Waiver Wire Adds for Week Four

The third Sunday of the season is through, and the wackiness continues. The Cardinals dismantled the 49ers hopes and dreams, while the Bills rebounded from a big loss against the Patriots while sticking it to the Dolphins. And there's still another big matchup on tonight's Monday Night slate.

Week 3 was filled with some star-studded fantasy performances like matchup swinging games from A.J. Green and Steve Smith, some unfortunate injuries, and an unexpected breakout game (at least unexpected for some people) from Falcons RB Devonta Freeman.

In turn, there are some waiver wire pickups and sleepers for Week 4 that can have a potential impact for your teams. My piece won't cover all waiver wire adds and targets each week, as there are just too many with all the league types out there, but I'll be highlighting and prioritize the biggest impact players. Additionally, be sure to check out many more great RotoBaller articles and waiver wire analysis pieces at each position throughout the week, including risers/fallers, deeper league sleepers, rankings and more.

 

Week 4 Quarterback Waiver Wire Pickups

Tyrod Taylor (QB, BUF) - 43% Owned on Fleaflicker

Look, I'm going to keep putting him in here until his ownership beats 50%. This man is a QB1 right now. He's the 3rd highest scoring QB this week (at time of writing) after finishing last week as the 6th highest scoring. The only leagues where he even has a shot at not being rostered is an eight man league or smaller - otherwise he's not only startable, but he's a QB1. Once again, this man is a QB1 and he's 43% owned. He's surrounded by a talented set of receivers that he's been able to consistently get a lot of value from, even if it's not resulting in a lot of value for them. However, that's good news because it means he's not relying on his supporting cast to carry him. Don't let him sit on your waivers any longer.

Derek Carr (QB, OAK) - 35% Owned on Fleaflicker

Derek Carr started the season poorly with an injury in Week 1 that led to his Raiders getting completely romped by the Bengals. Three weeks in and that's a game of the past, with Carr demoralizing what should have been a dominant Ravens defense, and then putting out a strong performance against the Browns this week. With weapons like Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree, along with the running of Latavius Murray, Carr's got the right kind of support to potentially be putting up a top five game next week as he faces the incredibly weak Chicago Bears.

Other Quarterback Options: Blake Bortles - 24% owned, Joe Flacco - 56% owned, Kirk Cousins - 14% owned

 

Week 4 Running Back Waiver Wire Pickups

Karlos Williams (RB, BUF) - 31% Owned on Fleaflicker

LeSean McCoy is stating that he may have to miss a game right now. That's huge for Karlos Williams. Although pegged as a back who didn't have a true role in the NFL and was more of a swiss-army-knife than a feature back, Williams has been playing well every week in fantasy. The Bills have clearly been fans of his goal line abilities, since they've given him one touchdown every week. He's broken off two big touchdown runs so far on limited carries - and although that's not going to be expected, he's looking like he's very good at what he does. The added ability to catch and block makes him a true three-down option this upcoming week - and if he shows up well, maybe he'll demand a bigger role in this offense moving forward. Either way, he's definitely taken up the part of the vulture, and need to be added off the Week 4 waiver wire.

Thomas Rawls (RB, SEA) - 4% Owned on Fleaflicker

For the first time in a long, long time - here is a Seahawks running back that has received a lot of positive off-season hype, and might actually pay off. Thomas Rawls was a UDFA that the Seahawks coaches just would not stop talking about over the off-season. His performances in training camp and the preseason were the catalyst that led to Robert Turbin and Christine Michael's releases, and both had their own hype trains over the last couple of years. Now, Rawls might get the chance to really show up with Marshawn Lynch injured. But in his first real game seeing NFL action, Rawls had 16 carries for 104 yards - a great show of efficiency, and he played far ahead of veteran Fred Jackson.

Other Running Back Options: Antonio Andrews - 5% owned, Dion Lewis - 65% owned, Lance Dunbar - 38% owned

 

Week 4 Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Pickups

Marvin Jones (WR, CIN) - 36% Owned on Fleaflicker

Sometimes you see a player on the waiver wire and you go, wait, what? What are they doing there? Marvin Jones is one of those players. Somehow he has less ownership than Rueben Randle, despite already breaking out just over a year ago. Finally healthy and regaining chemistry with Andy Dalton, Jones is coming off of two back-to-back weeks with touchdowns - and he could continue to be a significant part of this resurgent Bengals passing offense going forward as it keeps clicking. Small, fun fact - back when he broke out in 2013, Jones was amongst the league's best in fantasy points per snap.

Rishard Matthews (WR, MIA) - 23% Owned on Fleaflicker

There's always a great feeling that comes from picking a player with less than 5% ownership, watching them explode the following week, and then being able to write about that player again. After a six catch 115 yard game against Jacksonville, Matthews punched in another six catch / 113 yard game this week - and he added two touchdowns onto it. As of right now, he's the 6th highest scoring WR this week in a standard league. Matthews has become part of the main rotation for Ryan Tannehill's progressions and could still see his role grow in this offense as he becomes more accustomed to it. Keep in mind, the Dolphins haven't stopped talking him up for the past two years, so he may be here to stay for fantasy owners. Be sure to grab him off the Week 4 waiver wire if he's still available in your leagues.

Other Wide Receiver Options: Reuben Randle - 46% owned, Kenny Britt - 14% owned, Dorial Green-Beckham 42% owned

 

Week 4 Tight End Waiver Wire Pickups

Jordan Reed (TE, WAS) - 55% Owned on Fleaflicker

I don't know if Reed has just been ignored due to his heavy injury history, but he's always shown that when he's on the field he will produce. Well, that's what's been happening the last three weeks. Reed has yet to have a game under eight points in standard, and is averaging six receptions and 79 yards per game with one touchdown across three games. Those are solid, startable TE numbers - and doesn't even mention that Reed's amongst the highest targeted TEs in the league right now. Reed has already shown that he's able to have a big game when it's called upon him to, so there's a lot of upside to be had too. He should be owned across all leagues.

Other Tight End Options: Eric Ebron - 48% owned, Owen Daniels - 45% owned, Jared Cook - 25% owned

 

Week 4 Defense (D/ST) Waiver Wire Pickups

San Diego Chargers - 6% Owned on Fleaflicker

This isn't anyone's first choice as far as defenses go, but the Cleveland Browns aren't very good. With Josh McCown as the starter, the Cleveland Browns are basically a time bomb for a three interception game. The Chargers have one of the most underrated (and sort of underperforming) secondaries in the league with Brandon Flowers, Eric Weddle, and Jason Verrett all being either amongst the top of their positions, or on their way there. The Browns don't have a receiver that's scary enough to actually beat this defense - and although their run game can be very good, without a passing game they are not much of a threat to put up a big game. The floor here is high.

Other Defense (D/ST) Options: Dallas Cowboys - 13% Owned

 

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