NFL Week 4 Waiver Wire Pickups

The most unpredictable of NFL seasons continues. The Vikings having three times as many wins as the 49ers and Ravens, for instance, was not on anyone’s bingo card. Fortunately, Week 3 offered somewhat of an injury reprieve compared to the prior two weeks, but for those in need of roster help to navigate the overall madness, there should still be solutions available.

You’ll find several top waiver options in this weekly feature – along with suggested FAAB bids – followed by a few players to monitor in deeper formats. Generally, players listed here will be available in at least 50% of Sleeper leagues.

Top Waiver Wire Additions After Week 3

WR Jauan Jennings, San Francisco 49ers

In what will probably go down as the most surprising fantasy performance of the season, Jennings (44% rostered on Sleeper) erupted for 11 receptions, 175 yards, three touchdowns and 46.5 PPR fantasy points. Deebo Samuel is likely out for at least another week or two, the severity of George Kittle’s hamstring injury is still unknown and Christian McCaffrey still has no timetable for return (Achilles tendonitis).

This could very well be a one-game blip for the veteran Jennings, but it’s also hard to deny his upside after what we just saw in Week 3. Jennings is a below-average option for a waiver wire headliner, so another manager in your league will probably overspend their FAAB on him. We recommend around a 25% bid for posterity, where managers desperate for WR help can go up to 30%.

QB Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers

After two weeks under 12 fantasy points, Fields had his Steelers breakout in Week 3 with 19 fantasy points (QB9) against the Chargers. We saw 32 pass attempts for 245 yards last week, and he had 14 carries in Week 1. There’s weekly fantasy QB1 upside for Fields, but the Steelers’ conservative offensive game plans are unlikely to yield true top-five potential like we saw when he was a Chicago Bear. As long as the 3-0 Steelers keep winning, it’s hard to see them switching from Fields to veteran Russell Wilson.

Fields is widely available (just 27% rostered on Sleeper), and he’s worth 20-25% of your FAAB if you’re in need of QB help.

QB Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings

This is the best we’ve ever seen Darnold (38% rostered) play, and he’s topped 20 fantasy points in back-to-back weeks against two strong defenses (49ers and Texans). He could regress, and his knee scare is worth monitoring, but working in his favor is the impending return of WR Jordan Addison, along with the eventual activation of TE T.J. Hockenson (ACL recovery). Think of him as a fringe fantasy QB1 rest of season, given the depressed offensive scoring across the league. He’s worth 20-25% of your FAAB.

RB Braelon Allen, New York Jets

Allen might be the backup RB with the highest upside for fantasy purposes, and he would likely be a top-five fantasy back if Breece Hall suffered an injury. He’s rostered in 46% of Sleeper leagues and worth a 15-20% FAAB bid for that upside.

RB Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Available in 56% of Sleeper leagues, the rookie continues to eat into Rachaad White’s workload. He has carried 25 times for 154 yards (6.2 yards per carry) compared to White’s 31 rushes for 66 yards (2.1 YPC). White is still getting the majority of the receiving work, so Irving probably needs an injury to become an every-week fantasy starter. He’s worth 10-15% of your FAAB in case he can overtake this backfield further.

WR Xavier Legette, Carolina Panthers

Andy Dalton just threw for 319 yards and three TDs, and Adam Thielen has a hamstring injury. A first-round rookie, Legette (35% rostered on Sleeper) only caught two passes for 42 yards last week. This could be the last chance to affordably scoop him up off waivers, though, as he faces a Bengals defense in Week 4 that only gets six days of rest. We just saw Rome Odunze break out in Week 3 after minimal production, and we should generally bet on rookies to increase their role as the season progresses. Legette is worth a 10-15% FAAB bid.

RB Rico Dowdle, Dallas Cowboys

Dowdle’s rostership (49% of Sleeper leagues) dropped slightly from last week, and he makes another appearance in the waiver column after growing the touch gap between himself (11) and Ezekiel Elliott (four).  

A get-right game against the Giants in Week 4 puts Dowdle on the fantasy RB3 radar, and there’s potential for him to continue to carve out more work in this backfield. Coming from someone who attended last week’s Cowboys game, Dowdle looked like the far more explosive and elusive back compared to Elliott. Consider 8-12% of your FAAB on Dowdle.

Sneak Peek: Deeper and Potential Future Additions

WR Darnell Mooney, Atlanta Falcons

Mooney caught all eight targets for 66 yards against the Chiefs, and his 18 targets are currently behind just Drake London (19) on the team. We have a multi-year track record of both London and Kyle Pitts being strong target earners, so it’s still unclear if Mooney can carve out a consistent role for fantasy. For managers that want floor, swap his position in this article with Legette.

RB Dameon Pierce, Houston Texans

Pierce was the team’s primary backup ahead of Cam Akers in Week 1. If Pierce (hamstring) returns before Joe Mixon (ankle), he could be a fringe fantasy RB1 against the Jaguars – who will be coming off a short week – in Week 4.

RB Antonio Gibson, New England Patriots

It’s unclear how serious Rhamondre Stevenson’s finger injury is, so Gibson could potentially get significant touches in Week 4 against the 49ers.

WR Wan’Dale Robinson, New York Giants

The diminutive slot receiver has topped 10 PPR fantasy points in two of three games, though he lacks the upside for shallower fantasy leagues due to his incredibly low average target depth.

WR Michael Wilson, Arizona Cardinals

Wilson caught eight of nine targets for 64 yards against the Lions, and he ran 32 routes to Marvin Harrison Jr.’s 33. If Trey McBride (concussion protocol) misses Week 4, then Wilson becomes a fantasy WR3 type against the Commanders secondary.

QB Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks

Smith offers stability at the QB position, though he’s most likely just a high-end fantasy QB2 for the rest of the season.

TE Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears

Kmet caught a whopping 10 of 11 targets for 97 yards and a touchdown against the Colts. However, he still only ran 70% of the routes and is in a timeshare with Gerald Everett. He’s worth a gamble in Week 4 if Keenan Allen is out again due to injury.

WR Tutu Atwell, Los Angeles Rams

Atwell caught four of five targets for 93 yards this past Sunday, while running the second-most WR routes behind only Demarcus Robinson. Cooper Kupp has already been ruled out for Week 4 due to injury, but Atwell has a tough matchup against the Bears defense upcoming.

TE Tyler Conklin, New York Jets

Conklin has had a snap share of at least 90% in all three games, and the Jets offense is starting to “take off” under Aaron Rodgers.

QB Andy Dalton, Carolina Panthers

Dalton could be this year’s Joe Flacco after his showing against the Raiders. Most likely, he’s only fantasy-relevant in superflex/2-QB leagues.

Line Up Your Targets

Make sure to act quickly to secure your waiver wire targets, with most leagues running waivers on Tuesday nights. For more in-depth stats and to view all the trending players in real time, check out the Sleeper app.

Working the waiver wire to your favor is a critical part of fantasy football success, and we’ll be with you every week to help you chase down those playoff berths and fantasy championships.

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