Week 4 Waiver Wire: A Thin Class Worth Skipping Unless You’re Desperate
The Week 4 waiver wire is defined by other players’ injuries more than by any breakout of its own. Breece Hall, De’Von Achane, Travis Etienne, and Jayden Daniels are all banged up, and most of the names below are backups who inherited touches because of it, not players who forced their way into the conversation on their own. Nothing in this year’s Week 4 class looks like a league-winner, and a few of these adds are speculative at best.
That’s the honest read on this group: interesting depth pieces, not difference-makers. If your roster is set and your bench spots are valuable, there’s a real argument for passing on most of this list and holding onto your FAAB. Spending big bids on unproven backups and touchdown-dependent tight ends is how managers end up short on cash when an actual difference-maker hits the wire later in the season.
If you’re desperate at a position, thin on bye-week coverage, or need a lottery ticket at tight end, there’s something below worth a small bid. Just temper expectations and spend accordingly. We’ve broken down all 11 names with realistic FAAB percentages, but the overall advice for Week 4 is patience over panic.
Suggested FAAB: 5%
Penix Jr. completed 18 of 25 passes for 256 yards with a touchdown and an interception as Atlanta routed the Packers 35-14. It was a solid return, and the hope is that he keeps building from here. Penix, in my opinion, is probably the only player to target this week if you need an upgrade at QB. He is worth stashing as a low-end starter in deeper leagues, and he’s a fair add for around 5 percent of your remaining FAAB. His Week 4 matchup at New Orleans isn’t the most inviting draw, but it’s playable enough that deeper-league managers could start him if needed.
Quarterbacks
Suggested FAAB: 4%
Brissett was heavily drafted late as a late-round garbage-time QB who had a lot of big games last year. People expected the same, and on Sunday, we finally got some Fantasy production. In Arizona’s Week 3 loss at San Francisco, Brissett went 38 of 52 for 280 yards and two touchdowns without an interception, then added a rushing score. With better matchups coming up, at the Giants in Week 4 and at home against Detroit in Week 5, he’s worth using as a low-end starter in all leagues over that stretch.
Suggested FAAB: 4%
If you’re in a 2QB league (Super Flex), and Mariota does start, he’s worth using as a low-end No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues and would be worth up to 5 percent of your remaining FAAB. He threw for three touchdowns in Washington’s upset of Seattle in Week 3, and Indianapolis has been generous to opposing quarterbacks so far this season, so there’s a real ceiling here if he keeps the job.
Running Backs
Suggested FAAB: 2%
Braelon Allen is the Jets’ lead back for as long as Breece Hall (thigh) is out. He’s on the road at Chicago in Week 4, then home against Cleveland and on the road at New England the following two weeks, and he’s worth using as at least a flex option in all three matchups. For the season, Allen has 19 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown, plus four catches for 11 yards. He’s worth adding for at least 20 percent of your remaining FAAB. Isaiah Davis will also see some work while Hall is sidelined, though he doesn’t have a carry or a catch yet this season. Davis is a deeper-league speculative add for around 2 percent of your FAAB.
Suggested FAAB: 2%
De’Von Achane is out for the season with a torn ACL suffered in Miami’s Week 3 loss to Kansas City, and the Dolphins will lean on Ollie Gordon II and Jaylen Wright to fill the void. Long-term, Wright looks like the more talented back of the two, but he missed the Chiefs game with a foot injury and remains day-to-day heading into Week 4 at Minnesota. Gordon played in Achane’s absence and carried 17 times for 41 yards and a touchdown, adding three catches for 14 yards. This is a new coaching staff in Miami, so it’s unclear who ends up with the bigger role, and it’s worth remembering that Achane himself wasn’t producing much in this offense before he got hurt, so neither back should be expected to be a major upgrade.
RRBC on one of the worst teams in football is not worth breaking the bank for.
Suggested FAAB: 2%
Travis Etienne (hamstring) has already been ruled out for New Orleans’s Monday night game against Atlanta, and Alvin Kamara and Kendre Miller will share the touches until he’s back. Kamara is the safer add, but Miller has a role worth watching. He opened the season with nine carries for 30 yards and a touchdown in Week 1 while Kamara was inactive, was a healthy scratch in Week 2 once Kamara returned, then played four carries for 14 yards and two catches for 5 yards in Week 3 against Las Vegas. It’s not yet clear how his workload changes with Etienne out, but Miller is worth adding for at least 5 percent of your remaining FAAB. His next two matchups, Atlanta in Week 4 and Minnesota in Week 5, have both been difficult for opposing running backs this season.
Wide Receiver
Suggested FAAB: 5 to 7%
This is starting to be more than just a fluke; Kalif Raymond might actually be a factor for the Bears all season after catching 6 of 7 targets for 90 yards and a touchdown in Monday’s win over the Eagles.
Two straight games with at least 16 PPR points, and over that stretch he’s produced more than Rome Odunze and Colston Loveland have combined. Chicago’s Week 4 quarterback situation is unsettled with Caleb Williams (hamstring) out, but it might not matter much for Raymond. Ben Johnson clearly trusts him, and he’s worth adding for up to 5-7% of your remaining FAAB.
Suggested FAAB: 2 to 3%
Mitchell (finger) was inactive in Week 3 at Detroit, but he’s hoping to return for the Jets’ Week 4 trip to Chicago. When healthy, he’s shown real promise, catching 6 of a team-high 12 targets for 63 yards in Week 2 against Green Bay. Even if he can’t go against the Bears, Mitchell is worth stashing in deeper leagues for around 2 to 3 percent of your remaining FAAB.
Tight Ends
Suggested FAAB: 5 to 6%
The Panthers play Detroit this week, and the Lions have allowed a touchdown to an opposing tight end in every game this season, six in three weeks. Carolina’s Jalen Coker (quadriceps) is also questionable for Week 4, and if he sits, Darren Waller would move up to the No. 2 target behind Tetairoa McMillan. Waller caught 5 of 8 targets for 51 yards without a touchdown in Week 3, and he looks like a top-10-caliber Fantasy tight end play this week. He’s worth adding for at least 5% to 6% of your remaining FAAB.
Again, if you already have a tight end, let your league mates overspend on him. At the end of the season, the manager with the most money gets whatever he/she wants, giving you a huge edge for matchups.
Suggested FAAB: 2%
Noah Fant is worth a look in deeper leagues after catching all four of his targets for 33 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday’s loss to Las Vegas, giving him three touchdowns on the season. He plays behind Juwan Johnson in New Orleans’s pecking order, so he’s largely touchdown-dependent, but the Saints have been one of the most pass-heavy teams in the league, and Fant has multiple games with four-plus targets. In deeper formats, he’s worth adding for around 2 percent of your remaining FAAB.
