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Jackson Sparks' deeper-league waiver wire sleepers for Week 4 (2024). His top free agent sleepers for 14-team fantasy football leagues or deeper.
With three weeks of NFL action under wraps, this year's matchup data is starting to mean something, but we're a few weeks away from getting the big picture. As always in deep leagues, the waiver wire starts to thin out with each week, but there are still plenty of players to target or stash ahead of Week 4. This is the last week before byes begin, so next week, we'll focus a lot more on streaming options.
The top waiver wire adds are often obvious for traditional 10 and 12-team leagues, but a larger pool of players is in consideration in leagues of 14 people or more. Some of these Week 4 deeper-league waiver wire suggestions could have value right away, while others are simply bench stashes that could help your fantasy team in the future.
We won't cover chalk waiver wire pickups for shallower leagues like DeAndre Hopkins, Jauan Jennings, and Bucky Irving. Without further ado, here are the top deeper league waiver wire targets for Week 4, including Emanuel Wilson, Kareem Hunt, Jalen Nailor, Braelon Allen, Andy Dalton, Wan'Dale Robinson, and more.
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Running Back Waiver Wire Targets For Deep Leagues
Rico Dowdle was dirt cheap in drafts this year despite the chance he would become the clear RB1 for the Cowboys. Although he didn't produce a big fantasy outing in Week 3 against the Ravens, he led the backfield with 13 running back opportunities (carries plus targets) compared to Ezekiel Elliott's five opportunities. As Dallas continues to realize Zeke is a shell of his former self, Dowdle could continue to take command of the running back duties.
Braelon Allen has totaled 124 yards and two touchdowns on 23 touches over the last two weeks. In deep leagues, that automatically makes him a must-roster option. Some fantasy managers are hesitant to add backup running backs, but he has clear standalone value and could be a legitimate fantasy RB1 if Breece Hall has to miss any time this season.
Emanuel Wilson is locked into the RB2 job in Green Bay behind Josh Jacobs, at least as long as MarShawn Lloyd remains on Injured Reserve. Against a solid Tennessee defensive front on Sunday, Wilson rushed 12 times for 50 yards and caught two passes for 35 yards and a touchdown. The young back appears to have real juice, and he figures to get involved behind Jacobs moving forward after a career showing.
Keep that ball!
Emanuel Wilson scores his first NFL TD 🙌
📺: #GBvsTEN – Sunday on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/0TW8INVcwc— NFL (@NFL) September 22, 2024
Justice Hill has hauled in at least two passes in each game through Week 3. That's not quite enough to make him a flex consideration, but if and when the Ravens are trailing, he'll be called upon to do some damage in that role. Derrick Henry has improved as a pass-catcher, but Hill is the preferred option in obvious passing situations.
Samaje Perine rushed six times for 25 yards and caught three of his four targets for 15 yards in the first game without Isiah Pacheco (leg) on Sunday Night Football. He looked like the clear passing-down back in Week 3, and after Carson Steele looked just "okay" as a runner, he could get a few more early-down touches moving forward. It's tough to trust Perine in your starting lineup, but he's worth an end-of-the-bench roster spot.
Tyler Allgeier outrushed Bijan Robinson 32 to 31 in Week 3 despite Robinson seeing nine more carries. Will this trend continue? It's unlikely. However, it's important to remember that Allgeier was a 1,000-yard rusher as a rookie before Robinson arrived, and most would agree he's at least an above-average ball carrier. He's a high-end handcuff running back who would be a must-start option in a potential Robinson absence.
Antonio Gibson has averaged a whopping 6.2 yards per carry through his first 23 rushes in New England, and he's hauled in all four of his targets for 15 yards. Rhamondre Stevenson looked impressive to start the year before a letdown game on Thursday Night Football against the New York Jets, but he'll likely remain the clear RB1. However, Gibson has the pass-catching chops to be a fantasy factor if he's pushed into a more meaningful role.
Roschon Johnson saw 13 running back opportunities in Week 3, the second most of his young career. Johnson began the season as a healthy scratch, but now that Travis Homer is on IR, it looks like Chicago wants to get him involved. D'Andre Swift continues to struggle as an early-down runner, so the 225-pound Johnson could be on his way to taking over that role.
Jaylen Wright has not gotten out to a hot start. He's rushed seven times for 21 yards over the last two weeks and has not seen a target. However, if Tua Tagovailoa comes back this year, the Miami offense could climb its way out of the basement, and since Miami's running back room is oft-injured, Wright remains a deep-league stash for fantasy managers who are hurting at running back.
Kareem Hunt is likely going to need a few weeks to get into game shape, but Carson Steele and Samaje Perine weren't all that impressive with their enhanced roles against the Falcons, so there's an off-chance Kansas City feels a sense of urgency to expedite the process of activating Hunt.
Trey Benson is not a fantasy factor yet, but James Conner has never played a full season in his career, so it won't be a surprise if Benson enters the RB1 role in Arizona for at least a few weeks this year. When or if Conner gets banged up, it will be extremely tough to acquire Benson. Stash him now instead.
Ray Davis would have at least RB2 upside if James Cook gets injured, making him a top-10 handcuff option. At the very least, he would handle early-down work in Buffalo's run-heavy attack.
Isaac Guerendo is the next back on the 49ers depth chart behind Jordan Mason, and although Christian McCaffrey could return as soon as Week 5, his Achilles injury could stick with him all year. Guerendo is probably a 16-plus-team-league option, but he's worth at least monitoring.
Blake Corum has surprisingly been uninvolved this year, but the team drafted him on Day 2 as "Kyren Williams insurance", so it would be a shocker if he doesn't earn any kind of role at all in his rookie season. Williams is averaging 3.0 yards per carry, and he spent time on the Injured Reserve list in 2022 and 2023. If you have a roster spot available and are desperate for late-season lottery tickets, Corum could be that guy.
Keaton Mitchell is unlikely to be activated until midseason, but the explosive second-year man could get involved in the offense behind Derrick Henry as soon as he's back. Pick him up and stash him in your IR spot.
Note: Any direct backup running back, especially one in a good offense, should be considered a bench stash in deep leagues.
Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Targets For Deep Leagues
Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker each had a great showing in the Raiders' losing effort against the Carolina Panthers. Both wideouts caught seven of their nine targets and scored a touchdown. It would be a surprise if either becomes a weekly startable option alongside Davante Adams and Brock Bowers, but their performances cannot be totally ignored in deep setups.
Jalen Nailor has a touchdown in each game this season, and although that's highly unlikely to continue, he's all of a sudden a top option in one of the league's best passing offenses led by Sam Darnold. Yeah, you read that right. Even when Jordan Addison (ankle) comes back, Nailor has desperation flex value, but the return of T.J. Hockenson (knee) could mark an end to Nailor's fantasy value. Still, he's playing too well right now not to consider picking him up.
Wan'Dale Robinson is trending toward "must-roster" territory in deep PPR leagues. The third-year pro out of Kentucky has hauled in 14 of his 25 targets this year. Only 14 NFL wideouts had more targets than him after Sunday's slate of games.
Jahan Dotson and Johnny Wilson could be full-time players in Week 4 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who were just embarrassed by the Denver Broncos. A.J. Brown (knee) might miss another week, and DeVonta Smith (concussion) is almost certainly going to miss Week 4 after taking a nasty hit to the head. Dallas Goedert likely benefits the most here, but one of Dotson or Wilson will have to earn targets.
Brandin Cooks and Jalen Tolbert are probably going to alternate as the team's WR2 behind CeeDee Lamb all year. The Dallas defense has looked porous to begin 2024, meaning Dak Prescott will likely be playing in "come-from-behind" mode often. This means more pass attempts and more potential fantasy opportunities for Cooks and Tolbert.
Dak to Tolbert! The Cowboys are still in this one.
📺: #BALvsDAL on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/qUPPhuYtDP— NFL (@NFL) September 22, 2024
Demario Douglas was not happy with his usage in Week 1 or 2, and the team made it a point to feed him the ball in the Week 3 loss to the New York Jets. The second-year pro caught seven of his nine targets for 69 yards. As a part of arguably the weakest wideout group in the NFL, he could become a legitimate target hog moving forward.
Michael Wilson caught just three passes (one for a touchdown) in Weeks 1 and 2 combined but hauled in eight of his nine looks for 64 yards in Sunday's loss to the Detroit Lions. With much of the defensive attention on Marvin Harrison Jr., Wilson could become somewhat of a reliable target for Kyler Murray. Tight end Trey McBride is being evaluated for a concussion, and if he can't play in Week 4 against the horrendous Commanders' secondary, Wilson is a solid deep-league flex consideration.
Tutu Atwell seemed to be the forgotten man in the L.A. wide receiver room, but he led the team in targets (five), receptions (four), and receiving yards (93) in the win over the 49ers in Week 4. Demarcus Robinson, Tyler Johnson, and Jordan Whittington remain on the fantasy football radar, but Atwell has been with the organization the longest and could be the true beneficiary of Cooper Kupp (ankle) and Puka Nacua (knee) being out of action.
Josh Downs made his 2024 season debut on Sunday and tied Michael Pittman Jr. for the team lead in targets with five. Anthony Richardson continues to struggle as a passer, but he's not afraid to take deep shots, and Downs could be the recipient of said deep shots down the road.
Adam Thielen and Xavier Legette have new life with veteran QB Andy Dalton under center. Thielen suffered a hamstring injury in Sunday's win, but he caught three of his five targets for 40 yards and a score before exiting. If he can't go next week, Legette could operate as the team's WR2 behind Diontae Johnson.
UPDATE: Thielen has been placed on Injured Reserve, sidelining him for at least the next four games.
Tight End Waiver Wire Targets For Deep Leagues
Taysom Hill missed the game against the Philadelphia Eagles due to injury, and the New Orleans' offense was limited to just 12 points after a monster first two weeks of the season. No, Hill isn't the only reason the unit struggled, but the Saints value his role on offense, and he still has spike week upside as a runner and receiver with tight-end eligibility. He could return to action this week.
Tyler Conklin was a preseason sleeper as the return of Aaron Rodgers was anticipated, but many fantasy managers likely gave up on him after two weeks. On Thursday night, he hauled in five receptions for 93 yards. The tight end position as a whole is unreliable on a weekly basis, but Conklin's Week 3 performance makes him worth streaming in favorable matchups moving forward.
"Tyler Conklin is a dawg man. He deserves everything what's about to come his way, cause the world doesn't know. He didn't do some extraordinarily thing tonight, that's just Tyler. That's how he balls, & he has a lot more to give."- Garrett Wilson#Jets pic.twitter.com/OyZDxRVtPo
— Harrison Glaser (@NYJetsTFMedia) September 20, 2024
Tucker Kraft has played more snaps than any Green Bay running back, wide receiver, or tight end so far. Jordan Love could return to the lineup in Week 4, and when he does come back, Kraft has touchdown upside. He has supplanted Luke Musgrave as the lead tight end for the Packers.
Colby Parkinson tied Tutu Atwell for the team lead in targets (five) on Sunday, and as unproductive as tight ends have been to start the year, that's enough to keep him firmly on the fantasy football radar.
Noah Fant caught all six of his targets for 60 yards against the Miami Dolphins and heads into a matchup with the mediocre Detroit Lions' secondary in Week 4 on Monday Night Football. As stated previously, tight ends are underwhelming, so he has a chance to post TE1 numbers any week.
Brock Wright will earn the starting nod against the Seahawks on Monday if Sam LaPorta (ankle) has to miss time. Although Wright isn't a star, his presence in a strong offense gives him plenty of upside at the TE spot.
Quarterback Waiver Wire Targets For Deep Leagues/Superflex Leagues
Sam Darnold is somehow still available in most leagues despite his explosive start to the season. The former No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft has thrown for at least two touchdowns in all three games this year, and he tossed four touchdowns against Houston on Sunday. Fire him up against Green Bay this week if the quarterback you drafted is off to a slow start.
Justin Fields acted as a game manager in his first two starts with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he tossed for 245 yards and scored two total touchdowns in Week 3. Although his floor isn't as high as you would hope, he has QB1 upside against the Colts in Week 4.
Daniel Jones is generally viewed as a poor "real-life QB", but he's had a better start to the season in fantasy football than most realize. Over his last two games, he's scored 37.7 fantasy points and thrown for two touchdowns in each contest. Malik Nabers gives Danny Dimes a legitimate WR1, so don't be shocked if he has more spike weeks, especially if he finds the end zone on the ground. He faces Dallas on Thursday night this week, and the Cowboys have been poor against QBs to begin the year.
Andy Dalton became the first quarterback to throw for at least 300 yards and pass for three touchdowns this season in his first start of the year against the Las Vegas Raiders. That said, the Bengals aren't a favorable matchup for quarterbacks, so he can likely be benched in Week 4 in non-Superflex leagues.
A perfect TD pass from @andydalton14 🎯
📺: #CARvsLV on CBS/Paramount
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/2XXFJuVoYc— NFL (@NFL) September 22, 2024
Gardner Minshew II is averaging 33 passing attempts per game as the Raiders' rushing attack and defense continue to struggle. With passing volume and a supporting cast featuring Davante Adams, Brock Bowers, Michael Mayer, and Jakobi Meyers, you can do worse than Minshew as a desperation starter in favorable matchups.
Bo Nix has led the Broncos in rushing yards (107) and rushing touchdowns (two) through the first three games of his career. If he can improve as a passer deeper into his rookie campaign, there is a recipe for fantasy success here.
Backup Quarterbacks To Stash For Two-QB/Superflex Leagues
- Drake Maye, Patriots
- Jameis Winston, Browns
- Drew Lock, Giants
- Michael Penix Jr., Falcons
- Mason Rudolph, Titans
- Tyrod Taylor, Jets
- Joe Flacco, Colts
- Malik Willis, Packers
- Aidan O'Connell, Raiders
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