Fantasy Football: 8 Players Who Should Not Be Keepers in Dynasty Leagues

Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts tops the list of dynasty league stars that you should probably dump.

Every league has its own unique rules for how many years you are allowed to retain a keeper, how long you must retain a keeper and so forth. The number of keepers varies from league to league. So this makes generic statements on this topic rather challenging. Nonetheless, these keepers should be off your payroll at the end of the season.

Sometimes you carry over a keeper who has had a serious injury or a bad year to the next year. You are hopeful that he will return to his former level of excellence. It is unlikely that these players will ever do so.

85 Should Be Deep-Sixed

Chad Ochocinco has had a distinguished NFL career: over 10,000 receiving yards and 66 touchdowns.

But his production has fallen off considerably. He had nine touchdowns in 2009, four in 2010 and none this season. The New England Patriots don't really need him with the other talented pass receivers they have.

He is still owned in 22 percent of Yahoo leagues. I don't understand why. Do you?

DeSean Jackson Has Proved What He Is Worth

DeSean Jackson had the unique opportunity this season to prove what he is worth. Since the Philadelphia Eagles did not extend his contract, a great year from Jackson would have likely netted him a huge new contract with the Eagles or another team.

This year Jackson has been suspended for missing a team meeting, given up making several catches so that he wouldn't take a hit, nullified a long reception by taunting the opponents' bench and refused to listen to his quarterback on the sidelines during a game. His production for the year has been two touchdowns.

Jackson is not a keeper for the Eagles and he should not be a keeper for you, either.

Don't Keep a WR over Age 30

Andre Johnson was the Houston Texans first round draft pick in 2003. He had a great year in 2009 with over 1,500 passing yards and more than 100 receptions. But then last year he missed three games. This year he has already missed six games.

I usually don't like to keep wide receivers once they turn 30. Johnson is in that category.

Don't make him a keeper for next year. There are too many good young wide receivers available with a longer upside.

Too Many Good Young Tight Ends

Dallas Clark was the Indianapolis Colts' first-round draft pick in 2003. In 2009 he had 100 receptions, 1,106 yards and 10 touchdowns. But last year he missed 10 games and scored only three touchdowns. This year he has already missed three games.

Clark was once a premier tight end. But now you need to consider all the evolving good tight ends in the game,

Jimmy Graham, Ron Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez and Jermichael Finley should all be more productive the next few years than Clark will.

Too Fragile to Keep

Last year his fast start enabled Michael Vick of the Philadelphia Eagles to have a career year. He passed for 21 touchdowns and rushed for nine to become a fantasy gold mine. I picked him up off the waiver wire early in the year, and he helped me to win two fantasy leagues.

I don't have him in any league this year, and I am glad of that.

Michael Vick is not a pocket passer. He needs to move around to be effective. But at age 31, this comes with at a high cost. This season he has had a concussion, injured his hand and suffered two broken ribs. He has no rushing touchdowns and has thrown as many interceptions as touchdowns. He has missed the Eagles' last three games and probably cost his owners a playoff berth.

If you kept him last year, don't do it again. He is too fragile to keep.

It Is Time to Part Ways with Peyton Manning

With almost 55,000 passing yards and one touchdown pass shy of 400, Peyton Manning has already had a Hall of Fame career.  But at age 35, his time has passed him. Missing an entire season would make a comeback very hard.

If the Indianapolis Colts do indeed draft Andrew Luck, he will probably be starting by the middle of next season even if Manning does chose to return.

Manning gave you several good years and might have won you a league championship. But it is now time to part ways.

Not Much Left in the Tank

LaDainian Tomlinson was a fantasy powerhouse when he played for the San Diego Chargers from 2001 through 2009. During that time he had 138 rushing touchdowns. He also typically had more than 50 receptions per year. He set a record for scoring a rushing touchdown in 18 consecutive games. Maybe he was the first football fantasy super hero.

But after all that pounding and all those hits, there is not much left in the tank at age 32. Clearly he is not a keeper any more. I've included him here to honor his exceptional fantasy production.

The Classic Tight End Is Approaching the End

Tony Gonzalez is the classical tight end that every team wants. At 6'5" and close to 250 pounds, he can make life miserable for a defensive back trying to tackle him. He has always been a good red-zone target, having scored 95 touchdowns in his career with the Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons.

It would be great if he could hang around long enough to record 100 touchdowns. But at age 35 and with the great set of young evolving tight ends, you can't keep Gonzalez anymore.