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Fantasy Football 2019: Week 4 Waiver Wire Pickups
With bye weeks beginning in Week 4, the waiver wire becomes crucial as we look ahead. Fortunately, only the 49ers and Jets are off. While there weren't many injuries on the offensive side of the ball in Week 3, the biggest blow came to Giants running back Saquon Barkley, who will be difficult to replace. Another injury to watch is T.Y. Hilton, who left the game early with a sore quad.
Below are players I recommend adding who are owned in under 40% of leagues on Yahoo!, ESPN or CBS.
Quarterbacks
Jacoby Brissett, Indianapolis Colts
Brissett has played well with seven touchdowns and one interception through three games after passing for 310 yards and two touchdowns against the Falcons in Week 3. The Colts limited his attempts in the first two games before Brissett threw the ball 37 times, completing 76% of his passes. Brissett has two appealing matchups against the Raiders, who haven't intercepted a pass, and the Chiefs before a bye.
Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals are passing a lot due to a struggling running game and a defense allowing many points, putting them in a pass-heavy situation. Dalton passed for 249 yards with a touchdown in a tough spot on the road in Buffalo, but he gets a better matchup in Week 4 against a struggling Steelers pass defense. They may be 0-3, but the Bengals' passing game is improved under coach Zac Taylor.
Jones looked excellent in the preseason and it continued in his first NFL start on the road against the Buccaneers. The rookie passed for 336 yards with two touchdowns and rushed for two scores despite losing two fumbles, leading the Giants to a win after erasing an 18-point deficit. Jones gave the Giants life and it's a boost to the skill players. He also adds value because of his running. He rushed for 17 touchdowns in college. Jones gets a solid matchup in Week 4 against the Redskins before getting tough matchups against the Vikings and Patriots. Jones is a QB2 and more appealing in leagues where two quarterbacks can start.
Running Backs
Wayne Gallman, New York Giants
Saquon Barkley is going to miss 4-8 weeks with a high-ankle sprain and Gallman will become the primary running back. The Giants will play the Redskins, Vikings, Patriots, Cardinals and Lions the next few weeks, so there are a few tough matchups ahead. Gallman had five carries for 13 yards and didn't have a reception in a game where they were playing from behind and passing constantly. Gallman will play a lot of snaps and should be added in all leagues.
Darrel Williams, Kansas City Chiefs
Damien Williams sat out Week 3 and LeSean McCoy, who came into the game with an ankle injury, missed the fourth quarter due to the ankle. Williams had nine carries for 62 yards and five receptions for 47 yards. Darwin Thompson was thought to be next in line, but he had four carries for eight yards and no receptions, so the coaching staff believes in Williams more for now.
Rex Burkhead, New England Patriots
Burkhead led the Patriots' backfield with 74% of the snaps in Week 3. Sony Michel, who hasn't looked great and has forced one missed tackle on 45 carries, played 22% and salvaged his day with a touchdown after carrying the ball nine times for just 11 yards. Burkhead had 11 carries for 47 yards and caught six of his seven targets for 22 yards while James White was out due to the birth of a child, allowing Burkhead to play a bigger role in the passing game. Burkhead could play more than anticipated.
Ronald Jones, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers' backfield is a mess, but Jones has looked to be the best of the bunch outside of Week 2 when he was limited to four carries and Peyton Barber had 23. It was more of a split in Week 3 as far as touches. Jones had 14 carries for 80 yards and caught a 41-yard pass. Barber had 13 carries for 48 yards and two receptions for seven yards.
Alexander Mattison, Minnesota Vikings
This is a reminder for the Dalvin Cook owner to get Mattison if they haven't already. The Vikings clearly want to be a run-oriented offense and there could be some weeks where Mattison enters the flex conversation in appealing matchups with the bye weeks ahead. In a game in which the Vikings were expected to handle the Raiders at home, Mattison had 12 carries for 58 yards with a touchdown. It's the first week Mattison had double-digit carries and has 25 carries for 132 yards (5.3 yards per rush) with a touchdown.
Jamaal Williams, Green Bay Packers
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said last week he wanted to lessen the touches for Aaron Jones and make it more of a split between him and Williams. He wasn't lying and it went in the wrong direction for Jones. Williams played 61.4% of the snaps, while Jones played 38.6%. Williams had 12 carries for 59 yards and caught both targets for 27 yards, while Jones had 10 carries for 19 yards and caught a four-yard pass. He saved his day with two rushing touchdowns. While Jones is the better talent, it appears this will be more of a split for now.
Justin Jackson, Los Angeles Chargers
Austin Ekeler has been getting most of the touches through three games. He has 57 compared to 24 for Jackson, who has played well. Jackson had a touchdown called back due to a penalty in Week 3 for the second time this season. He has rushed for 142 yards on 18 carries (7.8 yards per rush) and the Chargers face the Dolphins in Week 4, who allowed both Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard to rush for 100 yards in Week 3.
Jeffery Wilson, San Francisco 49ers
Wilson is more for deep formats. Don't get fooled by the last two weeks. Wilson has been utilized as the red zone back and has scored four touchdowns in the last two games. Matt Breida played 40.5% of the snaps, Raheem Mostert 30.4% and Wilson 26.6%. Wilson has 18 carries for 52 yards and is touchdown-dependent. There will be weeks in which he doesn't score. The 49ers have a bye in Week 4 and Tevin Coleman could return in Week 5.
Brian Hill, Atlanta Falcons
This is for deeper formats. Ito Smith left the game early in Week 3 and is in the concussion protocol. If Smith is out, expect Hill to be activated.
Wide Receivers
Nelson Agholor, Philadelphia Eagles
Agholor is still available in some leagues, and while Alshon Jeffery could return Thursday night against the Packers, DeSean Jackson will likely be out. Agholor has some bad drops and lost a fumble in Week 3, but he also had a great touchdown, bouncing off several defenders. He was targeted 12 times and caught eight for 50 yards and two touchdowns.
DJ Chark, Jacksonville Jaguars
Chark has looked excellent and has a good rapport with quarterback Gardner Minshew. Chark has scored in three straight games after catching four passes for 76 yards with a touchdown in Week 3 against the Titans. He led the Jaguars with nine targets in Week 2, catching seven for 55 yards with a touchdown.
Phillip Dorsett, New England Patriots
All of a sudden, Dorsett is looking at a bigger role with Antonio Brown gone. Julian Edelman is dealing with a rib injury, although it doesn't appear serious. Dorsett played 92.2% of the snaps in Week 3 and played 84% of the snaps in Week 1 when Brown didn't play. Dorsett caught six of his seven targets for 53 yards with a touchdown and had a 12-yard run. He has caught 13 of 14 targets for 187 yards and three touchdowns.
Diontae Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers
Johnson will start for the Steelers going forward, although quarterback Mason Rudolph didn't play well in his first start on the road in San Francisco. Johnson caught three of his six targets for 52 yards with a touchdown and played 42 of 53 snaps. He has a great matchup in Week 4 against the Bengals.
Kenny Stills, Houston Texans
The Texans have struggled to run the ball consistently and Stills played 53.3% of the snaps with Keke Coutee active. Stills won't be consistent every week, but he caught four passes for 89 yards in Week 3 and has a good matchup ahead against the Panthers.
Preston Williams, Miami Dolphins
The offense is abysmal in Miami. It's one to avoid, but bye weeks begin and if there's anyone to consider on the Dolphins it's Williams. He almost scored a touchdown in Week 3 against Dallas and had 12 targets with Josh Rosen making his first start of the season, catching four for 68 yards. Williams has reached double-digit points in PPR formats in all three games.
Cole Beasley, Buffalo Bills
Beasley has reached double-digit points in PPR formats in two of three games and the one he didn't was nine points. He doesn't have a high ceiling, but he has 23 targets in three games and the floor is high. He caught eight of his 10 targets for 48 yards and caught a two-point conversion in Week 3.
Parris Campbell, Indianapolis Colts
T.Y. Hilton left the game early in Week 3 with a quad injury, something that bothered him at practice during the week also. Campbell is an explosive playmaker that could see a bigger role in the offense. He's worth adding in deeper formats to see if the role expands.
Tight Ends
Will Dissly, Seattle Seahawks
Dissly scored for the third time in two weeks, as he caught a touchdown pass as time expired against the Saints. He had seven targets, catching six for 62 yards. The week before, he caught all five of his targets for 50 yards with two touchdowns. Dissly tore his patellar tendon in Week 4 of his rookie season last year and has five touchdowns in seven career games. While no one expects this consistently, the matchup in Week 4 doesn't get better against the Cardinals, who allowed T.J. Hockenson and Mark Andrews to top 100 yards and Greg Olsen had six catches for 75 yards with two touchdowns in Week 3.
Chris Herndon, New York Jets
Just a reminder that Herndon will be back from his suspension in Week 6. The Jets offense will get better once Sam Darnold returns from mono as early as Week 5. This may be your last chance to get him for cheap.
Jack Doyle, Indianapolis Colts
Those with George Kittle, who has a bye in Week 4, might be seeking a fill-in. T.Y. Hilton is dealing with a quad injury and had to leave the game early in Week 3. If Hilton sits, Doyle could benefit. He had four catches for 46 yards in Week 3.
Vernon Davis, Washington Redskins
Jordan Reed might have to retire due to recurring concussions. Davis is still very athletic at the age of 35. Davis had seven catches for 88 yards with a touchdown in the first two games and the Redskins will likely be playing from behind often this season.
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