Fantasy Football Week 6: Antonio Gates and 5 Stars You're Better off Dumping

Inevitably, every NFL season is filled with players who perform well beyond their expectations, as well as players that are much worse than anticipated. This often throws a wrench into the plans of teams and fantasy owners alike.

When it comes to under-performing players, there are two options. You can either ride it out and hope things get better, or you can cut your losses, move forward and consider it a lesson learned. Neither way is tried and true, but in every case, one school of thought is better than the other.

Several highly-drafted players have struggled in the early going, but there's no way of telling whether it is temporary or permanent. With that said, here are three struggling stars who you should dump, either by trade or outright release, before things get even worse.

Chad Ochocinco: WR, New England Patriots

Depending on who you talked to prior to the season, varying degrees of success were predicted for New England Patriots wide receiver Chad Ochocinco. Even if you didn't think he would set the world on fire, though, most figured he would at least be Tom Brady's No. 2 target behind Wes Welker.

Instead, Ochocinco has gotten off to an incredibly rough start, with just nine catches for 136 yards and no touchdowns through five games. He hasn't been targeted often, and when he has, he hasn't made plays, such as his drop of a sure touchdown against the Buffalo Bills a couple weeks ago.

At the moment, Brady seems perfectly content throwing to the likes of Welker, Deion Branch, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, so there isn't much more production to go around for Ochocinco. It is certainly possible that Ochocinco and Brady will click at some point, but I don't see it happening any time soon, so feel free to cut bait.

Dallas Clark: TE, Indianapolis Colts

Few tight ends have been more productive or more consistent over the past several seasons than the Indianapolis Colts' Dallas Clark. In metaphorical terms, the Indy offense can be compared to a serpent, with quarterback Peyton Manning being the head. With the head cut off, however, the rest of the serpent can't function.

This is the case for Clark, who has just 14 catches for 136 yards and one touchdown through five games under the combination of Kerry Collins and Curtis Painter. While Painter has provided the offense with a bit of a spark since taking over, he has thrown almost exclusively to Pierre Garcon and isn't capable of spreading the ball around like Manning.

On a team with so many weapons, but no quarterback to get them the ball, Clark has simply faded into obscurity. Should Manning miraculously return for the season's final month, then Clark's value will be restored, but with either Painter or Collins at the helm, his value is extremely low.

Brandon Lloyd: WR, Denver Broncos

Last season, Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Lloyd came from out of nowhere to turn in the best fantasy performance of any pass catcher. While he hasn't played quite to that level this season, he has been solid, with 19 catches for 283 yards through four games.

His numbers this season and last have come primarily with Kyle Orton under center, however. With the recent news of Tim Tebow taking over as Denver's starting signal caller, Lloyd's fantasy value drops significantly. Orton isn't exactly an elite player, but he built a nice rapport with Lloyd and that shouldn't be ignored.

You also have to wonder if the Denver offense will be as pass happy with the younger, mistake-prone Tebow running things. I would certainly expect more production out of the running game and more passes to backs and tight ends with Tebow at quarterback. Because of that, you might be better off trading Lloyd to somebody who doesn't see the writing on the wall.

Rashard Mendenhall: RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall broke out in a big way last season by running for over 1,200 yards and 13 touchdowns while leading the league in touches (including playoffs). Due to that production, Mendenhall was expected to be a workhorse this season, but a combination of ineffectiveness and injury has prevented that.

Mendenhall has totaled just 173 rushing yards on the year while averaging three yards per carry. He also has just two touchdowns to go along with that. Isaac Redman started in Mendenhall's place this week, as Mendenhall was dealing with a hamstring injury and performed admirably. Due to Redman's solid play and the uncertainty of hamstring injuries, Mendenhall's value could take a huge hit moving forward.

The Steelers also feature a very pass-heavy attack against the Tennessee Titans last week, as quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw for five touchdowns. Some might consider that to be an aberration, but the fact of the matter is that the Steelers have evolved into a pass-first team. There are far too many negative variables to trust Mendenhall moving forward.

Antonio Gates: TE, San Diego Chargers

When he plays, San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates is far and away the most productive fantasy player at his position. The key phrase, of course, is "when he plays." Over the past couple seasons, Gates has missed tons of games due primarily to foot issues, and that has continued in 2011.

Gates has been able to play in just two games this season, and in one of those contests, he failed to record a single catch. The Chargers are on the bye this week, and Gates claims that he should be able to play in Week 7, but Gates owners have heard that one far too many times.

Gates has caught at least eight touchdowns for seven consecutive seasons, but that streak seems unlikely to continue. Luckily, Gates still has big-name appeal and could likely fetch a good amount on the trade market. If you can nab a less-heralded tight end like Detroit's Brandon Pettigrew as well as an additional running back or wide receiver in a trade, you should pull the trigger.