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Week 4 Waiver Wire Pickups

These guys are generally available in at least 70% of Sleeper leagues and ranked in order of priority, by position.

Your bid should vary by format and situation. Need help at RB? Prioritize that position. All set there? Then, you probably don’t need to chase the top guys.

Quarterbacks

Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks

Blind-bid recommendation: 5-8%

Geno checks in as a top-10 fantasy QB through three weeks. Going back to 2023, he's hit 18 fantasy points in seven straight.

Week 4 turns up a road matchup vs. Detroit. Through three games, they’ve proven tougher vs. the run than the pass. Plus, with either a banged up Kenneth Walker and/or Zach Charbonnet in the backfield, a pass-centered game plan makes the most sense.

As of Tuesday, the Seahawks are 4-point underdogs.

Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings

Blind-bid recommendation: 5-8%

Darnold led the upset against the Texans with 181 yards, 4 TDs, and 0 INTs on 28 attempts. He’s up to eight TDs through three games, completing 68% of his passes at 8.4 yards per attempt. 

With a Packers defense susceptible to the pass next up, Darnold will be a QB1 option this week and could be a consistent top-15 scoring QB weekly for the rest of the season.

Running Backs

Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Blind-bid recommendation: 25-40%

For three straight weeks, Irving’s looked like the Bucs' best runner.

And you don’t have to trust our eyes. The numbers back it up, with Irving leading Rachaad White across the board.

It’s no wonder why HC Todd Bowles discussed giving more work to the rookie.

We’ll see if that materializes. But on this current trajectory, Irving should be owned in all leagues.

Braelon Allen, New York Jets

Blind-bid recommendation: 20-25%

Allen has had two straight usable weeks despite backing up Breece Hall. In PPR, he ended as RB6 and RB24 in the last two weeks, respectively.

The Jets are intent on using him to keep Hall fresh, giving Allen 33.5% of their snaps over the last two weeks.

If Hall were to go down with an injury, Allen conservatively leaps to being a top 10 weekly RB option.

He is worth having on the bench for now as a potential league winner down the line. 

Allen can also be a flex play when bye weeks start wrecking your startable options.

Wide Receivers

Jauan Jennings, San Francisco 49ers

Blind-bid recommendation: 10-15%

Jennings took advantage of the 49ers' lack of options with Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey sidelined.

He was the best player on the field in the Week 3 loss to the Rams, posting a massive 11-175-3 line on 12 targets. 

No other 49er reached 50 receiving yards. Jennings came into this one with just a single career game with over 64 receiving yards.

With Samuel likely out again next week vs. New England, Jennings has earned fantasy-starter consideration.

But, without Samuel or Kittle on IR, they should be back soon after and Jennings likely turns back into a part-time player. 

If you need immediate help, consider Jennings, but don’t expect this type of return, especially in a few weeks.

Darnell Mooney, Atlanta Falcons

Blind-bid recommendation: 10-15%

Mooney has been on the field for 96% of the Falcons snaps this season and has seen his targets go up every game.

Most recently against the Chiefs, Mooney caught all eight of his targets for 66 yards.

His speed and skillset have been unlocked with Kirk Cousins under center, and Mooney will be a full-time player going forward.

He is a perfect stash before bye weeks start, and he can give a double-digit point PPR game when the Falcons have heavy pass volume.

Mike Williams, New York Jets

Blind-bid recommendation: 10-12%

Williams’ Week 3 role took a step back, but it’s fair to wonder if the Jets limited him on a short week. Recall that New York played on Thursday night.

The Jets also won in a blowout. 

Most encouragingly: Aaron Rodgers played by far his best game of the season. If Williams can get close to a full-time role, he’ll carry some spot-start appeal.

Tight End

Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears

Blind-bid recommendation: 10-15%

Kmet has been dumped in many fantasy leagues after a slow start. But his big 10-97-1 line in the Bear’s loss to the Colts will have him back in lineups soon. 

Kmet benefited from 52 Caleb Williams pass attempts and the absence of WR Keenan Allen, but he may be earning the trust of Williams. 

He spiked to a 71% route rate after 33% and 62% marks in the first two weeks of the season. 

If that playing time holds, Kmet is right back in the low-end TE1 discussion.

With the abysmal TE play (and injuries) lately, Kmet can be a fall back option if someone dropped him too early.

Tyler Conklin, TE, New York Jets

Blind-bid recommendation: 10-12%

Conklin racked up a career-high 93 receiving yards in the win against the Patriots. His five catches tied for the team lead, and his six targets ranked second to only Garrett Wilson’s nine. 

Aaron Rodgers has shown he has trust in Conklin, especially on third downs. 

Conklin has run a route on 85+% of Jets pass plays in all three games.

With his snaps, routes, and targets, Conklin could be a weekly start at TE in deeper leagues.

Deep-League Waiver Wire Pickups 

Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots

Blind-bid recommendation: 3-5%

Maye won't get the start with week at San Francisco, but he could easily get the nod back at home for Week 5 vs. Miami.

After all, Jacoby Brissett ranks just 24th in EPA per drop back. He’s thrown for 368 yards in three games.

Either way – if you’re in a shallow superflex league or a deep 1-QB league, Maye should be on your radar.

We don’t expect him to be a true fantasy asset right away, but his rushing ability should add value as he navigates NFL life. Maybe scrambled on about 11% of his dropbacks at North Carolina.

Roschon Johnson, RB, Chicago Bears

Blind-bid recommendation: 10-15%

Johnson had no touches over the first two weeks of the season, but he tallied eight carries and five targets in Bears’ loss to the Colts.

The targets led the team’s RBs. 

D’Andre Swift did lead Chicago with 13 carries but mustered just 20 yards. He’s now averaging 1.8 yards per carry on the season. 

Don’t be surprised if Johnson’s role grows if Swift remains this inefficient. He is worth a stash on the end of a deep bench.

Emanuel Wilson, RB, Green Bay Packers

Blind-bid recommendation: 3-5%

Wilson showed a nice burst on a 30-yard receiving TD in Sunday’s win over Tennessee.

Six of his 12 carries came with the Packers holding a large fourth quarter lead. Still, he’s a clear handcuff right now. And there’s no guarantee that MarShawn Lloyd returns from IR (ankle).

Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts

Blind-bid recommendation: 8-10%

Downs only caught three balls for 22 yards, but his five targets tied for the team lead on a day when QB Anthony Richardson threw it just 20 times. 

Downs’ 16 pass routes ranked third among WRs – just four behind Michael Pittman and Alec Pierce. 

He is clearly in front of Adonai Mitchell and back in the role he had last season.

Passing volume will remain a stumbling block for Downs, but he’s worth a roster spot in deep fantasy leagues. 

Jalen Tolbert, WR, Dallas Cowboys

Blind-bid recommendation: 5-10%

Tolbert’s out-targeted Brandin Cooks (16-15) over the first three weeks.

He topped the veteran in routes (45-42) in Sunday’s loss to Baltimore.

Dallas’ high-volume passing figures to stick around given (1) their ground game struggles and (2) regression on defense.

Demario Douglas, WR, New England Patriots

Blind-bid recommendation: 5-8%

Douglas finally led the Patriots WRs in snaps (83%) after being third on the team the week before (56%).

OC Alex Van Pelt wised up, leading to Douglas catching seven of nine targets for 69 yards.

The Patriots passing offense has a low ceiling, but if Douglas can retain that type of volume, he will be usable in PPR lineups.

With Drake Maye expected to step in at some point to raise that ceiling, Douglas’ arrow points up for the rest of the season.

Tucker Kraft, TE, Green Bay Packers

Blind-bid recommendation: 5-8%

Kraft briefly left Week 3 with a shoulder injury. He still topped Luke Musgrave in snaps (42 to 35), routes (14 to 13) and targets (3 to 1).

We expect Jordan Love to return from an MCL sprain this week vs. the Vikings. After that comes a couple of nice scoring matchups vs. the Rams and Cardinals.

Top Streaming Defense for Week 4

Tennessee Titans at Miami Dolphins

Dolphins QB Skylar Thompson was knocked out of the game this week with a chest injury, and was replaced by Tim Boyle.

Whether the starting QB for the Dolphins is one of those two or practice squad QB Tyler Huntley, they will have the worst QB play in the NFL.

They only mustered three points against the Seahawks and gave up six sacks in the game.

If you want other defenses to stream this week, check out our DST Streaming Guide for Week 4.

Grab This Guy

Tyrone Tracy, RB, New York Giants

Blind-bid recommendation: 5-8%

Since the draft, Tracy’s appeal always came from a dual-threat skill set. The former WR also brings top-end athleticism (9.78 Relative Athletic Score).

Landing with the Giants afforded a path to year one touches, and that’s starting to show.

First – he’s clearly the RB2. Tracy out-snapped Eric Gray 21-3 in a Week 3 win over Cleveland. He topped him in routes, 14-2.

Tracy also cut into Devin Singletary’s workload, leading to season-highs in snap (28%) and carry share (23%). Note that Singletary recorded his 15th career fumble against the Browns.

We’re not expecting a top-15 offense from the Giants, but Tracy’s proximity to a sizable role makes him worth stashing.

Drop Candidates

Adonai Mitchell, WR, Indianapolis Colts

Mitchell ran only two routes in Sunday’s win over the Bears. That ranked fifth among Colts WRs. He’ll be tough to trust for the foreseeable future – especially with the way Anthony Richardson has performed. 

Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

While blowouts haven’t helped, Elliott has played a decreased role over the past two weeks. Dallas may look to get Dalvin Cook involved in the coming weeks. Regardless, Elliott isn’t a must-hold.

Shane Hallam, Writer

Shane has over 20 years of experience creating content and playing every fantasy football format including redraft, dynasty, devy, C2C, IDP, CFF, and more. He is a multi-year winner of $500 dynasty leagues on the FFPC, and a King's Classic Champion. Shane utilizes deep film and scheme study to enhance his fantasy performance.