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Andy breaks down his must add fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 4 of the 2026 NFL season. Add these players now off the waiver wire and win more.
RotoBaller drops our top fantasy football Week 4 waiver wire pickups for the 2026 season for RB, WR, TE, and QB. Week 3 of the NFL season brought many injuries to the fantasy landscape, including star running back De'Von Achane, who suffered a torn ACL, and Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield, who suffered a dislocated thumb and will miss 2-3 weeks.
This week's must-add fantasy football free agents are hand-picked to ensure you make the right picks to prepare you for the fantasy football championship. These are waiver wire winners heading into Week 4 for running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, and quarterbacks. Win more in 2026 with RotoBaller!
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2026 Fantasy Football: Week 4 Waiver Wire Adds
All Players are rostered in 60% or less in all Yahoo Leagues
Ollie Gordon II, RB, Miami Dolphins
The top waiver wire pickup of the week comes at the expense of Achane's season-ending injury. Once Achane exited Sunday's contest, the team leaned heavily on running back Ollie Gordon II. Gordon took 17 carries for 41 yards and a touchdown and brought in all three of his targets for another 14 yards.
It is worth noting that Jaylen Wright (who operated as a change-of-pace No. 2 from much of last season) was unable to play with a foot injury, which allowed Gordon to dominate the backfield. If Wright cannot suit up in Week 4, Gordon would take the bulk of the snaps and carry high-end FLEX value simply due to his volume.
Wright was listed as doubtful entering Sunday's game and was unlikely to suit up. Managers should watch his status during this week's practices; any sign of progress could slightly hinder Gordon's upside.
Gordon made his NFL debut last season and only averaged a modest 2.8 YPC on 70 attempts. While Wright seems poised to compete for the lead role when healthy, he has no clear timeline, which positions Gordon as a plug-and-play option with long-term upside in Week 4.
If you cannot acquire Gordon, Wright is a fine pivot option as he may eventually overtake Gordon for the lead role when healthy.
Ollie Gordon II Could See More Touches in Dolphins Backfield https://t.co/Ihec3iorae
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) September 28, 2026
Braelon Allen, RB, New York Jets
The other major backfield injury to note in Week 3 was to Breece Hall. Hall exited Sunday's game late with a thigh injury. However, the team did not provide further context at the time, and HC Aaron Glenn even said they would not have more information until Wednesday's practice.
However, on Monday, Ian Rapoport reported that Hall has been deemed week-to-week, opening the door for Allen to lead the backfield in the coming weeks.
Allen has been the clear No. 2 option behind Hall this season and would take on a third-down role, then the workhorse role. Through three weeks, Allen has taken 19 carries for 61 yards and a score. As a pass-catcher, he has brought in five targets for 11 yards.
Like Gordon, Allen could immediately profile as a viable RB2 if Hall misses time.
Keenan Allen, WR, Indianapolis Colts
With Alec Pierce on the IR, a veteran without Keenan Allen emerged as a key option in the Colts' passing attack. During their victory over the Texans, Allen drew a season-high nine targets and caught six of them for 63 yards and a touchdown. In the opening games, Allen drew just 11 targets and caught seven for a mere 37 yards.
While the veteran's starting value was low with Pierce on the field, he is now a top option for Daniel Jones, alongside Josh Downs and Tyler Warren. While Downs and Warren may possess more upside, Allen could provide weekly FLEX upside in PPR formats, especially if the Colts continue to play in positive game scripts.
Last season, despite his age-33 campaign, Allen caught 81 passes for 777 yards and four touchdowns.
Malik Washington, WR, Miami Dolphins
While Gordon may take much of the headlines from Miami this week, do not forget about wide receiver Malik Washington. With Caleb Douglas unable to play, Washington continued to emerge as a reliable option for Malik Willis. In their loss to the Chiefs, he saw 10 targets (season high) and caught five for 56 yards. He also took two carries on the ground.
Through three games, Washington has seen at least eight targets in two games and averaged four receptions per contest with 50.7 yards per game.
While Washington's ceiling will be capped due to his offensive surroundings, he does have some sneaky upside in PPR formats if you are unable to pick up Allen. His target share suggests he should remain a key part of this offense, especially now that they will be without Achane, who was heavily utilized on both the ground and through the air.
Kenyon Sadiq, TE, New York Jets
Kenyon Sadiq enjoyed a breakout game on Sunday afternoon. In their loss to the Lions, the rookie tight end caught his season-high seven receptions (on eight targets) for 105 yards and his first receiving touchdown. Through three games, the former Oregon standout has now found the back of the end zone twice (once with his legs and once through the air) and caught 12 passes (14 targets).
While Sadiq did see a large snap share with Mason Taylor (thumb) ruled out, the rookie may have proven that he is more than capable of taking the starting job. With his quarterback continuing to improve each week (more on him later), Sadiq can hold a viable low-end TE1 upside for the remainder of the season.
Kenyon Sadiq's FIRST career TD 👏@NYJvsDET on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/Hi0wg1aL4R— NFL (@NFL) September 27, 2026
Darren Waller, TE, Carolina Panthers
While his Week 2 appeared to be an optional outlier performance, Darren Waller proved that he is firmly on the weekly TE1 radar after his Week 3 effort. Facing the Browns, Waller drew eight targets and brought in five of them for 51 yards, which set season highs. While he had the benefit of seeing the field with Jalen Coker (who exited early), Waller took advantage and emerged as a primary target for Bryce Young.
In Week 2, Waller found the back of the end zone twice and totaled over 18.0 PPR points. With Cook potentially in danger of missing Week 4's contest against the Detroit Lions, Waller could have high-end streaming value facing one of the worst passing defenses in the sport and has just surrendered over 100 yards to the previously noted Sadiq.
Geno Smith, QB, New York Jets
The final name we will spotlight was not on the fantasy radar last season, but he has begun to rekindle some previous production in New York. Through three games back with the team that initially drafted him, Geno Smith has averaged 261 passing yards per game and tossed four passing scores. He enjoyed a "breakout" effort on Sunday, throwing for 321 yards and three scores against the Lions.
He has another plus matchup against the Chicago Bears, who have struggled to defend the pass this season, allowing the eighth-most passing yards per game. Smith has legit top-10 upside in Week 4 and is a top target for teams without Baker Mayfield or those who have had minimal production from their QB1, like Drake Maye or Justin Herbert.
Who Should I Pickup Tool
Trying to decide who to pick up off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool here:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to pickup...
Who Should I Pickup? Some common 2026 fantasy football waiver wire decisions are regarding players like Ollie Gordon II, Braelon Allen, Malik Washington, Keenan Allen, Darren Waller, Kenyon Sadiq, Geno Smith. But not to worry, we are here to help make these waiver wire decisions and build winning teams in 2026. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups in 2026. Our free Who Should I Pickup? tool will help make your fantasy football waiver wire decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to pick up... all free! Make the right decisions.
2026 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Ollie Gordon II, Braelon Allen, Malik Washington, Keenan Allen, Darren Waller, Kenyon Sadiq, Geno Smith. These are some common searches for 2026 fantasy football waiver wire pickups.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Pickup? button to see who the recommended waiver wire pickups are based on fantasy football rankings, projections, and more.
Recent Improvements For Who Should I Pickup? You may have noticed our Who Should I Pickup? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win on the waiver wire in 2026. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football waiver wire rankings and projections based on their research, and updates them constantly throughout the week. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked.
Popular Waiver Wire Searches. Curious to see some tough waiver wire decisions for 2026? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Pickup? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at. Click any of the links to see the results and recommendations.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2026 for Ollie Gordon II, Braelon Allen, Malik Washington, Keenan Allen, Darren Waller, Kenyon Sadiq, Geno Smith:
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