Waiver Wire

Waiver Wire Pickups Week 4

By Will Holtz

Posted on September 26, 2023

Waiver Wire Pickups Week 4

Well, Week 3 in the NFL did not lack fireworks and the waiver wire should be hot after some huge performances from players that aren’t rostered in most leagues. With as many injuries as we’ve in just the first three weeks of the season, making moves has never been more important. Let’s dive into Week 4 with some additions from the waiver wire that can turn fantasy football teams around.

Quarterback

CJ Stroud

Houston Texans (11% ESPN, 20% Yahoo)

The passing volume in Houston is legit and CJ Stroud seems to be more poised than I thought he would be through the first three weeks of his NFL career. The Texans should be losing in most of their games this season, meaning they’ll have to throw the ball often. More passing should translate to more points. Sometimes, fantasy football can be pretty simple. Through Sunday night, Stroud is fourth in passing yards, fourth in passing attempts, fifth in completions, and has yet to throw an interception. I’m viewing him as a solid streaming option for now, but he could evolve into a weekly starter if he keeps up this type of volume and efficiency.

Honorable Mentions:

Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh Steelers
Jimmy Garoppolo, Las Vegas Raiders

Running Back

De’Von Achane

Miami Dolphins (16% ESPN, 41% Yahoo)

While 203 yards and four total touchdowns in a single game isn’t sustainable, you can’t ignore it. De’Vone Achane may very well be the real deal and he has league winner written all over him. Raheem Mostert was also able to find the endzone four times in Miami’s 70-20 rout over Denver, so Achane doesn’t necessarily have complete control of the backfield. However, Mostert has been known to miss games in the past, and considering Achane amassed over 200 yards in just his second career game, one can only assume that he’ll see an increase in opportunities as the season goes along. Go add a significant piece to the Miami Dolphins offense while you can.

Ezekiel Elliott

New England Patriots (47% ESPN, 43% Yahoo)

When Elliott first signed with New England, I was skeptical of his workload. However, he’s actually carved out a significant role in the Patriots offense, including some pass-catching work. Last week, he led the team in rushing with 80 yards on 16 carries and is gaining an efficient 4.4 yards per attempt so far this season. He might not be the most exciting player to add, but he could be a plug-and-play when he has a soft matchup.

Honorable Mentions:

Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Kansas City Chiefs
Jerick McKinnon, Kansas City Chiefs

Wide Reciever

Tank Dell

Houston Texans (23% ESPN, 31% Yahoo)

I’m excited about this Houston Texans passing offense and think it has some legitimacy. Nico Collins showed out in the first couple of weeks of the season and now rookie Tank Dell seems to be getting in on the action. CJ Stroud is spreading the ball around and I think he can support more than one fantasy option. Over the last two weeks, Dell has led the team in targets, receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Again, this is a rookie we’re talking about and he’s played just three career games so far. His opportunities will only increase and Stroud will only get better. There is plenty of upside with Tank Dell and he could cement himself as a weekly starter by the end of the season.

Adam Thielen

Carolina Panthers (54% ESPN, 47% Yahoo)

Adam Thielen is a good receiver. This may seem obvious to some, but I think he’s flown under the radar over the last few years since the ascension of Justin Jefferson in Minnesota. This year, Thielen could return to his team’s WR1 status in Carolina and it’s already starting to show. Through Sunday night, the 33-year-old wideout is 14th in the league in targets for the season and seems to be the security blanket for both Panthers quarterbacks. Picking up a target hog off the waiver wire could be really important this week after the Mike Williams injury. He merits a weekly FLEX start for the rest of the season in PPR leagues.

Romeo Doubs

Green Bay Packers (27% ESPN, 41% Yahoo)

For the second time this season, Romeo Doubs makes the waiver wire article. He’s asserting himself as a reliable target for Jordan Love after leading the Packers in targets for the second time this season last week against the Saints while hauling in five catches for 78 yards and a touchdown. Through Week 3, he paces the team in targets, receptions, and touchdowns. This is more than enough for me to be interested in rostering him, especially if my team is struggling with injuries at the receiver position. He could find himself in fantasy lineups as soon as next week as a FLEX in PPR leagues with a soft matchup against Detroit.

Honorable Mentions:

Quintin Johnston, Los Angeles Chargers
Joshua Palmer, Los Angeles Chargers
Marvin Mims Jr., Denver Broncos

Tight End

Luke Musgrave

Green Bay Packers (13% ESPN, 18% Yahoo)

I’m really excited about Luke Musgrave for the rest of the season. This guy has had so many “if he caught that he would have smashed this week” moments. This makes him a very savvy pick-up if your league mates haven’t been paying attention to the near-boom weeks that Musgrave has been so close to having. Through three weeks, he has 15 targets, 11 receptions, and 124 yards. The only thing keeping him from being a clear-cut TE1 this season is that he hasn’t found the endzone yet. Get ahead of next week’s waiver wire and go add a talented tight end who has a high team target share and is due for a touchdown.

Jake Ferguson

Dallas Cowboys (19% ESPN, 41% Yahoo)

Jake Ferguson is a must-roster player after Week 3. Despite what you saw last week, the Dallas Cowboys are a good team with a good offense. In this offense, Ferguson is second in team targets, third in receptions, third in receiving yards and has scored one of the three receiving touchdowns for Dallas through three weeks. Like I say every week, volume is king in fantasy football. This type of usage is hard to ignore and at a position as volatile at tight end, it’s extremely valuable to have that kind of consistency and volume on a good offense that should be scoring a lot of points this season. Dalton Schultz thrived with Dak Prescott over the last few years and we’re starting to see signs of Ferguson being the new safety blanket for Prescott and the Cowboys. I think he’s a low-end TE1 for the rest of the season.

Honorable Mention: