For NFL players, bye weeks mean a week of recovery, rest and hopefully some well-earned time with their families. For fantasy owners, it means that you are likely without one or more of your starters and need to find an adequate replacement. For the next nine weeks of the season, at least two teams will be on bye at a time. Bye weeks can be tricky, but they are a good opportunity for the savvy fantasy owner to separate themselves from the rest of their league. One way to do this, aside from reading this waiver wire article, is to look ahead one week during bye weeks and make sure you grab a defense with a good matchup one week earlier than your opponents; this is more important when more teams are on bye.
In Week 4, the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers are on bye, and there are only a handful of players that are widely owned and started that need to be replaced: Le’Veon Bell, Jamison Crowder, Robby Anderson, Jimmy Garoppolo, George Kittle, Matt Breida and Raheem Mostert. Some of my favorite replacements that can be found on the waiver wire for Week 4 follow.
To be considered as a possible “add,” they need to be owned in less than 60% of ESPN leagues. The drops on this list are by no means must drop, but if you can add one of the add players, these are some of the first players you should drop. Prior to dropping a player, always try and package them with another player on your team for an upgrade at that position.
QB/RB Adds
Jameis Winston, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (46.6%)
In the first two weeks of the season, Winston threw two touchdowns, three interceptions and just over 400 yards. Week 3 may have been the turning point for the Buccaneers offense, when things finally started to look good. Winston finished the day with 380 passing yards and three touchdowns (all to Mike Evans). Winston and the Bucs play the Rams next week, so this success could be short-lived and you could find Winston on the waiver wire again in two weeks.
Daniel Jones, QB, New York Giants (12.7%)
In his debut performance, Jones completed 23-of-36 passes for 336 yards with two touchdowns through the air and an additional two rushing touchdowns. In Week 4, the Giants play the Redskins who made Trubisky look like a more than capable quarterback. Without Barkley in the lineup, the Giants could also be a bit more reliant on the pass game, so this could be another big game for Jones.
Wayne Gallman, RB, New York Giants (1.2%)
With Barkley suffering a high ankle sprain, Wayne Gallman currently sits atop the Giants depth chart with only Elijhaa Penny behind him. Gallman is obviously not Barkley, but in 2017 when Gallman was the Giant’s second-leading rusher, he rushed for 4.3 yards per attempt and was effective in the passing game. Barkley is projected to miss multiple games with this injury and Gallman will at least have the opportunity to get the workload that can produce a startable RB. If you have high waiver priority, you should not be afraid to use it on Wayne Gallman.
Jamaal Williams, RB, Green Bay Packers (14.5%)
Following the Packer’s Week 2 game, head coach Matt LaFleur said he wanted to “even out touches” between Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams. In Week 3, Williams led the team in touches at the RB position. His 12 carries for 59 yards and two catches for 27 yards proves that he is worthy of a few more touches moving forward. Even though Williams led the team in touches, he did not score any touchdowns while his counterpart had two. This backfield is a bit messy, but it seems like both backs will get enough opportunity to be worthy of at least a flex play most weeks.
Rex Burkhead, RB, New England Patriots (15%)
Owning any of the Patriots running backs is always a bit annoying. It is almost impossible to predict which one will have a big game, but through three weeks, Burkhead is averaging 74 yards per game and has a clear role no matter what other running backs are on the field. It will be hard to put Burkhead into your lineup if Michel and White are both healthy, but if one misses a game or you play in a deep league, he is worthy of being in your starting lineup.
Darrell Williams, RB, Kansas City Chiefs (0.3%)
It seems like there may be a Kansas City Chief on this list every single week. With Damien Williams out and LeSean McCoy not fully healthy, Darrell Williams took full advantage of his limited opportunity. With his 14 touches, Williams had 109 scrimmage yards. If McCoy or Damien Williams misses next week, Darrell Williams will be in line for some more touches and should be added in most leagues. I would not use high waiver priority or a lot of FAAB on him, but he is worth being picked up with a late priority or low FAAB bid.
Pass Catchers Adds
Golden Tate, WR, New York Giants (47.5%)
Tate is almost done serving his four-game suspension and this is the week that you will be able to get him at a slight discount since many fantasy owners will not want to take up a bench spot. With the switch to Daniel Jones and an injury that could linger for Barkley, the Giants will be looking for the pass catchers to step up. The Giant’s pass catching group is unproven aside from Shepard and Engram so expect Tate to step up early.
Preston Williams, WR, Miami Dolphins (2.9%)
In just three games Williams, has 11 catches on 23 targets for 155 yards and one touchdown. In Week 3, alone Williams had 12 receptions for 68 yards. Williams could have had a touchdown in the game as well, but the ball was punched out prior to him completing the process. Williams leads the team in targets, yards and touchdowns and should be owned. Williams has the Dolphins only touchdown on the year. If he continues to get targeted like he did in Week 3, the touchdowns will come and he will be worthy of a starting at the WR3 or flex on your fantasy rosters nearly every week.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR, Green Bay Packers (49.9%)
Going into the season, it was not clear who the WR2 for the Green Bay Packers was. Many fantasy analysts were expecting it to be Geronimo Allison, however, it seems like that may be incorrect. Through three weeks, Valdes-Scantling has as many targets as Davante Adams (21) and has caught 13 of them for 170 yards and a touchdown. Week 3 was by far his best game of the season. The Packers play the Eagles in Week 4 and could provide another opportunity for him to shine since the Eagles have not had the greatest success covering their opponents WR2 this season.
D.J. Chark, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars (41%)
Through three weeks, D.J. Chark is on pace for nearly 1,500 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns on 96 targets. Obviously, these numbers are not sustainable, but his offensive usage has been very encouraging to say the least. He leads the team in receiving yardage and touchdowns. Dede Westbrook leads the wide receivers in receptions and is likely to increase his efficiency as the season progresses, but for the time being, Chark needs to be owned and most likely started.
Mecole Hardman, WR, Kansas City Chiefs (44.3%)
With Tyreek Hill not in the lineup, Mecole Hardman has been a waiver wire gem. He has scored a touchdown in two straight weeks and seen at least five targets in both games. In Week 4, the Chiefs play the Lions, who have given up at least 246 yards in their three games and have given up two passing touchdowns in 2-of-3 games. Week 4 will be a great opportunity for Hardman to continue his touchdown streak and he should be started.
Nelson Agholor, WR, Philadelphia Eagles (37%)
At the start of the season, Nelson Agholor was, at best, the third WR option for Carson Wentz. But due to injuries to both DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery, Agholor finds himself at the top of the depth chart. In their absence, Agholor has had consecutive games with at least 10 targets and a touchdown (three over the past two weeks). The Eagles expect Alshon to be ready to play in Week 4, but Jackson is expected to miss at least one more week. As long as Jackson is not on the field, Agholor is worth a roster spot and should be in consideration for your flex spot.
Phillip Dorsett, WR, New England Patriots (5.2%)
After starting the season as the Patriots third wide receiver, he is back to that position again with the departure of Antonio Brown. Dorsett caught six of his seven targets for 53 yards and a touchdown in Week 3. In Week 2, before Antonio Brown signed with the Patriots, Dorsett caught all four of his targets for 95 yards and two touchdowns. The touchdowns will not be there every week, but if he can get close to seven targets, he could still be a useful fantasy asset.
Taylor Gabriel, WR, Chicago Bears (3%)
Through two weeks, Gabriel only had three receptions for 35 yards. In the first half alone of Monday Night Football, Gabriel had five receptions for 65 yards and three touchdowns. His first two touchdowns came from within the red zone, while his third was from 36 yards out. This may just be a product of playing the Redskins, but either way, Gabriel is worth the add and monitoring over the next few weeks.
Will Dissly, TE, Seattle Seahawks (24.3%)
Will Dissly has put together back-to-back weeks with at least one touchdown. Over that period, he has caught 11 passes for 112 yards. The tight end landscape is always a bit rough, but playing a guy like Dissly could add some consistency to your lineup with the upside of a touchdown.
Dawson Knox, TE, Buffalo Bills (0.3%)
If you play in dynasty, you have heard of Dawson Knox. He was a tight End that was being drafted in the later rounds of rookie drafts this offseason. Prior to Week 3, he was only able to catch two passes for 19 yards. In Week 3, he caught three of his four targets for 67 yards and a touchdown, and also had one rush for nine yards. If he continues to see an increase in usage over the next few weeks, he could find himself as a starter on your roster.
Drops:
QB — Jimmy Garoppolo, Case Keenum, Cam Newton
RB — Derrius Guice, Kalen Ballage
WR — Antonio Brown
TE — David Njoku, Jordan Reed
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