NFL Waiver Wire: Week 4 Pickups

Another week goes by and the injuries are starting to pile up. The first being the devastating loss of Christian McCaffrey last Thursday and then there were players like Diontae Johnson, Darrell Henderson and Dalvin Cook, who ended up inactive before Sunday's games. Let's look at some of the replacements and figure out how much FAAB to use on each as this should be an active week for the waiver wire.

This column is geared toward "standard" 12-team leagues and based upon a $100 free-agent budget. Please adjust for your league based on both the number of teams (I'm in a 24-team league, for example) and remaining budget.

QUARTERBACK

PRIMARY TARGETS

Derek Carr, LV - I have to admit I didn't see a 3-0 start coming for the Raiders, but here we are. Derek Carr has been fantastic the first three games of the season, totaling 1,203 passing yards and throwing for two touchdowns in each game. Those stats have led to 27.1, 28 and 30.4 fantasy points in those three games. The schedule isn't too daunting, and he has one of the more underrated receiving corps in the league. He's gone in 53 percent of Yahoo leagues, but maybe he's still available in your league. He looks like a top-8 fantasy player for the position and should see his ownership increase this week. FAAB: $10-$15

HAIL MARY

Mason Rudolph, PIT - If you're in a Super Flex/two Quarterback league, it's time to think about adding Rudolph if you could use an extra quarterback. Ben Roethlisberger looked absolutely awful Sunday in throwing 58 passes (5.5 YPA) and became Captain Checkdown, targeting Najee Harris 19 times. His 6:6 TD: INT ratio is terrible and it could be a matter of time before an "injury" sidelines him in favor of Rudolph. In no way, shape or form am I recommending Rudolph for standard 12-team leagues, but there are formats that value any starting quarterback. FAAB: $FCFS or $1

RUNNING BACKS

PRIMARY TARGETS

Chuba Hubbard, Royce Freeman, CAR - The good news for Christian McCaffrey owners is he wasn't placed on IR, but the bad news is the Panthers expect him to miss at least this week and probably next. That means the team will turn to Hubbard and Freeman to lead the backfield, with Hubbard likely leading the way. Hubbard ended Thursday night's game with 14 touches for 79 yards while Freeman had six touches for 25 yards. The schedule is OK against Dallas and Philadelphia the next two weeks but becomes much more enticing the following three weeks with the Vikings, Giants and Falcons on the docket, in the case McCaffrey misses more time. Keep in mind, McCaffrey should return in a few weeks, and Hubbard is the preferred target. FAAB: Hubbard $15-$25; Freeman $2-$4

SECONDARY TARGETS

Peyton Barber, LV - To the surprise of many (myself included) it was Barber and not Kenyan Drake who got the bulk of the workload for the Raiders on Sunday, finishing with 23 carries for 111 yards and three catches for 31 yards. He punched in a goal-line carry and Las Vegas appears to be more comfortable with him as the early down back while Josh Jacobs is out. Speaking of Jacobs, he could be back as soon as this week, which would delegate Barber to a backup or even third-string role with Drake being the third-down back. FAAB: $4-$8

WIDE RECEIVERS

PRIMARY TARGETS

Josh Gordon, KC - Hello darkness, my old friend, I've come to talk to you again. I was asked in the comments last week about Gordon. Here was the interaction:

"Thanks Kevin! In my one league, we have one IR spot for anyone ruled out for the weekly slate of games, so went ahead and IR'd Diontae Johnson and snagged Gordon to at least take this week and see if anything develops. No one on the waivers I was going to play this week, so figured why not! Figured no harm/no foul."

Kevin Payne
Sep 25, 2021 at 12:36 PM

"Exactly - he's free now and could be expensive later, if for instance, he signs with the Chiefs or Seahawks."

Of course, Gordon signs with arguably the most potent offense in the league and is probably in the best position possible given the Chiefs' personnel. Gordon is going to see 1-on-1 soft coverage with the other team's second or third corner and has one of the best passers in the league throwing to him. All the positivity being said, it's impossible to know how much rust he has or how long it'll take to get up to speed with the Kansas City offense. He also has to keep his nose clean, and we have to assume he's in game shape. Buyer beware, but he has upside. FAAB: $5-$10

SECONDARY TARGETS

Emmanuel Sanders, BUF - Sanders had his first big game for the Bills Sunday, finishing with five catches for 95 yards and two touchdowns. It's a good sign he's had 20 targets in his first three games as a Bill, but it'll be tough to count on him for consistency throughout the season. The Bills haven't really gotten Stefon Diggs going (they will) and Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis are capable of having game like this while Sanders takes a backseat. The schedule for the Bills looks excellent for fantasy purposes (they still play the Jets twice), and it's possible that Sanders establishes himself as the top second option to Diggs as the season progresses. FAAB: $4-$8

Kadarius Toney, NYG - Injuries to Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton have opened an opportunity for Toney, who could find himself second on the Giants' wide receiver depth chart behind only Kenny Golladay. Toney is another talented rookie wideout in this class who was taken at No. 20 in the draft after impressing at the Combine with 4.37 speed in the 40. Check the injury status of Slayton and Shepard this week, but it would make sense for each to be inactive as a precaution, making Toney an interesting selection. FAAB: $2-$4

Bryan Edwards, LV - Henry Ruggs is the preferred choice of the Raiders receivers (50 percent rostered on Yahoo), but Edwards is an intriguing choice as well. Until Edwards sees an uptick in targets (has a season high of five) his upside will be limited despite him being extremely efficient with those targets (16.2 YPT this season). Like Ruggs, Edward is only 22, and while he's not as fast as Ruggs, at 6-foot-3, 212, he has three inches and more than 20 pounds on him. Throw in Darren Waller, Hunter Renfrow and even Zay Jones and the Raiders have one of the better receiving groups in the league. It's just tough to determine which player will have the big fantasy game week to week. FAAB: $2-$4

HAIL MARY

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, TEN - The injury to A.J. Brown has opened up more targets for the other Titan's receivers and Westbrook-Ikhine is one of those guys. While Chester Rogers is technically higher on the depth chart, Westbrook-Ikhine has more upside. He scored his first professional touchdown Sunday and led the team with 53 receiving yards, more than even Julio Jones. It's tough to say how long Brown will be out, but it's likely the Titans hold him back this week with so much of the season left to play. FAAB: $1-$2

Olamide Zaccheaus, ATL - An ankle injury to Russell Gage kept him out of Sunday's win against the Giants and Zaccheaus finished with a respectable 6-3-32-1 line good for 12.2 fantasy points (PPR). It is unclear how much more time Gage will miss, though he didn't practice at all last week. Zaccheaus makes this spot given how much attention Calvin Ridley and Kyle Pitts are drawing, leaving Zaccheaus plenty of space to get open. This week the Falcons get the Football Team, who has been awful against wide receivers through the first three games. FAAB: $1-$2

TIGHT ENDS

SECONDARY TARGETS

Tyler Conklin, MIN - Minnesota has been an excellent source of fantasy production to start the season. Kirk Cousins is averaging more than 300 passing yards per game with eight touchdowns and no interceptions. Justin Jefferson continues to build on his rookie campaign (30 targets) and Adam Thielen has been dependable in the red zone. The third piece in the passing game is a bit more difficult to read. The first two weeks K.J. Osborn was the man with 12 catches for 167 yards and a score, but he was quiet Week 3 with only two grabs for 26 yards. That might be due to Conklin, who got a season-high eight targets that he turned into seven catches for 70 yards and a score. The good news is the Vikings defense is bad and the team will have to put up points each week to win. Figuring out who will be the third option in the passing game will be difficult, but Conklin should be that guy occasionally. FAAB: $4-$8

HAIL MARY

Tommy Tremble, CAR - The Panthers traded Dan Arnold on Monday, leaving a more prominent role for Tremble in the Carolina offense. Ian Thomas is still atop the depth chart, but he's been mostly used as a blocker. In the Panthers' Thursday night win over the Texans, Tremble caught his only target for 30 yards and scored on a seven-yard run. It remains to be seen if this means he'll be a bigger part of the offense; for now he's not really usable in 12-team leagues. He has long-term potential for this season, though, and tight end has been a disaster outside of the elite options. FAAB: FCFS or $1

DEFENSES

Tennessee Titans - Every week it's a good idea to see who's facing the Jets and then check the waiver wire. Provided there's an open bench spot, a savvy owner will look two weeks out for this matchup. The Jets are a mess, and while they might be good on defense, the offense is doing that side of the ball no favors between putting them on the field for long spells and not scoring points to give them the hope of winning. FAAB: $1-$2

Cincinnati Bengals - Trevor Lawrence's start to his professional career hasn't gone well as evidenced by a 5.7 YPA and a 5:7 TD:INT ratio. He'll have two obstacles this week going on the road and having a short week playing Thursday night. The Bengals are fourth in the league with 10 sacks and their four turnovers are better than league average. FAAB: $1-$2