We’ve all been there – hand quivering as you hover over that red “drop” button, stomach in knots with the feeling that you’re about to commit eternal wrong against the player you touted all offseason to your fellow GMs as a certain 40-40 threat. Let’s talk straight. You’re doing no favors to the first-half stud who hasn’t been able to buy a hit since June by penciling him in to your starting lineup every day. The end of August is high time to break emotional ties with the players who helped you reach where you’re at today and – due to injury or decline – are no longer productive options. If you’re looking for an edge in the stretch run, it’s time to cut the following players today and free up space for September callups and rising second-half stars.

Albert Pujols, First Base, Los Angeles Angels

With the news that Pujols will not return in 2013, fantasy owners can rest assured in dropping the 33-year-old first basemen, in standard and keeper leagues. Now in the second year of a ten-year, $240 million dollar contract, the Angels are hoping that Pujols’ steady decline can be turned around by an offseason of rest and rehabilitation on his ailing plantar fascia. Over the first ten years of his career, Pujols had a .331/.426/.624 line, averaging 41 home runs, 43 doubles and 123 runs batted in, but since, his numbers have taken a severe dip. Battling through the toughest offensive season of his career, Pujols has a .258 average to go with 17 home runs and 64 RBI in 99 games. Depending on his winter progress, Pujols could be a huge pick to rebound in 2014, or could prove a gigantic bust to even the deep-pocketed Angels.

Chad Gaudin, Starting Pitcher/Relief Pitcher, San Francisco Giants

Signed to a minor league deal by the Giants in the offseason, Gaudin moved up the ranks from swingman to starting pitcher, filling in for the injured Ryan Vogelsong and the struggling Barry Zito. In 12 starts, Gaudin went 5-1 with a 3.53 ERA, striking out 60 batters in 66.1 innings, and became a viable fantasy option with eligibility in both starting and relief roles. The 30-year-old was placed on the disabled list with carpal tunnel syndrome on August 17, but perhaps the greater reason to part ways with Gaudin is that the success he’s enjoyed in 2013 is a new phenomenon. This is the same guy who, in his strongest season as a starting pitcher with the Athletics in 2007, walked four and a half men per nine innings and served up home runs on 11.5 percent of his fly balls allowed. A .278 BABIP and 77.7% Left on Base Percentage are indicators that this season may have been a fluke.

B.J. Upton, Outfield, Atlanta Braves

The elder Upton brother, owned in roughly 70 percent of ESPN leagues at the beginning of the week, fell to 52% owned by the end. Naturally, the question for the remaining Upton owners is, What more is it going to take? His batting average has transcended the Mendoza Line exactly zero days in the 2013 season, and as fantasy owners have learned with players such as Dee Gordon and Sam Fuld, “speed guys” are only as valuable as they are able to steal first base. His .183/.265/.294 line and dramatic power outage have caused the Braves to pursue other options to man the outfield spot next to his younger brother, Justin. A strikeout-prone hitter before, Upton’s 121 whiffs in 323 at bats this season is far above the 26.7% K rate he had in 2012. At age 29, relatively healthy, and now locked into a long-term relationship with the Braves, all is not lost on Upton. Fantasy owners must wise up and stick a fork in his 2013 season, however, as a slump this extended doesn’t hold much hope for reversing itself.

Jason Heyward, Outfield, Atlanta Braves

Heyward was looking more and more like a player on the rise – especially after Fredi Gonzalez moved him into the leadoff spot – until a Jon Niese fastball to the cheek broke his jaw and ended his season. After bursting onto the scene as a rookie in 2010, Heyward’s development has been of the slow and steady variety, as fantasy owners are still waiting for the man with all the talent in the world to put up a .300/.400/.500 season. Still, with 27 home runs and 21 stolen bases last season, the potential for a 30-30 season remains, and Heyward entered 2013 as a breakout candidate, as he will likely be listed next season. A 14-game division lead and no competition to speak of from the Nats in the NL East means the Braves won’t rush Heyward – who will rejoin the team on Monday – back after surgery.

Josh Reddick, Outfield, Oakland Athletics

Without MRI results or any official word on the state of Reddick’s right wrist, some might find it hasty to scrap the Athletics outfielder. The truth is, despite owning baseball during a two-game, five-homer rout on the Toronto Blue Jays on August 9th and 10th, something has been amiss with Reddick all season, and an astute fan would look no further than his wrist. Entering the week, the 26-year-old was owned in roughly 73 percent of leagues, but that number dropped quickly to the 55% owned he sits at now. His ten home runs and 46 runs batted in have come largely as a result of a few hot streaks, as 2013 has been a year marked by great frustration, stemming in part from a .248 BABIP and a feeling in the clubhouse that the man has simply been a victim of balls finding gloves. Reddick was zapped of his 2012 power after injuring the same wrist on a catch at the wall early on, and another stint on the sidelines appears to be in the books – in the best interests of the Athletics’ playoff hopes and their right fielder’s.

Rafael Betancourt, Relief Pitcher, Colorado Rockies

Closing games in Coors Field is hard enough. Try doing it as a 38-year-old pitcher with a right arm hanging, quite literally, by a thread. It was a sad story on Thursday night when Betancourt, after blowing the save the night before at Philadelphia, threw what he said was the last pitch his elbow would allow. Prior to his injury, Betancourt had allowed 21 hits in 27.2 innings pitched, striking out 27 opposing batters. With saves at a premium, his total of 16 was enough for the aging reliever to be owned in roughly 85 percent of fantasy leagues. Early signs point to a UCL tear and subsequent Tommy John surgery for Betancourt, of which the rehabilitation process is made that much more difficult by his age. A tragic ending to a season and possibly a career still has a fantasy silver lining, as Rex Brothers, owned in roughly 59 percent of leagues, will assume the closer role in Colorado and could pick up slack for your team in the saves department.

Bartolo Colon, Starting Pitcher, Oakland Athletics

Despite a 50-game suspension that carried into the 2013 season, Colon recovered quickly into the kind of pitcher that Athletics fans wanted to watch and fantasy owners wanted to claim for themselves. His ability to eat innings and penchant for a big game were storylines in Oakland since the season first started, however a deeper look into his numbers reveal a different picture. A 14-5 record and 2.97 ERA belie a WHIP (1.186) and K/9 rate (4.8) that are less than elite, and his velocity, which often climbed into the mid- to high 90s as the in the middle innings, has hovered around 89 MPH in his past two dismal starts. The question of what was wrong with Colon was answered when the 40-year old pitcher finally hit the DL this week with a groin injury. His age, combined with the stark decline in his performance of late and traditional statistics that don’t show the whole picture are reason for Colon believers to accept the boost the ageless wonder gave your roster and break ties.

David Freese, Third Base, St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals’ decision to call up big-name prospect Kolten Wong before roster expansion was a clear statement that they had tired of Freese’s lack of production. Coming off a World Series MVP award in 2011, Freese went .293/.372/.467 at the dish last season, adding 20 home runs, 25 doubles and an All-Star selection to his list of accolades. This year, while the formerly oft-injured third baseman has managed to stay relatively healthy, his numbers don’t equal those of top fantasy performers at the hot corner. His power has all but disappeared, to the tune of only six home runs in 368 at bats, and the guy who could be counted on to hit in the high .290s has batted only .266 thus far. Wong has been the starter at second base this week, moving Matt Carpenter to third base and forcing Freese to the bench. Holding onto Freese at this point in the season – as both the Cardinals and your fantasy team pull out all the stops to make a playoff push – is only holding you back.

Clay Buchholz, Starting Pitcher, Boston Red Sox

In a Red Sox rotation marred by disappointment over the past two seasons, Buchholz’s early resurgence had Boston fans and fantasy owners – who drafted up the righty at an average 217th pick – crying Cy Young. The 29-year-old started the season 9-0, allowing only 57 hits and 16 earned runs in his first 84.1 innings pitched and appeared on pace for a breakout season. Unfortunately, shoulder bursitis stopped Buchholz in his tracks on June 8, and he has not made a start since. Still owned in 83 percent of leagues, one has to wonder if the Sox acquisition of Jake Peavy at the trade deadline was a response to the possibility that Buchholz – who admitted rushing his comeback unsuccessfully – would not be ready to pitch in the postseason. While he is scheduled for his first of three rehab starts on Sunday, it needs to be every Buchholz owner’s strong consideration that he may well not pitch again before the end of the fantasy playoffs.

Melky Cabrera, Outfield, Toronto Blue Jays

If you’re among the roughly 40 percent that is holding out hope for Cabrera’s season, feel confident in dumping the dead weight today. His .322 on-base and .360 slugging are both sharp drop-offs from his 2012 campaign in which he looked like an MVP candidate through the first half, not to mention the outfielder has gone deep only three times this season. Once a dependable double-digit steals player, Cabrera has managed to swipe only two this season. His 50-game suspension for PED use notwithstanding, the Jays clearly had higher hopes for Cabrera, whose season ended prematurely – and some might argue, mercifully – with a sprained knee. The injury provides the team time to mull over alternatives to Cabrera, who is owed $8 million in 2014.