Fantasy Football Buy-Lows? Unlucky Star Players (Week 4)

October 2, 2026

John's fantasy football buy-lows, breakouts, trade candidates to target for Week 4 in 2026. These unlucky players are underperforming early for fantasy football.

Unlike the Week 3 Bold Predictions article written by yours truly, the previous edition of the Fantasy Football Buy-Low recommendation piece had two big hits -- Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London and Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams.

Both of them still had pretty solid values heading into Week 3, but there was at least a chance you could grab one of them for a good price. They both had excellent games last week, easily outproducing their yardage (through the air for London and on the ground for Williams) from the first two games combined.

As the season goes on, it becomes more difficult to hit on buy-low offers because you're hoping to catch a short stretch of abnormally low-scoring games as part of a broader trend. You want your opponent to think their star player is a bust. So who are five buy-low candidates ahead of Week 4 in fantasy football?

Kyle Pitts Sr., TE, Atlanta Falcons

Pitts definitely hasn't lived up to his pre-draft expectations. His rookie season was productive thanks to quarterback Matt Ryan, who was still a productive passer at the time and more than capable of supporting a high-end fantasy football pass-catcher.

pic.twitter.com/WwHpyZC8q7

— Performances (@NotPerformances) December 12, 2025

Pitts' game in Week 15 showed what he's capable of when he faces one of the worst defenses in the NFL, as they had their worst game of the season. Still, his production has been shockingly awful this year -- just four total PPR fantasy points through three games.

He's only caught two passes all year for a total of 20 yards. But his starting quarterback, Michael Penix Jr., is back now. Penix's favorite target is wide receiver London, and we saw that in Week 3, when he caught nine passes for 194 yards, which was the most yards gained in a single game by a pass-catcher all this season.

One-handed grab behind the back? 😱 @kylepitts__ #NationalTightEndsDay

📺: #ATLvsTB on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/iTs8HMaXlh pic.twitter.com/oo6s0JUsxU

— NFL (@NFL) October 22, 2023

Pitts' averages with Penix playing are under eight PPR fantasy points per game. That's not very good. So this is a pretty bold prediction. But Pitts still is getting a lot of playing time, and eventually, the targets should come.

Tucker Kraft, TE, Green Bay Packers

Kraft was poised to be a breakout fantasy football star at his position last season before an unfortunate injury cut his season short. He tore his ACL in Week 9 of last season, just one game after absolutely detonating for 33.3 PPR fantasy points in Week 8.

He didn't miss any games this season, but he hasn't returned to anything like his old production. That's probably because he's still recovering from the ACL tear. Though he's been targeted 17 times in three games so far, he has yet to eclipse 10 PPR fantasy points in a contest.

Tucker Kraft has reached 100 receiving yards this season

Season Stats:
9 Rec | 106 Yds

Pace: 601 Yds | 0 TD | 51 Rec#GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/eR2DMDt8Dv

— PaceBall (@paceball__) September 25, 2026

We don't care nearly as much about production for players in situations like his as we care about usage. His usage is excellent. He played a whopping 98 percent of his team's offensive snaps in Week 2, followed by a more tepid but still solid 76 percent in Week 3.

Both of those were improvements from his sub-70 percent rate in Week 1. We'll see his productivity go up as he gets healthier. Additionally, wide receiver Jayden Reed (neck), a big part of this offense, is now out for the season, making an already somewhat thin pass-catching corps even thinner.

Kraft will be asked to do a lot for this offense when he's healthy, and should put up some monster games down the stretch. Now is a good time to buy low on him.

George Pickens, WR, Dallas Cowboys

Through three games, Pickens, who was selected in the second round of drafts in fantasy football redraft leagues this year, ranks as the WR38 in PPR fantasy points per game. That's hardly something you can expect to continue.

His first two games have dragged down his production in a big way. While he was targeted 14 times, which is a healthy rate, he made just nine catches for 68 yards. Seven grabs for 82 receiving yards in Week 3 helped his case, but he hasn't scored a touchdown yet, either.

GEORGE PICKENS. WOW.

PHIvsDAL on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/ZcmA7vSMIH

— NFL (@NFL) November 24, 2025

We shouldn't forget so quickly what he did last season. NFL defenses are paying more attention to him in coverage, and as a result, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb has had a monster start to the season. But that could change quickly.

Pickens is an elite downfield threat capable of making some of the best contested catches you'll ever see watching football. He's also a solid route runner, though he's not as crisp as Lamb. His hands are fantastic -- he was rock-solid at hanging on to passes last season while Lamb struggled with drops.

2025 George Pickens. pic.twitter.com/OVgrBFy2Vi

— Football Performances (@NFLPerformances) August 5, 2026

There's a nice window here, as the Cowboys will play the tough Houston Texans defense in Week 4. But Pickens could explode at any moment, so the best time to buy is as soon as possible.

D'Andre Swift, RB, Chicago Bears

We saw in Week 1 the power of an offense crafted by Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson. The Bears have faced two tougher defenses since then, though. They took on the Minnesota Vikings in the rain in Week 2 and the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3.

Understandably, their offense wasn't quite as explosive in those two games. Bears running back D'Andre Swift (knee) is currently dealing with a knee injury. He didn't practice on Thursday. Games against softer defenses lie ahead, in which Swift should perform better than he has in the last two games, especially once healthy.

D'Andre Swift has reached 200 rushing yards this season

Season Stats:
34 Car | 253 Rush Yds | 3 Rush TD

Pace: 1,434 Rush Yds | 17 Rush TD#DaBears pic.twitter.com/cppYG1ifc9

— PaceBall (@paceball__) September 29, 2026

Swift is still shifty and has excellent acceleration and top speed. He's in a bit of a committee backfield, but is clearly the more talented between him and RB Kyle Monangai, his backup. Bears starting quarterback Caleb Williams (hamstring) is dealing with a hamstring injury, though his backup might be better for the offense than he is.

Swift's lukewarm two games against tough defenses and his current injury may be enough for you to get him for cheap in one of your leagues. It's a good idea, as he's been reasonably involved as a pass-catcher, especially in Week 2, when he caught five of his six targets for 54 yards.

Targets are insanely valuable for running backs in PPR leagues. Go get Swift wherever you can.

Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts

You may think it's silly to write about one of the best running backs in football and a perennial top-5 RB in fantasy football (when healthy) in a buy-low article. But Taylor didn't quite get to double-digit PPR fantasy points in Week 3. You could trade a player or players with serious red flags for him and benefit.

For example, you could offload Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice and add a high-end running back on top in hopes of acquiring Taylor in a package deal.

JONATHAN TAYLOR 80-YARD HOUSE CALL!

TENvsIND on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/6pVfiMe3kX

— NFL (@NFL) October 26, 2025

Even if you feel like you have to overpay by giving up multiple players for him, you can't pass up an opportunity to get him, no matter how much you think their manager will laugh at you. Even buying kind-of-high-but-not-super-high on a player like Taylor should be considered a buy-low considering his upside, which is that of the No. 1 overall running back in fantasy football.

When players like Taylor go through a cold slump, managers shouldn't wait long to buy at a reduced cost.

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