Last week was just like any other week in the NFL -- unpredictable. A significant injury occurred (Saquon Barkley), and there were some surprise performances from a few widely available quarterbacks (Daniel Jones, Kyle Allen). After three weeks, you should have an idea of what you have in your fantasy football team. Unlike other sports like basketball, hockey, or baseball, you have to act fast to improve your roster, and that means being active on the waiver wire with your pickups. Week 4 will certainly have a few owners looking to spend some big FAAB dollars, so you have to have your budget in order and attack the wire with a plan.
The following players are the hottest additions heading into Week 4.
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Fantasy Football FAAB targets: Quarterback
Daniel Jones NYG; FAAB Bid: 10-12%: Jones is a pretty important add in two-QB/superflex leagues or if you’re still looking to replace Ben Roethlisberger or Drew Brees. Jones looked impressive in his first career start, throwing for more than 300 yards and had four total touchdowns, two through the air and two with his legs. Jones won’t always have big games. Teams will eventually get plenty of tape on him, find out his tendencies and weaknesses, and then it will be about exposing him. He still plays behind a bad offensive line, too. Still, Jones is definitely worth an add off waivers following this performance, as he could be this year's Josh Allen.
Jacoby Brissett IND; FAAB Bid: 6-7%: This recommended FAAB bid might be a bit higher than most people would prefer, but Brissett showed a lot of promise on Sunday against the Falcons. In his first two games he failed to reach 200 passing yards, but against the Falcons he threw for more than 300 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He continues to look good behind the Colts offensive line. He’s not the player that he was two years ago as the Colts starter. He’s more experienced and educated. He’ll have some bad games, but he’ll also be a solid fantasy starter at times. He now has seven touchdowns to just one interception through three games, and as long as T.Y. Hilton is healthy, he should be solid.
WEEK 4 NON-PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Gardner Minshew JAC; FAAB Bid: 6-7%: Minshew’s driving a fun bandwagon. He’s not awful for fantasy football, as he’s established a nice 16-18-point window that you can expect each week. He has a pair of road matchups coming up that may pose a challenge against the Broncos and Panthers, but at the same time, in a four-point per passing touchdown league, you can’t complain if he throws for 200 yards with a pair of touchdowns. You shouldn’t expect much more from him. You likely aren’t starting him in a standard league, but he’s a decent QB2 in two-quarterback leagues.
Mason Rudolph PIT; FAAB Bid: 5-7%: Rudolph, like Jones, made his first official start on Sunday, but his wasn’t as electric or memorable. Rudolph completed just more than half of his pass attempts and failed to reach 200 passing yards. He did throw for a pair of touchdowns and an interception, but the Steelers didn’t really give him a long leash and they didn't possess the ball for more than 24 minutes. The schedule gets somewhat easier for Pittsburgh. Yes, they play the Ravens coming up in Week 5, but the good news is they don’t play the Ravens again until Week 17 when most fantasy leagues are complete. I expect Rudolph to improve as the season progresses, and hopefully he doesn’t sabotage the fantasy values of James Conner and JuJu Smith-Schuster.
WEEK 4 PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end
Fantasy Football FAAB targets: RB
Wayne Gallman NYG; FAAB Bid: 10-15%: I really don’t like spending this much for Gallman of all people, but with the injury to Saquon Barkley, Gallman becomes a must-add in most formats. Expect him to be the most popular player to be added off waivers this week. Barkley is expected to miss four-to-eight weeks, so that creates an incredible opportunity for Gallman. If you’re the Barkley owner, you should try and shell out a couple extra bucks to make sure you get Gallman.
Rex Burkhead NE; FAAB Bid: 8-10%: Trust me: I do like Burkhead. I just know that James White missed Sunday’s game because of the birth of his son, not because of an injury. Burkhead led the team in carries with 11 rushing attempts for 47 yards and a touchdown to go with six receptions for 22 yards. He looked a lot better than Sony Michel (which isn't saying mu ch). The Pats will use Michel in goal-line situations, so he’s a threat for touchdowns, but he’s looked awful at times when the ball has been in his hands, so it wouldn’t surprise me if the Patriots take some carries away from Michel and give them to Burkhead.
Darrel Williams KC; FAAB Bid: 7-10%: I didn’t think too much of Sunday's pregame chatter about Williams, but then again, it’s the Chiefs and they have an explosive offense, so I went and snagged Williams in a few leagues. I'm glad I did, as Williams had 14 touches for 109 total yards. He was pretty valuable in PPR formats and maybe the Chiefs will give him a little more work. This obviously stinks on ice for Darwin Thompson, who I still think has upside, but there are too many mouths to feed in Kansas City between the running backs and receivers.
Ronald Jones TB; FAAB Bid: 5-7%: Jones is frustrating, because in all honesty it could be Peyton Barber getting all the love next week. Jones had a good game in Week 1, a poor performance in Week 2, and then another solid outing last week where he broke off a 41-yard reception while adding 80 rushing yards. He might have a clearer path to touches compared to the last two guys mentioned in this list, but if we’re being honest, Jones is the least interesting running back here. The offensive line is still bad and Jones has an inconsistent track record. But if he’s getting touches, then he needs to be mentioned.
MORE WEEK 4: Top waiver pickups | Snap counts
Fantasy Football FAAB targets: WR
Golden Tate NYG: FAAB Bid: 15%: Tate isn’t the only suspended player that cracks the waiver article this week, but he’s probably the most intriguing. Tate and Daniel Jones probably don’t have much chemistry, but there’s no denying that Jones looked great with just Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram. Getting Tate back into the mix will only help his numbers and development. Tate has one more game to sit until he can return in Week 5, so you might wanna jump on board a week early.
Demarcus Robinson/Mecole Hardman KC: FAAB Bid 10-12%: Robinson was the big waiver acquisition over the last week. His ownership redefined the term “spike” over on ESPN, but with people freaking out over the loss of Tyreek Hill, there was an opening for a big-play pass-catcher on the Chiefs, and Robinson had a stellar touchdown grab on Sunday. Hardman caught just two of his five targets on Sunday, but one of them went for an 83-yard touchdown. Hardman and Robinson are filling in admirably for Hill. Their value is at a high right now, but Hill will get his workload back when he returns, likely in a three or four weeks. Try to avoid a massive bid, because Hill is out of his sling despite the fact there is no timetable for his return.
D.J. Chark JAC; FAAB Bid: 10-12%: Chark has a touchdown in each of the Jaguars’ first three games. Dede Westbrook had a ton of hype coming into this season, but that quickly died with the injury to Nick Foles. It’s Chark Week every week it seems. The targets are fluctuating, but he’s still averaging more than 90 receiving yards a game. That’s probably unsustainable for a guy like Chark, but you take notice when a guy gets into the end zone each week.
Phillip Dorsett NE; FAAB Bid: 8-10%: Perhaps nobody was happier with the Antonio Brown release than Dorsett. Josh Gordon and Julian Edelman may have finished with double-digit targets in Week 3, but Dorsett found the end zone for the third time in as many games. He actually has a tremendous connection with Tom Brady, as Dorsett has caught 13 of 14 targets thrown his way this year. The target share is a little putrid through three games, but Dorsett is proving to be a reliable target for Brady and with Brown gone, there could be a gradual showing of trust in the form of more targets to Dorsett.
Taylor Gabriel CHI; FAAB Bid: 6-7%: When a guy scores three touchdowns on Monday Night Football, you take notice and put him in the FAAB article. Unfortunately, Gabriel did leave Monday’s game with a concussion. Concussions are tricky. Gabriel could miss next week’s contest against the Vikings, which is already a tough matchup as it is. Also keep in mind that this is a fluky performance from Gabriel. In one game, he doubled his total receiving touchdown total from 2017 and '18. But Mitchell Trubisky has struggled this year and he gained some confidence Monday night with Gabriel. If/when Gabriel is healthy enough to return, it’s possible Trubisky gets Gabriel involved again, but try and be reasonable.
WEEK 4 DFS LINEUPS:
DK cash | DK GPP | FD cash | FD GPP | Y! cash | Y! GPP
Fantasy Football FAAB targets: Tight End
Will Dissly SEA; FAAB Bid: 8-12%: Dissly is one of the top waiver adds this week for two reasons: 1. He has three touchdowns in his last two games, and 2. The Seahawks play the Cardinals next week, and the secret is out on how terrible the Cardinals are at covering tight ends. They’ve given up four touchdowns through three games to T.J. Hockenson, Mark Andrews, and Greg Olsen. Dissly is next in line for a great matchup against Arizona, and his ownership will definitely spike heading into next week. If you missed out on a tight end during the draft and don’t have a better option, you may need to pay up for Dissly this week.
Chris Herndon NYJ; FAAB Bid: 5-7%: Herndon has one game left on his four-game suspension (although he'll have to serve it in Week 5 due to the Jets' bye), and hopefully his return coincides with Sam Darnold’s because that would be mighty beneficial for the Jets offense. They look lost and ineffective without Darnold under center. I thought initially people would need to get an early jump on Herndon, but I was wrong. He’s still widely available in a lot of leagues, but be aware there may be more attention on him next week once his suspension is up. It’s worth mentioning that once Herndon does return he has a tough schedule against the Cowboys, Patriots, and Jaguars. It does lighten up a little bit against the Dolphins, Giants, and Redskins in November.
Benjamin Watson NE; FAAB Bid: 5-7%: Similar to Herndon, Watson returns soon from a four-game suspension, and he has an incredibly easy schedule against the Redskins, Giants, Jets, and Browns coming up. With the release of Antonio Brown, the Patriots might just need another player to get the ball to in this offense, so Watson’s return is coming at the perfect time. He's a little older and not as explosive as Herndon, but he’s in a better offense that likes to get tight ends involved, especially in the red zone.
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Fantasy Football FAAB targets: D/ST
Full disclosure: The options on waivers this week aren't great. This is a poor week for streamers, save for one D/ST that is likely only available in shallow leagues. I’ll still throw some other considerations out there as well, but be warned this isn’t a great week to stream defenses.
Indianapolis Colts: The Colts host the Raiders next week, and Oakland has scored 24 points across their last two games. They’ve got decent weapons in Tyrell Williams and Darren Waller, but Josh Jacobs has disappointed since his Week 1 breakout performance. The Colts have been OK on defense, and Darius Leonard ’s status heading into next week’s game will certainly be worth monitoring.
Denver Broncos: Denver isn’t an awful option to stream, especially with the Jaguars coming to town. But the Denver defense hasn’t been as dominant as we’ve seen in recent memory. Even with the defensive-minded Vic Fangio as their new head coach, the Broncos have yet to record a sack or force a turnover. I had to fact check that numerous times, but it’s true. No sacks. No turnovers. So, they haven’t performed well, but they’ve got to improve at some point, right? The Jags and Gardner Minshew visit Denver next week. The Broncos might be worth streaming in deeper leagues.