Fantasy Baseball Cut List: Top 5 Star Drops to Make for Week 24

For every fantasy owner, there comes a point in the season when a should-be stud just isn't cutting it—so it's time to cut him. That's what this is all about: letting you know it's OK to let go.

Difficult late-season drops can come in all shapes and sizes, from that third-rounder not living up to expectations to the injury-prone star who just can't get and stay healthy to a midseason pickup who broke out then flamed out.

We get it: Once you've invested in a player and become attached, it's not so simple to say so long. But sometimes it's for the best. After all, the stakes only get higher and the standings more solidified the longer you wait for a turnaround or rebound that might never come.

With owners everywhere making a push for the playoffs—and a shot to win it all—numbers become more important than names. Even the big ones.

What follows is a batch of players who remain rostered in many leagues, largely because they either were selected as early draft picks or looked like surefire starters at one time only to have since become cut candidates for one reason or another.

But don't worry: Each player comes complete with suggestions for readily available replacement options. Because as science says, for every drop, there should be an equal and opposite addition.

Koji Uehara, RP, Boston Red Sox (67.1 Percent Owned)

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

2014 Fantasy Statistics: 6 W, 2.64 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 75 K, 26 SV (61.1 IP)

Koji Uehara's owners should be thrilled they got what they did out of him. Not that he's not one of the best closers around, but this is a 39-year-old whose 74.1 innings last year were his MLB carer high and who had never thrown more than 47 innings in consecutive seasons entering 2014.

So the fact that the Boston Red Sox's closer pulled off nearly 60 extremely effective innings before it all went south is about all anyone could hope for.

And it did go south rather abruptly: In his last six games, Uehara has allowed 10 runs on 14 hits, including four home runs. That got him temporarily shut down—his last appearance was Sept. 4—and removed from ninth-inning duties.

Well, the Red Sox announced Thursday that Uehara's ready to return, according to Ian Browne of MLB.com—just not as the closer right away. Sure, he's expected to regain the role by season's end, but there's barely three weeks left, and the Sox haven't been winning all that much, so don't count on more than two or three saves the rest of the way. If you need those, try one of the readily available relievers below.

Replacement Options: Wade Davis, SP/RP, Kansas City Royals (40.8 Percent Owned); Drew Storen, RP, Washington Nationals (40.5); Josh Fields, RP, Houston Astros (3.4 Percent Owned); Tony Sipp, RP, Houston Astros (0.8 Percent Owned); Aaron Sanchez, SP/RP, Toronto Blue Jays (27.3 Percent Owned)

Yovani Gallardo, SP, Milwaukee Brewers (67.8 Percent Owned)

Tom Lynn/Associated Press

2014 Fantasy Statistics: 8 W, 3.61 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 127 K (174.1 IP)

Yovani Gallardo's fantasy value is sinking fast, just like the Milwaukee Brewers, who have gone from sitting atop the NL Central to outside a playoff position and looking in.

Entering 2014, Gallardo was no longer the No. 3 fantasy starter he had been in his first few seasons, largely due to his declining strikeout rate, but Gallardo remained more than relevant as a streaming/matchups play.

What's ironic, then, is that the 27-year-old right-hander just became the Brewers' all-time strikeout leader—he surpassed Ben Sheets with his 1,207th K on Sept. 8, as Adam McCalvy of MLB.com notes—and he's more or less dropable in just about all formats. Immediately after registering the record whiff—his only one of the game—Gallardo surrendered back-to-back home runs on his way to giving up five earned on nine hits in only 3.2 frames.

Gallardo, who struck out at least 200 batters every year from 2009 through 2012, has seen his strikeouts-per-nine rate plummet from 9.0 in '12 to 7.2 last year to a career-low 6.6 this year. Owners in NL-onlies can hang on to him, but the upside is no longer worth the risk in shallower leagues.

Replacement Options: Brandon McCarthy, SP, New York Yankees (33.2 Percent Owned); Jarred Cosart, SP, Houston Astros (25.2 Percent Owned); Miguel Gonzalez, SP, Baltimore Orioles (27.9 Percent Owned); Drew Hutchison, SP, Toronto Blue Jays (10.6 Percent Owned); Vidal Nuno, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks (1.5 Percent Owned); Tyler Matzek, SP, Colorado Rockies (9.8 Percent Owned)

Tim Hudson, SP, San Francisco Giants (59.0 Percent Owned)

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

2014 Fantasy Statistics: 9 W, 3.12 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 112 K (178.2 IP)

Few pitchers started the season better than Tim Hudson, who was sporting a sub-2.00 ERA as late as mid-June, making the 39-year-old a Comeback Player of the Year candidate and an all-around great story in his first year as a San Francisco Giant.

Well, the tale has changed, with Hudson putting up a 4.43 ERA to go with a 1.38 WHIP since his outing on June 18.

Because he's not (and never was) even an average performer in strikeout rate (6.0 K/9 career, 5.6 K/9 in 2014), Hudson needs to help in those two categories—and he hasn't been. Case in point: After 10 quality starts in his first 13, he's managed just eight over his past 15.

The overall fantasy numbers still look pretty good, but only if you have been keeping Hudson plugged in as an every-time-out starter without paying any attention. Don't get caught up in early-season production.

Replacement Options: Brandon McCarthy, SP, New York Yankees (33.2 Percent Owned); Jarred Cosart, SP, Houston Astros (25.2 Percent Owned); Miguel Gonzalez, SP, Baltimore Orioles (27.9 Percent Owned); Drew Hutchison, SP, Toronto Blue Jays (10.6 Percent Owned); Vidal Nuno, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks (1.5 Percent Owned); Tyler Matzek, SP, Colorado Rockies (9.8 Percent Owned)

Elvis Andrus, SS, Texas Rangers (95.3 Percent Owned)

LM Otero/Associated Press

2014 Fantasy Statistics: .263 BA, 67 R, 2 HR, 34 RBI, 25 SB (620 PA)

That Elvis Andrus remains owned in nearly all ESPN Fantasy Baseball leagues (95.3 percent!) says one of two things: Either owners are desperate for production of any kind at the shallow shortstop position, or they've shifted all of their fantasy focus over to football.

Simply put, after a promising start to his career, the 26-year-old Andrus just hasn't shown any progress at all—in fantasy or real baseball—the past two seasons. In 2014, he's neither scoring (67 runs) nor running (25 steals) all that much, and those were the two categories for which you drafted him. Check that: Andrus has been running, having attempted 38 stolen bases, but he's been nabbed an AL-high 13 times.

Without any semblance of power to pick up the slack, Andrus is virtually worthless, unless you're so very desperate for the possibility that he'll run—and more importantly, succeed—enough to actually make a difference for your team.

Given that Andrus' focus reportedly is being called into question amid his first-ever losing season in the majors, per Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, you should look elsewhere, even if a handful of thefts is all you crave.

Replacement Options: Jordy Mercer, 2B/SS, Pittsburgh Pirates (46.6 Percent Owned); Joe Panik, 2B, San Francisco Giants (27.4 Percent Owned); Jose Ramirez, 2B/SS, Cleveland Indians (23.0 Percent Owned); Brad Miller, SS, Seattle Mariners (6.1 Percent Owned)

Ryan Braun, OF, Milwaukee Brewers (99.7 Percent Owned)

Darren Hauck/Associated Press

2014 Fantasy Statistics: .272 BA, 66 R, 19 HR, 79 RBI, 11 SB (514 PA)

After everything he went through last year, including a performance dip, an oblique injury and that infamous 65-game suspension fiasco related to performance-enhancing drugs, Ryan Braun was more than a little bit of a question mark during drafts in March.

The 30-year-old actually started off well—remember his three-homer game way back on April 8?—as he was hitting .320 with 26 runs, eight homers and 26 RBI through the end of May (38 games). And that was while battling through a thumb problem that forced him from the lineup on occasion and appeared to be hampering his swing at times.

Braun's production dipped some but stayed starter-worthy for the next few weeks, but his second half has been dreadful. In 47 post-break games, he's hitting just .229 with 20 runs, eight home runs and 27 RBI. Although Braun hit one out Thursday night, the thumb issue once again has been causing problems, as Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes:

"

His difficulties gripping and swinging the bat have been well-chronicled this year, and on Wednesday, Braun declined for the second time in four days to provide specifics about his injury other than to say his right hand feels fine.

'I don't want to get into any of it anymore,' [Braun] said. 'I think I've talked about it more than enough. There's nothing wrong with my hand, though, I will say that. Never has been anything wrong with my hand. There was a little thing in the wrist that we were dealing with, but it's more the thumb is the issue.

'I think sometimes when my thumb gets bad it's because I hold the bat different, so I try to do different things to find a way to compensate.'

"

Does that sound like a hitter who's ready to do damage over the final few weeks? Not exactly. Do you have to cut Braun, whom you snagged in the second round? Certainly not. But if you're seeking a hotter—and healthier—option, better late than never when you're battling for fantasy bragging rights among your leaguemates.

Replacement Options: Steve Pearce, 1B/OF, Baltimore Orioles (37.2 Percent Owned); Oswaldo Arcia, OF, Minnesota Twins (12.4 Percent Owned); Alejandro De Aza, OF, Chicago White Sox (19.0 Percent Owned); Gerardo Parra, OF, Milwaukee Brewers (12.8 Percent Owned)

Statistics are accurate as of Sept. 11 and come from MLB.com, Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs.com, except where otherwise noted. Ownership percentages come from ESPN Fantasy Baseball, and players suggested as replacement options must be owned in less than 50 percent of leagues.

To talk baseball or fantasy baseball, check in with me on Twitter: @JayCat11