RADIO
Week 4 Waiver Wire for Fantasy Football
What's up RotoBallers. Week 3 was a fun-filled and action-packed week of fantasy football action. We saw a lot of great performances, a few more injuries (as usual), and some players who either broke out are on the verge of breaking out for fantasy football owners. In turn, there are some waiver wire pickups for Week 4 that can have a huge impact on your team. I have them covered here!
Note that in order to make this weekly waiver wire pickups column, a player has to be owned in less than 50% of Fleaflicker leagues at the time of this article's writing. Also be sure to check out many more great RotoBaller articles and waiver wire analysis pieces at each position throughout the week, including risers/fallers, deeper league sleepers, rankings and more. Good luck in Week 4 RotoBallers!
Quarterback Waiver Wire Pickup Options
1. Kirk Cousins vs Giants - 43% owned on Fleaflicker
This waiver wire pickup is obvious. I wasn't quite so high on him this past week, but he really looked like the best QB in Washington. Granted, it was a really nice matchup and Cousins was in a position to throw a lot, but hey, life in the NFC East means a lot of nice matchups. He gets the Giants at home this coming week. They might have the best pass defense in the division, but that isn't saying much. Ryan Fitzpatrick just scored 18 on them (with a rushing touchdown) so you should feel pretty good about Cousins.
2. Eli Manning @ Redskins - 48% owned on Fleaflicker
This certainly feels like a weird waiver wire pickup recommendation, as I haven't considered Eli fantasy-relevant in a long time. It's a simple fact that the Giants' offense is coming together, as they become more familiar with the new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo. Eli has now averaged 16 points over his past two games, and those were not terrible defenses either. Eli is one of those players that usually makes you look foolish anytime you recommend him, but he should be a half-decent play in Week Four. Let's not forget, he still has talented offensive weapons Victor Cruz, Rashad Jennings and Rueben Randle at his disposal.
3. Blake Bortles @ Chargers - 14% owned on Fleaflicker
Two more first-round quarterbacks arrived on Sunday, and both are on the waiver wire pickups radar. They both had their ups and downs, but Bortles is the one more likely to have an impact in fantasy (though Teddy Bridgewater does have a nice matchup against the Falcons in Week 4). I watched Bortles' debut and it's clear he is willing to take shots downfield to go for the score. This will lead to turnovers (his second interception was particularly bad), but given how much the Jags will throw late in games he seems like a good shot at 300 yards and a couple scores in most weeks. He's also fairly mobile, and had 30 rushing yards in just a half this past week. As a rookie he will be prone to some inconsistency, but there is some real fantasy football potential already.
Running Back Waiver Wire Pickup Options
1. Donald Brown vs Jaguars - 34% Owned on Fleaflicker
Seemingly lost amid all the hot waiver wire pickups of last week, Brown didn't exactly light the world on fire this week but recorded an astoundingly high 36 touches. He is just one of three backs with 30 or more carries in a game this year (all three came last week strangely enough). The reason for this was two-fold. Most importantly, they lost Danny Woodhead to a serious injury very early leaving Brown as the only running back with experience (undrafted rookie Branden Oliver got three carries). Secondly, the Chargers were up early and went into clock management mode very quickly. Well guess what? They should be in almost the same exact situation against the Jaguars this coming week, and it's a much worse defense. I suppose Oliver might get a little more game-action, but Brown is going to see a ton of work again this week. If he is still available on your league waiver wire, grab him immediately. He is a must-add again this week.
2. Lorenzo Taliaferro vs Panthers - 6% Owned on Fleaflicker
I've been waiting for Taliaferro to get his shot since Week One, and it finally came in a big way. Taliaferro delivered a great game with Bernard Pierce out of the lineup, and he looked easily better than either Bernard Pierce or Justin Forsett have looked so far. Unfortunately, two things will most likely prevent him from having a big impact in Week 4. The Panthers have been very good against the run this season, except for against the Steelers last week. Even though they were truly awful against the Le'Veon Bell/Legarrette Blount combo, I imagine they should have a nice game against the Ravens in Week 4. Besides that, Bernard Pierce will likely be given another chance to start. I don't like Pierce very much (which is why I liked Forsett as well), so I expect Taliaferro to work his way in and take over. He's definitely worth the speculative add off the waiver wire for Week 4, as the upside and talent is there.
3. Alfred Blue vs Bills - 21% Owned on Fleaflicker
Blue didn't exactly light it up against the Giants on Sunday, but he was clearly the main running back for the Texans. Most of his value came from a big 46 yard run. Outside of that, he managed a less than impressive 2.66 YPC - so don't be fooled into thinking this was a great game from him. That said, we all know Arian Foster has a large injury history and Blue will be getting the bulk of carries if/when Foster misses more time. That makes him a smart waiver wire pickup for any Arian Foster owner, but also a decent Week 4 waiver wire add for anyone else.
Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Pickup Options
1. Jordan Matthews @ 49ers - 30% Owned on Fleaflicker
It wasn't just the two touchdowns that made me think Matthews will be a great waiver wire pickup going forward. It was the fact that in a close meaningful divisional matchup, Matthews was targeted 8 times and in the end zone as well. It's looking pretty evident that he is going to be a big part of this offense. In a very impressive rookie class, he was among my top five wide receivers. I didn't expect an impact this early, but at this point I'd rather give him a roster spot over Riley Cooper. The 49ers defense and secondary hasn't exactly lit it up this year either.
2. John Brown - Week 4 BYE - 11% Owned on Fleaflicker
No, John Brown does not have a game this week. But what he does have is three touchdowns in three games so far, and both Cardinals' quarterbacks seem to like him. Given the fact that this is a pass-heavy offense and Larry Fitzgerald just isn't as involved as we thought he would be, it's time to believe in Brown as a waiver wire pickup and fantasy football asset. When he first got drafted, he drew T.Y. Hilton comparisons as a small speedy receiver from a small school - drafted in the 3rd round of a Bruce Arians team. The Cardinals love him, and those earlier comparisons are now turning into Marvin Harrison comparisons. He'll be matchup dependent for fantasy owners, but the Cardinals have a ridiculously good schedule coming off their Week 4 BYE - @DEN, WSH, @OAK, PHI, @DAL. Those are all decent teams to throw against, and with some BYE-heavy weeks coming up, you'll be glad you added Brown off the waiver wire.
3. Allen Robinson @ Chargers - 7% Owned on Fleaflicker
Robinson hasn't scored a touchdown yet this year, but he has now led the team in receiving each of the past two weeks. He appeared to have good chemistry with Blake Bortles on Sunday, as he was targeted heavily in the second half. I like him better than Marqise Lee and Allen Hurns moving forward for fantasy football owners. And I would have been higher on him in the preseason if he wasn't hampered by a hamstring that kept him from developing a rapport with either QB. Robinson looks fully healthy now, and has great size and athleticism. I'm more than willing to take a flier on him off the Week 4 waiver wire with Bortles now in the lineup.
Tight End Waiver Wire Pickup Options
1. Ladarius Green vs Jaguars - 31% Owned on Fleaflicker
Just when we started thinking Antonio Gates would be making Green irrelevant this year, Green goes off and has five targets to Gates' one on Sunday. Gates is still playing many more snaps, but against the Jaguars in Week 4 Ladarius should be a pretty safe bet. They are currently allowing the 2nd most fantasy points to tight ends in all of football. I'd feel pretty good about adding Green off the waiver wire if you need to stream a player at the position in Week 4.
2. Larry Donnell @ Redskins - 38% Owned on Fleaflicker
Donnell's ownership is deservedly on the rise, but he is still available on the waiver wire of many fantasy football leagues. The Redskins have been surprisingly stingy against tight ends so far, save for a big fluky touchdown to the Jags' Marcedes Lewis when they were already up by three scores. Despite that, I am thinking that Donnell will continue to get his share of targets as Eli's most trusted receiver at the moment. Especially in PPR leagues, Donnell is a solid tight end waiver wire pickup for Week 4 and beyond.
3. Heath Miller vs Buccaneers - 42% Owned on Fleaflicker
Miller is already owned in many fantasy football leagues, but is still the type of player that could easily be available on your league's waiver wire - or perhaps be soon available after Week 4 waivers run. He hasn't done much yet this year, but he is generally good for at least 3-4 points (at minimum) - which is safer than a lot of other lower-end players at the tight end position. He faces the Buccaneers in Week 4 and, well, they are pretty terrible. The Steelers at home should have an easy time getting the ball to receivers, and there is a great chance Miller will be one of them. Feel free to grab him off the waiver wire if you're in a tight crunch for Week 4.
