Chances are if you’re reading this, you got unlucky with an injury in last week’s matchup or your expectations for a certain player’s role on their new team didn’t go as planned. We saw plenty of injuries plague the league this season, with top-tier fantasy football players like Dalvin Cook and Diontae Johnson having questionable statuses for this week. This is why you will need to work the fantasy football waiver wire to grab high-upside players to help fill these empty spots.
It’s only been two weeks into the season, so you can still stash those late-round flyers that you think have a chance to boom. But if you need an immediate upgrade, here are some Week 4 fantasy football waiver wire pickups that could help move your team in the right direction.
Players must be owned in less than 60 percent of ESPN leagues to be included in the Week 4 fantasy football waiver wire pickups column. All ownerships for waiver wire players will be provided and will reflect that of Monday evening.
QB Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings (32.5%)
Kirk Cousins may be having the best start to a season he’s ever had thus far, completing 73.9% of passes for 918 yards and eight touchdowns with zero interceptions. He’s surpassed 20 fantasy points in all three games and faces some questionable secondaries coming up, with CLE and DET. His weapons are very talented and, if the Minnesota Vikings defense continues to play the way they have, he’ll be depended on to throw the ball.
He’d be a fine backup quarterback on most teams, but he is obviously intriguing to start considering he’s surpassed 20 points in every game. It’s kind of disrespectful that he’s still owned in less than one-third of all fantasy football leagues.
Sam Darnold, Carolina Panthers (9.0%)
It seems that Adam Gase and the New York Jets were the problem and that Sam Darnold simply needed a viable offense around him to succeed. He doesn’t have eye-popping numbers through his first three games as a Panther, completing 68% of his passes for 888 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, but he already has three rushing touchdowns.
His weapons are solid and the offensive scheme seems to fit him in well, but the loss of Christian McCaffrey will certainly put a damper on his overall fantasy upside moving forward. I do like him as a streaming option or bench stash for a plug-in if his matchup is solid, and there’s a very good chance he’s available in your league, sitting at under ten percent ownership.
Taylor Heinicke, Washington Football Team (3.6%)
Taylor Heinicke is by no means a great starting quarterback in the NFL, but he is intriguing for fantasy purposes. He’s thrown three picks in the two full games he’s started and tends to make mistakes when pressured, but his rushing upside and overall playstyle could make him an interesting fantasy football waiver wire pickup.
He’s posted over 20 fantasy points in back-to-back games now and picked up some solid garbage time points against the Bills last week. If he becomes more comfortable with the speed of the league and fixes his mistakes, he could be a very solid and cheap option to plug in, if needed. He faces Atlanta next week, who has looked downright horrible through three weeks, so if you’re in need of a QB, he’s a solid option.
RB Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Zack Moss, Buffalo Bills (57.1%)
Zack Moss doesn’t seem to get the respect he deserves for playing on a team that downright ignores the run game. Despite being a healthy scratch Week 1, Moss has posted double-digit fantasy points in back-to-back games and has emerged as a security blanket for Josh Allen.
He carried the ball 13 times for 60 yards while hauling in three catches for 31 yards and a touchdown in Week 3 against Washington. It’s worth noting he is in a running-back-by-committee with Devin Singletary splitting snaps, but he out-snapped him last week and has found the end zone three times in just two games. I’d grab him and stash him on the bench, barring any potential injuries to the Bills backfield.
J.D McKissic, Washington Football Team (51.0%)
J.D McKissic had a big Week 2 performance against the Giants, scoring 20.3 fantasy points in PPR formats, but was quiet against Buffalo in Week 3. The Football Team didn’t run much because they were down the entire game, but McKissic won’t be depended on in the running game as much, but more so the passing game. He is owned in over half of all leagues already, but it’s worth monitoring his role in the offense moving forward and especially as the third-down back.
Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers (11.3%)
Chuba Hubbard will be the obvious number one fantasy football waiver wire add this week with Christian McCaffrey injured again. Hubbard looked very solid in college and it’s to be expected that he’s rostered in only 11 percent of leagues because of McCaffrey being the starter. He logged 55 percent of the Panthers’ snaps once McCaffrey went down and carried the ball 11 times for 52 yards while hauling in three catches for 27 yards. He’ll be utilized in the passing game and should be the lead-back in all situations, but Royce Freeman is bound to steal some goal-line carries and potentially a free six fantasy points for the touchdown.
It’s smart to take this situation slow and see how much Hubbard is utilized next week against Dallas, but he should carry the bulk of the workload.
WR Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Emmanuel Sanders, Buffalo Bills (23.3%)
Emmanuel Sanders has proved to be a very solid fit in the Bills offense, catching five of six targets for 94 yards and two touchdowns against Washington in Week 3. He’s seen 20 targets through three games, when the passing game hasn’t been as emphasized as it was last season. There’s plenty of mouths to feed in the Buffalo offense and, if Josh Allen plays like he did last week and returns to his 2020 form, Sanders will act as the deep threat and could possibly be one of the sneakiest fantasy football waiver wire adds for the season. If any other Bills receiver were to go down with injury, Sanders’ upside would increase even more.
Tim Patrick, Denver Broncos (14.0%)
The Denver Broncos have started out 3-0, despite losing Jerry Jeudy on offense, but other receivers have emerged as prime targets for Teddy Bridgewater. K.J Hamler was also lost for the season this past week, which solidifies Tim Patrick as the WR2 behind Courtland Sutton. Patrick has been a dependable fantasy option through three weeks, posting double-digits in every game thus far. That should only continue.
He’s only seen 13 targets, but he has caught two touchdowns already and seems to have some big-play ability, catching five balls for 98 yards last week against the Jets. The Broncos had an easy three weeks, facing NYG, JAX and NYJ. Now they have to face BAL and PIT in the next two weeks, which should lead to more passing opportunities.
Bryan Edwards, Las Vegas Raiders (13.8%)
Despite not catching a touchdown yet through three games, Bryan Edwards seems to be their big-play guy alongside Henry Ruggs, surpassing 40 yards in all three games. He’s been targeted 13 times and has surpassed double-digit fantasy points in two of three games, and with how high-powered the Raiders offense has looked, he should be utilized correctly still. It’s bound to happen that he’ll catch a touchdown sooner or later and will always be a deep threat when the Raiders need a big chunk play. He’s been clutch, catching two big passes against the Ravens and Dolphins, and there’s a chance they involve him more now because of that. He’s owned in less than 14 percent of leagues, so he may be worth the stash in deep leagues.
TE Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Hunter Henry, New England Patriots (36.4%)
Hunter Henry has been quiet this season since joining the New England Patriots, but it’s to be expected when Jonnu Smith was added to the mix and a rookie quarterback is leading the offense. Once Mac Jones gets more comfortable with the offensive scheme, Henry could emerge as one of his favorite targets due to his size and red-zone upside.
He saw a season-high six targets last week against the Saints and caught five of them for 36 yards, but he has yet to find the end zone. Smith will always be around to steal snaps and targets and has more big-play ability than Henry. but Henry’s red zone upside shouldn’t be ignored. The Patriots are still adjusting to a rookie quarterback and depend on the run game, but once they figure it out, I’m sure Henry will be a main part of the scheme.
Gerald Everett, Seattle Seahawks (10.8%)
I’ve said this every week thus far, but working the waiver wire for tight ends is always going to be a tough situation. Gerald Everett is by no means a must-start tight end in any fantasy leagues, even deeper leagues, but he has some upside based on the fact that he plays on a good offense led by a good quarterback. Everett is usually the fourth option in the passing game and runs the fourth-most routes every game, but his fantasy upside is limited because if he doesn’t score a touchdown, he’ll likely return a single-digit fantasy day to his fantasy owners. As long as Seattle’s defense continues to play as bad as they have, Wilson will need to throw the ball, and there’s a chance he gets a touchdown and a few catches in the process.
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