If you play fantasy football, you know that winning doesn’t happen at the draft. Here are our suggested waiver wire Week 4 pickups. Or, skip straight to the initial release of our model’s complete Week 4 projections.
Fantasy managers everywhere are becoming more and more frustrated as expectations are unmet by key players week in and week out, while injuries continue to devastate rosters in massive fashion. Thankfully, the waiver wire offers a glimmer of hope for the teams that find themselves in this position.
With that in mind, here are the top options to consider as you’re submitting your waiver wire claims going into Week 4.
Week 4 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Advice
Running Backs
Cam Akers, Houston Texans
The waiver wire for Week 4 doesn’t exactly feature a bountiful feast of players that are ready to be inserted into your starting lineups at the RB position. While there are some intriguing names that could eventually take over their respective backfields as the season moves along, there aren’t many options if you’re looking for a starter this next week.
With Joe Mixon still banged up and dealing with an ankle injury, the opportunity for Cam Akers to step back in as the starting option in this backfield is certainly there. The Houston Texans struggled to get much of anything going on offense in Week 3 against the stout Minnesota Vikings defense, but Akers was still able to salvage his day from a fantasy standpoint by finding the end zone as a receiver out of the backfield.
Akers only ended with 10 routes run – the same amount as Atlanta Falcons RB Bijan Robinson – but he posted a 66.7% burn rate on those opportunities, showing that he still has the necessary burst and acceleration to be a threat. In a matchup this next week against the Jacksonville Jaguars, we should see the Texans get back on track offensively, which puts Akers into a good position to find the end zone. If you’re in need of a spot starter, Akers is the top option available.
Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
For players with over five carries in Week 3, there was only one other RB that finished with a better yards per carry average than Tampa Bay Buccaneers RB Bucky Irving: Saquon Barkley.
Despite being doubted by many analysts coming into the NFL, Irving has shown that his elusiveness translates and he’s quickly moving up the depth chart in Tampa Bay as Rachaad White continues to struggle. While he certainly has limitations to his game due to his size, Irving can be a decent fantasy option if he begins to see more opportunities in this offense.
You may not be able to start Irving in the next couple of weeks, but if the rookie continues to shine and prove to be one of the most efficient RBs in the entire league, head coach Todd Bowles will have no choice but to deploy him more often and make White the backup. This is the time to scoop up Irving before everyone else in your league becomes fully aware of what he can do.
Braelon Allen, New York Jets
Braelon Allen was a key part of last week’s waiver wire article after a two-touchdown performance against the Tennessee Titans, and he only built off of that showing in Week 3.
Among running backs with at least 10 carries in Week 3, Allen led the league in yards after contact per attempt with 4.27. He’s starting to see significant work alongside Breece Hall in this backfield, and it’s translating to solid production.
While he may never cross the threshold into RB2 consideration as long as Hall is healthy, he’s proving that he can be looked at as a high-level insurance RB and a potential league winner if Hall were to miss time this season.
Wide Receivers
Jauan Jennings, San Francisco 49ers
Jauan Jennings made an appearance on the positive side of our Week 3 Yays & Nays article, but a performance as dominant as what he did in Week 3 was a bit of a shock and surprise. Eleven receptions for 175 yards and three touchdowns on 12 targets greatly exceeded everyone’s expectations and it helped vault anyone who started him to a likely victory in their fantasy matchup.
After a performance like that, Jennings should obviously be a top pickup off of the waiver wire, but caution must be deployed as there are some factors at play that will prevent Jennings from being a top-tier asset over the course of the season.
Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle and Deebo Samuel were all sidelined in Week 3, which dramatically opened things up for Jennings to shine. That won’t be the case in every game moving forward as they’ll one-by-one return to the lineup over the course of the next few weeks and slowly push Jennings further and further down the pecking order.
Jennings should be picked up and rostered, but he is a short-term rental. A high-level one, certainly, but still a rental with the information we have in hand.
Darnell Mooney, Atlanta Falcons
It’s now becoming clear that Darnell Mooney is more than just a field-stretching option in this Atlanta Falcons passing attack based on what we’ve seen up to this point of the season. He’s now reeled in 11 of 15 targets over the past two weeks and has routinely been creating separation, as evidenced by his 87.5% open rate in Week 3.
While he doesn’t come with elite upside, we’ve seen Mooney be a solid fantasy asset previously during his tenure with the Chicago Bears. If Kirk Cousins is going to continue to pepper Mooney with targets, he needs to be picked up and started as early as Week 4.
Quentin Johnston, Los Angeles Chargers
After being written off by essentially everyone in the fantasy community, Quentin Johnston has emerged as a solid fantasy WR this season. The second-year WR now has three touchdowns on the year after scoring two in all of 2023, which is potential evidence that the game is starting to slow down for the explosive and talented wideout.
There are reasons to be cautious though with Johnston as Justin Herbert is currently banged up and at risk of missing Week 4, while key pieces of the offensive line are also battling through injuries. This unit could sputter without these offensive stalwarts, which would obviously diminish Johnston’s potential over the next few weeks.
He’s worth picking up and stashing if you have the space, but he does carry some risk due to the ongoing situation around him. I’d recommend waiting a bit before you plug him confidently into your lineup.
Tight Ends
Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears
Cole Kmet seemed to be an afterthought in the Chicago Bears’ passing attack after a disappointing Week 1, but he’s come charging back as a key and vital piece of a discombobulated offense that’s desperately looking for a reliable receiving weapon close to the line of scrimmage.
Kmet ran a jaw-dropping 38 routes this past week against the Indianapolis Colts, and he turned that into 10 receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown as the Bears did everything they could to keep the game close.
Kmet is unlikely to repeat those types of numbers every single week, but at the TE position right now, you’re looking for any shot of upside and Kmet now provides that moving forward.
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