starts, Darnold has two sub-7.0 fantasy points performances in two of the last four weeks, and his status moving forward remains up in the air after suffering a concussion against the Atlanta Falcons.

https://twitter.com/PFF_Mike/status/1454884277540335618

This play sums up Darnold’s last month of play. While big hits are surely a part of the game, crossing routes usually invite increased odds of such, and Darnold hangs Robby Anderson out to dry here. He hasn’t been good, and without Christian McCaffrey alongside him in the Panthers backfield to take the load off, there’s no reason to keep him rostered.

Damien Williams, RB, Chicago Bears

If you played Williams in Weeks 4-5, you’d thought you’d struck gold. However, with the emergence of Khalil Herbert and an injury suffered in Week 8 against the San Francisco 49ers, Williams’ role looks minimal, especially considering the elephant in the room that is David Montgomery, who should soon return from injury. Once he does, Williams looks to be RB3 for the Bears, and because of that, he is free to drop.

Jamaal Williams, RB, Detroit Lions

A 44-6 loss at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles has the Lions at 0-8 heading into their bye. While many have argued Dan Campbell’s group has looked like the best winless squad of recent memory, a lack of production within every position group has Detroit faithful once again looking toward April’s draft. Williams, alongside D’Andre Swift, looked to be a formidable rushing duo once the season kicked off. However, as the year has progressed, his impact has slowly decreased after an impressive Lions debut and was a surprise inactive against Philadelphia due to a nagging thigh injury.

Jalen Reagor, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles’ offense is as confusing as versatile as any in football. With similarly built wideouts and a backfield littered with talent, they can attack you in different ways. Sunday’s win in Detroit highlighted the Eagles’ prowess in the ground game, as Jordan Howard and Boston Scott combined for four rushing touchdowns, while quarterback Jalen Hurts completed just nine passes for 103 yards. While head coach Nick Sirianni often takes a Run N’ Gun style approach to his offensive gameplan, Reagor hasn’t been utilized correctly, and his production just hasn’t been up to snuff. With the additions of DeVonta Smith and Quez Watkins, Reagor’s role, as it stands, looks minimal, and reasons to keep him active in hopes of a breakout day are few and far between. Drop.

Mecole Hardman, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

A breakout 2021 campaign looked in store for the former Georgia Bulldog boundary-blazer prior to the start of the year. After a promising 12-target showing against the Buffalo Bills in Week 5, Hardman has combined for just 10 targets over the last two weeks. An intriguing matchup against the Giants lies ahead on Monday Night Football, but he still doesn't produce consistently enough to warrant fantasy consideration in many formats, and it's beginning to look like his anticipated breakout may never arrive.