This is the week fantasy football owners have been waiting for -- well, except for owners of Dalvin Cook and David Montgomery. There were a couple big RB injuries (though Cook's probably isn't as bad as it originally looked), which means the waiver wire, at least in shallow leagues, will be busy. While Khalil Herbert and Alexander Mattison will undoubtedly be the top Week 4 waiver wire pickups, plenty of intriguing WRs, including Zay Jones, Romeo Doubs, Isaiah McKenzie, Mack Hollins, and DeVante Parker, will probably get claimed and/or receive FAAB bids, so having your budget in order is important.
As we'll do every week this season with the help of our friends at Fantasy Alarm, let's break down the top pickups and project how much of your FAAB budget you should bid on them.
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Week 4 Fantasy FAAB Advice: Waiver wire QB pickups, streamers
By Ray Kuhn, Fantasy Alarm
Geno Smith (SEA). From a quarterback perspective, it's a relatively calm week as far as waiver options go, but Smith has proven to be a solid option to begin the season. In fact, Smith has been better than Russell Wilson so far, and who had that on their bingo card? By no means, though, should anyone take that as an invitation to drop Wilson for Smith, but if you are looking for a quarterback, Smith is a solid option who has a favorable matchup against Detroit this week. Smith has thrown for two touchdowns in two of three games this year and threw for 325 yards this past week against Atlanta, giving him two games of greater than 20 fantasy points. Projected FAAB Bid: 1-2% of total FAAB budget
Jameis Winston (NO). We never know how teams will truly react to playing in London, but that is the case for the Saints this week in what should be a good matchup against Minnesota. Winston only has four touchdown passes in the first three weeks of the season, but he did throw for 353 yards last week and Chris Olave is developing as a legitimate weapon in the passing game. The expectation here is that the Vikings game will serve as a “get right” affair for New Orleans offensively. Proj. FAAB Bid: 1-2%
MORE WEEK 4: Top waiver pickups | Trade advice
Week 4 Fantasy FAAB Advice: Waiver wire RB pickups, streamers
Khalil Herbert (CHI). When David Montgomery exited Sunday’s game with a knee/ankle injury, things did not look good for his status in the immediate future. As of Monday night, the word is that Montgomery is day-to-day, but I'm still not sure we see him take the field this week. At this point, even if the incumbent does return, I would expect Herbert to take on a larger role in what is very much a run-focused offense. Herbert carried the ball 20 times for 157 yards and two touchdowns in Week 3 after gaining 83 yards on 13 carries to open up the season. Chicago’s offense is limited, at best, through the air so it will have to lean on the running game. That means Herbert. In fact, you could make the argument that Herbert fits the Bears’ offense better. Herbert was drafted in the majority of leagues, but after the first two weeks, it was possible he was jettisoned to the waiver wire, which means he is available in 51 percent of Yahoo leagues. Projected FAAB Bid: 10-15% of total FAAB budget
Alexander Mattison (MIN). Generally, our criteria are players rostered in less than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues. Mattison is just over that mark. However, with Cook day-to-day he deals with a shoulder injury, his backup is going to receive a great deal of buzz this week. This is one of those situations where a mandatory handcuff should be in place, but whenever Cook is sidelined, Mattison is essentially a must-start. It's possible that Cook can play through the injury while wearing a harness, but that will not be known until later in the week. A one-game respite might be in order. Last week, Mattison carried the ball seven times for 28 yards and a touchdown after Cook’s injury, and he's capable of more than that this week. Proj. FAAB Bid: 8-10%
Samaje Perine (CIN). It is a quick turnaround for Joe Mixon and the Bengals this week, as they play on Thursday while he deals with an ankle injury that forced him out of Sunday’s game. The early indications are that Mixon’s ankle is good to go for Thursday’s game, but it might make sense for Perine to be on our radars. After carrying the ball just two times over the first two weeks, Perine picked up 47 yards on nine carries against the Jets while also catching a touchdown pass, showing he's a capable handcuff. Proj. FAAB Bid: 1-2%
WEEK 4 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kicker
Week 4 Fantasy FAAB Advice: Waiver wire WR pickups, streamers
Romeo Doubs (GB). This is what we were waiting for all summer and through the first two weeks of the season from the rookie. Aaron Rodgers has to throw the ball to someone, and the assumption was that Doubs would pick up the slack in Green Bay’s passing game. After not making much of an impact in either of the first two games, six receptions for 64 yards on eight targets, Doubs emerged on Sunday. The rookie caught all eight of his targets for 73 yards and a touchdown, and now that he has gained Rodgers’ trust, I would expect him to be a large part of Green Bay’s offense. Projected FAAB Bid: 7-8% of total FAAB budget
Mack Hollins (LV). We expected Darren Waller to be heavily involved for the Raiders this week, but instead it was Hollins who stepped up to fill the void created by Hunter Renfrow’s concussion. It was not the first time we saw him make an impact this season, as he was targeted eight times and caught five passes for 66 yards two weeks ago. That proved to be just an appetizer for Hollins, as he stepped up with Renfrow being sidelined as he turned 10 targets into eight receptions for 158 yards and a touchdown. It appears that Renfrow will return this week, but concussions are tricky and we should not expect Hollins to simply fade into the background. Proj. FAAB Bid: 3-4%
DeVante Parker (NE). After being targeted just four times in the first two games, catching one pass for nine yards, Parker erupted last week in a game in which the Patriots were trailing from the start. It certainly worked to Parker’s advantage as he caught five of his 10 targets for 156 yards, but we do have a new variable in place with Mac Jones’ ankle injury (and Jakobi Meyers' knee injury). To be honest though, I am not sure how much of a difference there will be between Jones and Brian Hoyer, and if the Patriots are playing from behind it should only serve to benefit Parker. Proj. FAAB Bid: 2-3%
MORE WR CONSIDERATIONS (1-2% bids): Isaiah McKenzie, BUF; Tyler Boyd, CIN; Zay Jones, JAX; Josh Reynolds, DET.
WEEK 4 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kicker
Week 4 Fantasy FAAB Advice: Waiver wire TE pickups, streamers
Tyler Conklin (NYJ). Tight end has been a difficult position this season, and at the least, we can say that Conklin has been busy over the past two weeks. The Jets are turning back to Zack Wilson (knee) under center this week, so it remains to be seen if their offense looks any different, but I'm not sure there will truly be much of a change. New York will likely be playing from behind often this season, and Conklin has proven to be a large part of their offense with 24 targets over the past three weeks. Conklin turned that into 18 receptions for 140 yards and that consistency could prove to go a long way. Projected FAAB Bid: 1-2% of total FAAB budget
Cameron Brate (TB). The Tampa Bay offense still has some work to do three weeks into the season, but are we really going to doubt Tom Brady? After catching just one pass in each of the first two weeks, Brate was targeted six times on Sunday and turned that into five receptions for 52 yards. Brate is still looking for his first touchdown of the season, but this is a case of following the targets. While Mike Evans will be returning this week from his suspension, there is no competition for targets on the tight end depth chart behind Brate. Proj. FAAB Bid: 1-2%
Week 4 Fantasy FAAB Advice: Waiver wire Defense pickups, streamers
As we always caution, you shouldn't spend more than one percent of your FAAB budget on a D/ST. Here are this week's potential streaming pickups:
- Philadelphia Eagles (vs. Jaguars)
- Indianapolis Colts (vs. Titans)
- Minnesota Vikings (vs. Saints in London)
- Cleveland Browns (@ Falcons)
- Miami Dolphins (@ Bengals)
- Chicago Bears (@ Giants)
