Waiver Wire Pickups Week 4 – Fantasy Football
Welcome back to another edition of fantasy football waiver wire pickups for your fantasy football leagues. Today, we’re taking a look at Week 4 of the 2024 NFL season. Whether you have the top waiver wire priority this week or you’re not sure how much FAAB to spend, we’ve got you covered.
Week 4 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
With our expert fantasy football advice, you’ll be able to determine who to pay up for on the waiver wire and who to avoid. Follow along with us all NFL season long and we’ll help you win your fantasy football leagues. Continue reading for our top waiver wire pickups as we head into Week 4 of the fantasy football season.
Keep in mind, that rostered percentages are from Monday night.
Quarterback
Sam Darnold | Minnesota Vikings (38% on Sleeper)
Just like we all predicted, three weeks into the season, Sam Darnold is top-five quarterback in fantasy football.
The Vikings quarterback leads the league in touchdown passes and the team is seventh in yards per completion. Darnold is also fourth at his position in fantasy points on a per-game basis. With all of this in mind, it feels odd that he is only rostered in 38% of leagues.
Up next for Darnold is a Packers defense that is middle of the road in points allowed to quarterbacks. What should be noted within those numbers though is that the Green Bay defense played struggling quarterbacks like Anthony Richardson and Will Levis.
From an efficiency standpoint, Darnold is on another level than the Packers’ last two opponents. Look for the Vikings quarterback to continue thriving. – Michael Hauff @TheFFRealist
Justin Fields | Pittsburgh Steelers (16% on Yahoo)
Despite his 3-0 start, it’s taken Justin Fields a few games to begin looking like a viable fantasy football option. Following two game-managing weeks, Fields finally had a solid fantasy outing in Week 3’s win over the Chargers.
Throwing for 245 yards with a touchdown and a pick, while also rushing six times for six yards and another score, Fields ended Week 3 with 22.3 fantasy points. He looks comfortable and no longer needs to worry about Russell Wilson taking the QB1, barring an epic regression.
Moreover, Fields can be viewed as an instant pick-up and start. He gets a terrific matchup against the Colts in Week 4. The Colts allowed Caleb Williams to pop against them for the first time on Sunday, and have been overall generous to enemy quarterbacks in 2024. – Anthony Cervino @TheRealNFLGuru
Running Back
Bucky Irving | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (44% on Sleeper)
The Buccaneers got manhandled at home by the Broncos but the silver lining it was a productive day from rookie running back, Bucky Irving.
While Rachaad White averaged 2.8 yards per rush with six carries for 17 yards, Irving showed burst while rushing for 70 yards off of nine attempts. That was good for 7.8 yards per attempt.
Furthermore, Irving also got involved in the passing game as he hauled in three receptions for 14 yards.
While his Week 3 performance is sounding the alarm for fantasy owners, Irving already had a decent workload to start the season with the rookie getting 30% of the rush attempts to White getting 47%.
There are running backs in fantasy getting less work but yet rostered more in leagues. It is time to pick up Irving. – Michael Hauff
Tyler Badie | Denver Broncos (1% on Sleeper)
The Denver Broncos running game has been putrid through three weeks of the season. This is a group led by Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin. Through the first 2 weeks of the season, rookie Bo Nix led this team in rushing yards.
In Week 3 Badie got his chance and led the team in rushing with 9 carries for 70 yards. Averaging 7.8 yards per carry. Notably, Badie has a 43-yard run where he hit 20.99 mph making him the third-fastest ball carrier of Week 3, and the 10th-fastest ball carrier of the entire season the entire season.
Make no mistake about it, this Denver Broncos team wants to run the football. They just haven’t gotten consistent production from their guys back there. Moving forward, I believe they will ride the hot hand. Ultimately, Badie has a chance to average 9-12 touches a game making him a sneaky value in deeper leagues. – Pete Nova @superrnova38
Clyde Edwards-Helaire | Kansas City Chiefs (8% on Sleeper and 5% on Yahoo)
This is simply a dart throw for those of you who have deep rosters in your leagues. The former first-round pick in 2020 is set to return as early as Week 5 from battling through PTSD.
The Chiefs backfield is a mess with Carson Steele and Samaje Perine who combined for 27 touches against the Falcons in Week 3. Along with the recent signing of Kareem Hunt to the practice squad.
Former incumbent Isiah Pacheco is set to miss a minimum of 6-8 weeks. Steele had the majority of the touches against the Falcons with 18 to Perine’s 9 for Perine. However, the Chiefs backfield could turn into a “hot hand” or week-to-week approach.
While you may have to wait one to two weeks for Edwards-Helaire to have any game-time action, acting now could be beneficial in the long run. – Joe Simonetti @FF_AuctionJoe
Cam Akers | Houston Texans (46% on Yahoo)
Cam Akers’ fantasy football value is contingent on Joe Mixon missing more time with his ankle injury. However, if Mixon is out or limited in Week 4 against the Jaguars, Akers is a locked and loaded fantasy football option.
Akers has now drawn at least eight touches in consecutive games. Recently, he managed 10 touches for 29 yards and a touchdown in Sunday’s loss to the Vikings. While those are not jaw-dropping numbers, you can make the case that if the game was closer, Akers would have garnered a heavier workload. Akers should be stashed in all fantasy formats moving forward and is a top waiver wire pickup for Week 4. – Anthony Cervino
Chuba Hubbard | Carolina Panthers (61% On Sleeper)
Apparently, the Panthers offense is good when Andy Dalton is playing quarterback. Maybe Bryce Young is the problem? Who knows. Either way, Chuba Hubbard was heavily involved this week and efficient as well. Ultimately, he racked up 114 yards on 21 carries, good for 5.43 YPC. Additionally, he caught 5 of 5 targets for 55 yards and a touchdown.
This is the type of late-round running back production that I was expecting from Hubbard this year. Despite all of the issues in Carolina, Hubbard should get the volume to be a solid RB2 for your fantasy teams. I wouldn’t bank on the Panthers actually being good, but there’s some optimism for sure.
Hubbard may have been dropped after the first two weeks or even went undrafted in deeper leagues. He is absolutely the running back to roster in Carolina as rookie Jonathan Brooks remains on the PUP. Oddly enough, Brooks is still rostered in more leagues than Hubbard is. – Aaron Schill
Wide Receiver
Jauan Jennings | San Francisco 49ers (44% on Sleeper)
While the 49ers left Los Angeles without a win, one bright spot was Jauan Jennings and his fantasy-shattering performance. If you listened to us last week, you may have picked him up off the waiver wire then.
This week, the fourth-year wide receiver caught 11 of 12 targets for 175 yards and three touchdowns. With 63.4% of his season receiving yards coming last week and Deebo Samuel sidelined, one would safely assume that Jennings has solidified a role for the time being. More importantly, one that Brock Purdy can rely on.
Despite being a potential waiver wire pickup last week, he is still rostered in 44% of leagues. This week, Jennings and the 49ers will now take on a Patriots team that is allowing the seventh most points to opposing wide receivers. – Michael Hauff
Wan’Dale Robinson | New York Giants (34% on Sleeper)
Coming off another productive game on Sunday, Robinson finished with seven catches for 61 yards on eight targets. Now, he is up to 24 targets with 15 catches for 124 yards and a touchdown through three games.
This Giants offense is essentially operating through Malik Nabers, Devin Singletary, and Wandale Robinson. With some Darius Slayton and Daniel Jones running mixed in. Robinson is a former 2nd round pick with a lot of talent, now two years removed from an ACL injury. Ultimately, he should provide a consistent, safe floor almost every week and is a top waiver wire pickup for Week 4 and beyond. – Steve DeAngelo
Darnell Mooney | Atlanta Falcons (26% on Yahoo)
Darnell Mooney is emerging as a solid fantasy option in a loaded Falcons offense packed with star talent. He’s posted at least 14.6 PPR points in consecutive games, seeing 7+ targets in each, and compiling an impressive 11-154-1 stat line.
With the enemy defense likely game-planning to contain the three-headed monster of Kyle Pitts, Drake London, and Bijan Robinson, Mooney has a chance to run wild in 2024. Additionally, Kirk Cousins has a history of supporting talented WR2s in fantasy football. Ultimately, this makes Mooney is a must-roster in all fantasy football formats and a top waiver wire pickup. – Anthony Cervino
Quentin Johnston | Los Angeles Chargers (63% on Sleeper)
I was very high on Johnston coming in as a rookie last season, but early reports of him being outplayed by Josh Palmer turned out to be true and he was just frustrating all season. Whether it was drops, or not tracking the ball correctly, Johnston just had a very disappointing rookie season. Ultimately, it led to many labeling him as a bust.
Personally, I think the coaching staff needs to take some blame as Brandon Staley’s coaching stint in LA was a complete dumpster fire. Now, he’s looking like a solid waiver wire pickup for Week 4.
Now in 2024, Johnston has seemingly turned things around, with three touchdowns through three games. Albeit with just 10 catches for 133 yards on 10 targets. Keep in mind the Chargers dominated their first two games, and in their last game Justin Herbert left early with an ankle injury.
Moving forward, Johnston has a real chance to be the number one on this Chargers team. Additionally, they are using him correctly on drag routes, screens, runs, and Herbert is giving him chances on deep balls. More importantly, he has executed when called upon.
Johnston is a first-round talent who was dismissed and forgotten about. In the end, he could end up delivering big for your fantasy football teams this year. – Steve DeAngelo
Tight End
Cole Kmet | Chicago Bears (47% on Sleeper)
Heading into the season, Cole Kmet was hardly even being considered as a late-round TE option. Despite finishing as the TE7 in both 2022 and 2023, there were many drafts that he was going undrafted in. Whether it was the uncertainty around rookie Caleb Williams, or too many mouths to feed with veterans DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, and rookie Rome Odunze.
As a result, there’s a good chance that Kmet is available on the waiver wire, as he’s rostered in 47% of leagues as of early Monday afternoon. Expect this number to shoot up as he just went off for 97 yards and a touchdown. Notably, he saw 11 targets and caught 11 of them.
With all of the injuries and question marks surrounding the TE position, Kmet makes for a nice streaming option with two solid matchups coming up against the Rams and the Panthers. – Aaron Schill @aaron_schill
Tyler Conklin | New York Jets (14% on Sleeper)
Conklin isn’t the most talented player but he’s reliable and has shown to make tough catches when needed. After a slow two weeks, Conklin had an excellent game on Thursday Night against the Patriots catching 5 balls for 93 yards on six targets.
Furthermore, Aaron Rodgers looked like vintage Rodgers against the Patriots. Additionally, the offensive line looked more cohesive and this Jets offense arrow is pointing up.
Moving forward, Rodgers will certainly continue to rely on a dependable veteran like Conklin. The tight end position has been mostly a dumpster fire this year and Conklin was mostly an afterthought in drats. However, he could end up giving you the production you need at the position and be a decent waiver wire pickup for Week 4. – Steve DeAngelo
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