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Week 4 fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Rico Dowdle, Kyle Monangai, Brashard Smith. Read their waiver wire outlooks for fantasy football.
Three weeks into the fantasy season, we are starting to see more injuries pop up. There are still two weeks until we start getting teams on bye, so itis essential to scour the waiver wire now to find players who can contribute to your fantasy lineup when you need them most.
In Week 3, we saw significant running back injuries from the likes of James Conner, Najee Harris, and Tyrone Tracy Jr. Replacing those players with bench depth could be crucial as the season progresses.
Three players who had roles in their respective offenses in Week 3 were Rico Dowdle, Kyle Monangai, and Brashard Smith. Are any of them worth picking up in Week 4? Read below to find out.
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Rico Dowdle Fantasy Outlook
Rico Dowdle found his way to fantasy relevance in Week 3, handling 10 carries for 30 yards and a touchdown while adding one reception for eight yards. Dowdle finished as the RB23 on the week with 10.8 PPR points.
On one hand, it was encouraging to see Dowdle set a season-high in touches (11) and snap share (39.7%) with the Panthers. On the other hand, most of his production came in the fourth quarter of a blowout victory.
At this point, Dowdle is getting some work each week, but not enough to be fantasy relevant. He is a valuable handcuff given the lack of competition in the backfield if Chuba Hubbard misses time with an injury. He is a low-priority add in fantasy unless you have room on the bench for a long-term stash.
Kyle Monangai Fantasy Outlook
The Bears have been gradually incorporating seventh-round rookie Kyle Monangai into their offense to start the season. Monangai has back-to-back games with at least a 28% snap share and seven touches. He has yet to make a major impact on the offense, handling 13 carries for 44 yards and catching three of five targets for 23 yards.
Kyle Monangai attacks as a finisher. #DaBears pic.twitter.com/VLm5UGNo4u
— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) September 21, 2025
The expectation in Chicago was that, like other Ben Johnson teams, this would be a split backfield. That is still technically possible, but it hasn’t been true through the first three weeks of the season. Starting running back D’Andre Swift has handled 51% of the team’s carries, with Caleb Williams (19%) and Monangai (15.8%) well behind him.
At this point, Monangai has established himself as the RB2 behind Swift in Chicago’s offense, as he’s the only other running back with touches in the backfield. However, that role has yet to provide any value in fantasy football.
Chicago’s rushing attack has been lackluster to start the season, regardless of who is handling the ball. Monangai needs an injury from D’Andre Swift to be appealing in fantasy as a volume-based FLEX option until things stabilize.
Brashard Smith Fantasy Outlook
There was some hype over the summer regarding Chiefs' seventh-round pick Brashard Smith. Smith, a converted wide receiver in college, was seen as an explosive weapon that Kansas City could leverage out of the backfield as their passing-down back thanks to his explosiveness (4.39 40-yard dash).
Instead, fantasy managers who took a flier on the rookie in the final rounds of their draft have undoubtedly been disappointed. Through three weeks, Smith has handled just three carries for 15 yards and two targets with zero receptions. He is well behind Isiah Pacheco (31 opportunities) and Kareem Hunt (28 opportunities) in the backfield pecking order.
Of all the players on this list, Smith is the most intriguing going forward. For one, we know that he has pass-catching ability based on his college background. Neither Pacheco (six targets) nor Hunt (five targets) can say that at this stage in their careers. Additionally, Smith adds a speed component to the backfield as well.
There is almost no chance that Smith ever becomes a volume-based workhorse back, given his lack of size. However, if he can secure a role as the third-down/pass-catching back, then he can have fantasy value.
If you are looking for a player with massive upside in fantasy, Smith is worth placing on your bench. However, if you are navigating injuries and need immediate production, it is probably better to avoid him on the waiver wire in favor of players who can actually provide scoring in the short term.
Who Should I Pickup Tool
Trying to decide who to pick up off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool here:
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Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2025 for Kyle Monangai, Brashard Smith, and Rico Dowdle:
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