Welcome to the Fantasy Football Waiver Wire for Week 4. One week after multiple quarterbacks went down with injuries, we were spared further damage at the position (at least, through Sunday’s games). The five QB backups who got starts in Week 3 had mixed results, and some fantasy managers might still be looking for help at the position. Meanwhile, a few big-name players got hurt on Sunday, led by CeeDee Lamb. We’ll need to wait and see on the severity. As always, the waiver wire is where managers can turn for help. It’s not the best crop this week, but there are players who can bolster your roster.
Note: Week 4 is the last week before the Byes start. If you’ve got roster space, it never hurts to look ahead a week and get a jump on the competition, and especially at the “onesie” positions (QB, TE, PK, and D/ST). Getting your pick of the litter beats fighting others for scraps.
The Process: Each week, I try to identify the top Waiver Wire targets and evaluate the short- and long-term prospects of those players. I also do my best to reveal which players who are coming off a big week are fool’s gold. Finally, I look at streamers who might help you in a pinch (this is usually more important during Bye weeks). Note that I’m writing this column BEFORE the Week 3 Monday night game (DET@BAL).
Some players discussed won’t be available in your league. I try to list players who are available in more than 50% of leagues. But what does that even mean? A 10-team league with six bench spots will have a much larger Free Agent pool than a 14-team league with eight. Most leagues fall somewhere in between. This isn’t “one size fits all.” By way of example, I won’t list Daniel Jones, Braelon Allen, Juwan Johnson, Zach Ertz, or Hunter Henry this week, among others who probably aren’t available in any of your leagues. All are priority pickups if available.
WEEK 4 BYES: NONE
Week 4 Waiver Wire
Quarterback:
The availability of quarterbacks is going to vary widely between 1-QB and Superflex leagues. Geno Smith, Aaron Rodgers, Sam Darnold, Bryce Young, Tua Tagovailoa, Spencer Rattler, Michael Penix, Jr., and Cam Ward aren’t going to be available in most Superflex leagues. They’re the obvious places to start if you need help in a 1-QB league. I like them roughly in this order for the rest of the season, but all will have their up and down weeks (Smith and Penix are good examples over Weeks 2-3).
Others to consider if you’re scrambling in Superflex leagues, but who aren’t likely to start that many more games, include Russell Wilson (it’s unclear when he’ll give way to Jaxson Dart, who can be stashed in deeper Superflex leagues) and Carson Wentz.
If you’re wondering why I didn’t include either Marcus Mariota or Tyrod Taylor (who both had decent outings Sunday, and both have rushing upside), it’s because I don’t expect them to get even one more start. Obviously, that could change, so monitor practice reports.
Running Back:
The obvious top choice here is Trey Benson, as James Conner suffered a season-ending ankle injury against the 49ers. Benson is averaging 6.0 yards per carry on the season and ran well in relief of Conner on Sunday. The second-year pro has made this column each week so far this season and is rostered at above 50% on most of the major platforms, so he probably isn’t available in your league. But wherever he’s a free agent, he’s the top-priority add.
The Commanders are rotating three backs, so starting any of them is going to be frustrating at times. Still, both Chris Rodriguez and Jeremy McNichols are worth picking up, as they play in a very good offense and could see their roles grow. Rodriguez led the team with 11 carries on Sunday, while McNichols busted a long TD run.
I listed Bhayshul Tuten as a stash last week and I’ll run it back. He scored for the second straight game, and has 17 total touches over the past two games. Roster him if he’s available. Ditto Tyjae Spears, who is eligible to return in Week 5 and should get a decent share of the work once he is fully heathy.
I’ll list Kyle Monangai for the second straight week, as he’s getting some decent run behind starter D’Andre Swift, in an offense that can score. There are multiple backups you can consider stashing if you have a spot and want to play the RB lottery, and I prefer those with at least some stand-alone value. These include Tyler Allgeier, Ollie Gordon, II, Woody Marks, Blake Corum, and Rico Dowdle. Keep an eye on Marks. His snap share increased significantly (to just under 50%) in Week 3, he’s a pass-catching specialist, and the Texans’ offense desperately needs a spark.
Wide Receiver
Tre Tucker is going to be a popular waiver target this week, after he put up a monster 8-145-3 line (on nine targets) in a blowout loss to the Commanders. The 5-foot-8 Tucker has two things going for him: Deep speed, and a QB that isn’t afraid to chuck it. Tucker only had five catches in the first two games, so don’t overspend on him with an expectation of steady volume or production. He’ll be a boom-or-bust option on a week-to-week basis going forward.
Bears’ rookie Luther Burden III scored an easy long TD on a flea flicker, en route to a big day on just three catches. I like Burden as WR4/5 depth (with later-season upside) for now, but wouldn’t rush him into lineups just yet. The Bears have a lot of mouths to feed, and the Cowboys are going to make a lot of passing attacks look unstoppable this season. Just ask the Giants.
Titans’ Rookie Elic Ayomanour, Seahawks rookie Tory Horton, and Broncos’ second-year man Troy Franklin all made the column last week and I’ll list them again as good wide receiver depth adds for your roster. All could be Flex-worthy as the season progresses and especially with the Bye weeks coming.
Added opportunities are likely on the way for Sterling Shepard, Jalen Tolbert, and Luke McCaffrey, depending on the severity of the injuries to Mike Evans, CeeDee Lamb, and Terry McLaurin. The Bucs are expecting Chris Godwin back as early as Week 4, but his ramp-up could be slow. Shepard has Baker Mayfield’s trust and could be a decent band-aid for those who are stuck.
Others to consider for depth: DeAndre Hopkins, Tyquan Thornton, Calvin Austin III, Malik Washington, and Parker Washington. Thornton is flashing big-play ability, but will he get enough volume when Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice are back?
Tight End:
I’ll repeat three names from last week: Harold Fannin, Jr., Brenton Strange, and Isaiah Likely, who could return as early as this week.
PK and D/ST Streamers, Week 4: (ranked outside the Top-15 for the week):
PK: Josh Karty (vs. IND), Will Lutz (vs. CIN), Daniel Carlson (vs. CHI)
D/ST: ARI (vs. SEA), TEN (@HOU).
That’s a wrap. Good luck with your waiver claims!
***This column appears each Monday right here at Big Blue View. Each Thursday, my weekly fantasy preview with my rides, fades and sleepers (start/sit) appears here, and on Fridays you can find my weekly Giants Props of the week, also right here. ***
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