I was too low on Jauan Jennings last week.
I did have him as an add, but he was only fourth on the list thanks to a mixed history with either Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel out.
Of course, that was before George Kittle, who usually benefits the most from one of the top receivers missing, went down with a hamstring injury, and Jennings made me look stupid with a massive game.
Jennings is still available in a shocking number of leagues and is the obvious top pickup with Samuel and Kittle likely to miss another game.
As a reminder, recommended adds are available in at least 60% of ESPN leagues, and the watch list consists of players worth monitoring.
The deep cuts section for running backs and receivers highlights players who are rostered in no more than 5% of ESPN leagues for all you “not in my league” degens.
I will not list recommended FAAB percentages for every player because that decision comes down to too many factors including league size, team weaknesses, and the aggressiveness of the other managers in your league.
That said, I will try to clarify when there is a player I am going big on in FAAB bidding.
Also, FAAB Lab is a great, crowdsourced way to get a feel for how much a player will cost in FAAB bidding each week.
Finally, I will not be ranking kickers and defenses because frankly I don’t care about them and want them to disappear from the game.
With those caveats out of the way, let’s get to it.
Best Quarterback Waiver Pickups, Fantasy Football Week 4
- Sam Darnold
- Justin Fields
- Andy Dalton
- Geno Smith
- Tyler Huntley (Superflex)
- Jameis Winston (Superflex)
Best Running Back Waiver Pickups, Fantasy Football Week 4
- Bucky Irving
- Braelon Allen
- Roschon Johnson
- Cordarrelle Patterson
- Tyler Badie
Best Wide Receiver Waiver Pickups, Fantasy Football Week 4
- Jauan Jennings
- Romeo Doubs
- Allen Lazard
- Xavier Legette
- Greg Dortch
- Jahan Dotson
Best Tight End Waiver Pickups, Fantasy Football Week 4
- Cole Kmet
- Brenton Strange
- Tyler Conklin
- Tucker Kraft
Best Quarterback Waiver Pickups, Fantasy Football Week 4
1. Sam Darnold – Available in 83.7% of leagues
This will be the last time I write about Darnold regardless of his roster percentage because he should have already been added in competitive leagues. Darnold is currently the QB3 in per-game fantasy points and, aside from a knee injury scare, has shown no signs of slowing down.
2. Justin Fields – Available in 75.9% of leagues
Fields is not quite in that conversation with Darnold, but the Steelers’ 3-0 start has seemingly solidified his starting job. He only ran for 6 yards against the Chargers, but he found the end zone on the ground and had his best passing numbers of the season.
3. Andy Dalton – Available in 98.6% of leagues
Dalton is not going to throw for 319 yards and 3 touchdowns every week, but his performance showed the Panthers have talent to work with on offense. They also still have a susceptible defense, which could lead to more passing volume for Dalton this week against the Bengals, who showed well on offense despite another disappointing loss on Monday night.
4. Geno Smith – Available in 72.2% of leagues
There is certainly some concern about Smith against the Lions’ defensive front given some of the pass protection issues Seattle has had, but he is getting a solid matchup indoors in a game with a relatively high total. That makes him appealing as a streaming option.
5. Tyler Huntley (Superflex) – Available in 99.6% of leagues
Tim Boyle replaced Skylar Thompson when he was injured in Week 3, but the Dolphins could turn to Huntley if Thompson is forced to miss time (or even if they just think they need a change). Across 10 starts including the playoffs, Huntley has averaged 42.9 rushing yards per game, giving him a nice floor with the upside of getting to work with Miami’s playmakers if he gets the job.
6. Jameis Winston (Superflex) – Available in 99.7% of leagues
Winston is only a pickup in Superflex formats, but he should be rostered in those leagues with the continued struggles of the Browns passing game. It is fair to wonder how long Cleveland can keep Deshaun Watson at quarterback.
Watch List: The plan to target only Malik Nabers (and Wan’Dale Robinson) is working well for Daniel Jones, and the Cowboys do not have a scary defense right now. Perhaps he should be ahead of Geno as a streamer, but Jones still carries the possibility of an absolute implode…Bo Nix had a breakout performance against the Bucs, especially on the ground where he rushed for 47 yards and a touchdown. Still, he only had 216 scoreless yards through the air and gets a matchup against the Jets this week…Deshaun Watson has a solid enough matchup against the Raiders, but it would be good to see him throw for 200 yards at some point…Malik Willis would deserve a mention after his performance in a revenge game against the Titans, but it seems like Jordan Love will return this week…The Rams got a great win against the 49ers, but Matthew Stafford had a pedestrian fantasy effort. He will be tough to trust until the offense gets healthier.
Best Running Back Waiver Pickups, Fantasy Football Week 4
1. Bucky Irving – Available in 67.2% of leagues
Irving has been on this list for a few weeks because he has consistently been a better runner than Rachaad White. Among 59 running backs with at least 10 carries, Irving is ninth in explosive run rate, 30th in negative run rate, and ninth in yards after contact per rush. White is 48th, 59th, and 50th in those metrics, which is par for the course thus far in his career. Irving has run into a light box at a slightly higher rate but not by enough to explain away the efficiency differences. Todd Bowles said Irving has earned more snaps moving forward, and this may turn into a full blown committee. Unfortunately for Irving, White is still good in the passing game, which could mean Irving is on the bad side of a timeshare that does not produce many fantasy points. Still, Irving has been effective enough that it makes sense to add him.
2. Braelon Allen – Available in 72% of leagues
Allen is a better pure stash than even Irving if you are just looking for a lottery ticket. Breece Hall is very good and will remain the clear lead back for the Jets, but Allen has been outstanding every time he touches the ball. Hall will hopefully stay healthy all season. If something happened to him, though, Allen is the type of handcuff we would spend all our FAAB on, but it would be better if he was already on our bench.
3. Roschon Johnson – Available in 99.2% of leagues
Khalil Herbert (who is available in 88.6% of leagues) continues to get work near the goal line, but it was interesting to see Johnson, who was inactive in Week 1 and only played on special teams in Week 2, get 8 caries to 13 for D’Andre Swift. He did not erupt with just 3.8 yards per carry, but that was a better effort than Swift, who now has as many 10-yard losses as he has 10-yard gains this season (1). The Bears have to find some answers in the running game, and they may turn to Johnson in the near future.
4. Cordarrelle Patterson – Available in 99.3% of leagues
Patterson was originally higher on this list, but news came out Wednesday that Najee Harris is expected to play. Jaylen Warren looks genuinely questionable, though, and as we learned last week with Joe Mixon, you never know. Patterson is just a contingency add in case Harris' injury is more serious than it seems right now.
5. Tyler Badie – Available in 100% of leagues
Badie (pronounced bidet I just learned and not “baddie” which would be more fun) seemed to establish himself in Denver’s running back rotation in the second half of Week 3. Javonte Williams got 1 carry after the break with Badie handling 8. Overall, Badie turned 9 carries into 70 yards and is averaging 8.6 yards per attempt this season. Jaleel McLaughlin had a touchdown on a nice run, and Williams still got passing snaps in the second half, so perhaps this comes to nothing. But that usage change is worth paying attention to, especially in deep leagues.
Watch List: Blake Corum has played 8 snaps through three games…Alexander Mattison is on the good side of the Raiders’ timeshare, but it will be tough for him to return consistent fantasy value on that offense sharing time with both Zamir White and Ameer Abdullah even if the Raiders have been more pass heavy than expected…Antonio Gibson did out-touch Rhamondre Stevenson on Thursday night, but the game script played a role in that. That said, Stevenson has struggled with fumbles to this point in the season…We will see where the Chiefs backfield goes, but it looks like they are committed to Carson Steele being that lead guy. That does not leave a ton of room for Samaje Perine and Kareem Hunt…The Browns went right back to Jerome Ford as the lead back, leaving D’Onta Foreman mostly out of the gameplan…Miles Sanders got the touchdown, but it was still the Chuba Hubbard show in Carolina’s backfield.
Deep Cuts: Cam Akers did not do a ton with his start, so perhaps the door is open for Dameon Pierce if he can get healthy. Of course, Joe Mixon could also be back this week…With MarShawn Lloyd on injured reserve, Emanuel Wilson is the next guy up in Green Bay…Despite a Trey Sermon touchdown, Jonathan Taylor remains in firm control of that backfield, but Sermon is the handcuff in Indy…Isaac Guerendo earned more work in Week 3 and is in the often fantasy rich position of being the handcuff to a 49ers running back.
Best Wide Receiver Waiver Pickups, Fantasy Football Week 4
1. Jauan Jennings – Available in 64% of leagues
There is no reason to belabor this given what we saw in Week 3. As mentioned in the intro, I was too low on Jennings last week because of his history with just one of the 49ers’ receiving weapons out of the lineup, which does raise questions about what will happen if Deebo Samuel or George Kittle can return this week, but it appears unlikely either plays against the Patriots.
2. Romeo Doubs – Available in 73.7% of leagues
The likely return of Jordan Love opens up the passing game, which should be good news for Doubs. He continues to run the most routes among all Packers receivers, and he earned the most targets among that group with Love in Week 1. Doubs has been the target on 2 of the 5 throws into the end zone this season after leading the team with 15 of those targets last year, although a healthy Christian Watson is also a threat in those areas.
3. Allen Lazard – Available in 65.7% of leagues
We have not seen the expected expansion of Mike Williams’ role. In fact, he took a step back by running a route on 55% of New York’s dropbacks in Week 3 including a 50% rate in the first half of that game. Lazard, on the other hand, has consistently been on the field and has produced two good fantasy days. The concern about Williams taking that No. 2 job is there, but for now, Lazard is the other receiver to target in New York.
4. Xavier Legette – Available in 80% of leagues
Adam Thielen is headed to injured reserve, and that creates an interesting situation in the Panthers’ suddenly exciting passing game. After Thielen left in Week 3, Jonathan Mingo played more snaps in the slot, opening up a path for Legette to run a route on 90% of the team’s dropbacks without Thielen on the field. There have now been 33 pass snaps without Thielen on the field this season, and Legette has run a route on 31 of them. We still need to see him consistently earn targets, but the rookie should get a chance to establish himself while Thielen is out.
5. Greg Dortch – Available in 96.3% of leagues
Michael Wilson deserves a mention too after drawing 9 targets against the Lions, but the injury to Trey McBride could open up a sizable role for Dortch. McBride has been off the field for 15 pass plays so far this season. Dortch has run a route on 14 of those and drawn a target on 4 of those routes. This is a very small sample, but it makes sense given where both players operate on the field. If McBride misses time, Dortch could see a big target bump.
6. Jahan Dotson – Available in 93.6% of leagues
The Eagles have serious injury concerns at receiver with A.J. Brown (hamstring) and DeVonta Smith (concussion) at best questionable for Week 4. Unfortunately, it is tough to pinpoint who if any other receiver will get enough targets to be startable in fantasy. The Eagles had 9 dropbacks without Smith on the field on Sunday. Dotson (2 targets) and Parris Campbell (0 targets) were in for every snap with rookie Johnny Wilson playing 7 snaps (1 target). Campbell and Wilson are essentially unrostered for those who want to take a shot on them, but Dotson has been more involved to this point. That makes him the best bet, but it is thin given all the uncertainty.
Watch List: The return of Josh Downs did not cut into Alec Pierce’s route share – he was in on 91% of Indy’s dropbacks – but it did add another target in an offense that already does not throw a ton…DeMario Douglas got the squeaky wheel treatment with 9 targets, but we saw him disappear as Hunter Henry led the passing game in Week 2. The early returns suggest this will be an unpredictable target tree, and there is unlikely to be a ton of production overall…I got excited about Jordan Whittington last week, but the Rams rotated receivers behind Demarcus Robinson. Tutu Atwell – mentioned in deep cuts last week – had the best game and ran the most routes if taking a shot, but this could be up and down until Cooper Kupp returns…All Andrei Iosivas does is score touchdowns, but he also caught 5 passes against the Commanders. Tee Higgins should get more work than him most weeks, which could make it hard for Iosivas to consistently score fantasy points, but it was a promising outing on Monday night…Wan’Dale Robinson has a 12-target and 8-target game through three weeks, and he scored a touchdown in the other contest. Given his role – 4.3 air yards per target – and the presence of alpha WR1 Malik Nabers, it is fair to question the upside, but Robinson could do a job in PPR formats…Rashod Bateman is clearly the No. 2 receiver in Baltimore and caught a touchdown against the Cowboys…I would like to see Jalen Tolbert earn targets more consistently, but he has two solid fantasy games in a row.
Deep Cuts: Tre Tucker had a breakout game and has been running routes all season. He just earned targets this week, and it did not hurt the Raiders dropped back 45 times. That probably will not continue with the players ahead of him on the depth chart, but the Raiders have been shockingly pass heavy early…There is some optimism Jordan Addison returns this week, and Jalen Nailor has not been earning enough targets per route to take full advantage of his opportunity. Still, he has paid off with a touchdown in every game this season…As mentioned in the Dotson writeup, Johnny Wilson is available in almost every league and is an interesting athlete at 6-foot-6, 228 pounds…Jonathan Mingo had already been running routes before this week, so I am not sure how much things really change for him with Adam Thielen out, but it is interesting he took over the slot role…Calvin Austin may have made a play for the No. 2 receiver job in Pittsburgh with Van Jefferson hurt, but he still ran one fewer route than Scotty Miller. Also, it is the No. 2 job in Pittsburgh…Ricky Pearsall is expected to return when first eligible in Week 5, which is interesting given the 49ers’ injury issues.
Best Tight End Waiver Pickups, Fantasy Football Week 4
1. Cole Kmet – Available in 73.9% of leagues
We saw a big shift for Kmet in Week 3. After running a route on just 49.4% of Chicago’s dropbacks through the first two games, he was out there for 73.2% of the routes against the Colts. With the running game nonexistent, the Bears have the fifth-highest dropback rate over the last two weeks with the most dropbacks (104) overall. His role may shrink again, especially if Keenan Allen returns, or the Bears may figure out how to get more balanced on offense. For now, however, there are signs Kmet could be back to the back-end TE1 option drafters thought they were getting in August.
2. Brenton Strange – Available in 86.7% of leagues
Strange repaid my faith in him this week, finding the end zone on the first drive of the second half and being a consistent factor as a receiver throughout the game. His line would have looked a lot worse without the touchdown, but he was also missed while wide open for what would have been a long gain. Evan Engram sat out the entire week of practice, suggesting he is not particularly close to returning. Strange will go right back to the wire when Engram returns, but he might get another start this week in Houston.
3. Tyler Conklin – Available in 72.3% of leagues
Conklin has been running a lot of routes all season. He is currently second on the team in total routes run. He just was targeted on 7.1% of those routes through the first two games. Against the Patriots, that rate was 15.8%. That may have been a one-week blip, but the Bucs did up their TE target rate against the Broncos last week. This could end up being a chase, but there are not a ton of great options available.
4. Tucker Kraft – Available in 96.7% of leagues
This is more of a stash in deeper leagues than an immediate start because we have seen Luke Musgrave eat into Kraft’s route lead over the last two weeks. Kraft was the clear option in Week 1, however, and you would expect the Packers’ passing game to expand when Jordan Love (likely) returns this week. Kraft might go right back to the wire, but he is a stash in leagues that routinely carry multiple tight ends.
Watch List: The real fantasy beneficiary if Trey McBride misses time is likely to be Greg Dortch, but Elijah Higgins has an interesting profile (former college receiver) and would likely serve as the TE1 without McBride…Sam LaPorta playing through his ankle sprain suggests he will be active this week, and even if he is not, it is tough to see Brock Wright putting up big numbers with all the other options in that passing game…Cade Otton saw a spike in targets against the Broncos, but he turned 7 catches into 47 yards. There just is not a lot of upside here unless you luck into a touchdown…Noah Fant had a similar story to Conklin except his route rate actually fell a bit in his mini-breakout. The concern for Fant continues to be the three receivers ahead of him in the target pecking order…Jonnu Smith did not get the target expansion we were hoping to see, and the Dolphins offense looks like one to avoid where possible…If 4 catches for around 40 yards is good enough for your fantasy team, Zach Ertz is your guy…Mike Gesicki stayed around a 50% route rate on Monday night, and while he continued to get targeted at a decent clip on that work, it will be tough for him to consistently return value in a part-time role, especially with rookie Erick All earning more time.
