Welcome to the post-Week 3 installment of the Waiver Wire weekly series for the 2016 fantasy football season. Week 2 was filled with a seemingly infinite amount of injury landmines, which led to quite a lot of tough calls heading into Week 3. While this week didn’t yield many injuries, we still saw names like Russell Wilson, Jeremy Langford and Dez Bryant get banged up, and of course there were plenty of players who saw their stocks change with their respective performances. Let’s check in on players that are owned in roughly 40% of leagues or less, so that you can make an educated decision about who to add to your squad.

Please note that Green Bay and Philadelphia have byes in Week 4. Be sure to also check out our weekly rankings and analysis columns, with in-depth analysis for all options heading into Week 4.

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Quarterbacks - Week 4 Waiver Wire Options

Carson Wentz (QB, PHI) – 36% Owned

I know, I know. I just typed out that Philadelphia has a bye this week. Well, that should alert you to how well Wentz has played. All he's done is lead the Eagles to a 3-0 start, and if you’ve been playing him as your QB then you may very well also find yourself to be 3-0. Week 3 saw him turn in his first career 300-yard start, as he connected on 23 of his 31 pass attempts for 301 yards and two TDs. Not only has he effectively moved the ball, but he has no interceptions to his name as an NFL quarterback. He heads into Philadelphia’s bye week on a high, and should be ready to feast on Detroit and Washington in Weeks 5 and 6 when he returns to action. One will want to have a backup for his Week 7 matchup against the Vikings though.

Trevor Siemian (QB, DEN) – 16% Owned

Siemian hadn’t exactly lit the world on fire in his first two pro starts, but a successful ground game didn’t really call for him to. He had tallied only one TD and three INTs in those first two matchups against the Panthers and the Colts, but the rookie absolutely balled out in his first road game against the Bengals on Sunday. He totaled 312 yards and four TDs with zero turnovers when all was said and done, and guess who he has on tap? A matchup against a funnel-like Tampa Bay defense that just made the 2016 Rams look like the 1999 Rams. Not bad.

Sam Bradford (QB, MIN) – 28% Owned

Bradford’s Week 3 wasn’t anything special, as he crawled through the first half against Carolina before going 14-for-17 in the second half. The Vikings are now 3-0, and while much is that is due to their defense, this is still a passing attack that popped off in Week 2 against Green Bay (286 yards, 2 TDs). And now they get to tangle with a Giants defense that just got skewered in by the Redskins, and saw two of their starting DBs go down with injuries (Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Eli Apple). Minnesota likely won’t be able to get much going with their rushing game against NYG’s stout line, leaving it on Bradford’s arm to win.

Jimmy Garoppolo* (QB, NE) – 15% Owned­

As of Sept. 25, the latest word is that Garoppolo is progressing toward being ready for Week 4 against the Bills, though this is no lock of course. Jimmy G’s injury-shortened Week 2 performance saw him go 18-for-27 for 234 yards and three TDs in only 25 minutes of play before he suffered a sprained AC joint. While the Bills aren’t an “easy” defense, they certainly can be touched up by a team that is led by one of the greatest schemers of all time in Bill Belichick, with Jimmy benefiting at the helm.

 

Running Backs - Week 4 Waiver Wire Options

DeAndre Washington (RB, OAK) – 38% Owned

Washington ripped off 57 yards on only six rushes in Oakland’s Week 3 tilt against Tennessee, as he continues to show off big-play potential while trudging through the Raiders’ three-man RB rotation. His value isn’t huge yet, but if Latavius Murray goes down then Washington could become a huge playmaker for Oakland.

Dwayne Washington (RB, DET) – 26% Owned

Washington didn’t have a great statline by any means in Week 3, totaling 38 yards on 10 carries (and a catch that netted -3 yards), but those who watched the game saw how much better he looked than Theo Riddick when running the ball. It isn’t Washington’s fault that Detroit had a lot of ground to make up quickly against Green Bay, as he really wasn’t utilized until late. Detroit will hopefully recognize his strengths and feed him more in what should be a great matchup against the Bears in Week 4.

Jordan Howard (RB, CHI) – 21% Owned

While most might look at the box score and think that Howard only ended up with a decent game due to Jeremy Langford’s injury, Howard and Langford had 10 snaps each at halftime before Langford went down. Howard carried the ball nine times for 45 yards and also tallied 47 receiving yards on four catches. Langford was reportedly seen in a boot in the locker room after the game, though one has to think that Howard would earn the lion’s share of snaps in Week 4 against Detroit due to his performance lately.

Wendell Smallwood (RB, PHI) – 11% Owned

The Eagles have a bye in Week 4, but no fantasy should let Smallwood’s solid Week 3 performance in relief of the dinged-up Ryan Mathews go by. Smallwood carried the rock 17 times for 79 yards and a strong touchdown against the Steelers, and may have earned himself some more carries even when Mathews is healthy as Philadelphia may look to scale back Mathews’ workload to keep him fresh all season long. Philly is 3-0 and will be likely be thinking about the bigger picture moving forward. Kenjon Barner (eight carries for 42 yards and a TD) also saw some work, but shouldn’t be much of a fantasy factor moving forward behind Mathews, Smallwood and Darren Sproles.

Orleans Darkwa (RB, NYG) – 3% Owned

Should Rashad Jennings’ thumb injury turn out to be long-term at all, then it appears as though Darkwa would be the main beneficiary in the Giants backfield. He rushed for 53 yards and a TD on 10 carries, notably getting the goal-line look after Shane Vereen put the pigskin on the ground, an action that is commonly frowned upon by coaches. With the news that Mr. Vereen is now done for the year with a triceps injury, Darkwa and even Paul Perkins (14% Owned) have some intrigue. The real winner as far as getting Vereen's passing-down work might be Bobby Rainey (2% Owned), who caught one of his two targets for 24 yards in Week 3. Darkwa would make for a TD-dependent flex option against a stout Vikings front in Week 4 should Jennings miss another game.

 

Wide Receivers - Week 4 Waiver Wire Options

Anquan Boldin (WR, DET) – 41% Owned

Boldin remains a TD-dependent play, but in Lions offense that can really sling the ball, his TD odds are about as good as they’re going to get for a soon-to-be 36-year-old receiver. He’s seen target totals of seven and six over the last two games, respectively, which certainly isn’t the worst. While he’s unlikely to top 100 yards in a game, the sure-handed veteran could still provide flex value in standard leagues with a soft matchup against the Bears in Week 4 on deck.

Steve Smith Sr. (WR, BAL) – 31% Owned

“Smiff” caught eight of 11 targets for 87 yards against the Jaguars in Week 3, as he is clearly still a very capable receiver on a team that doesn’t really have a rushing attack to bank on. That means lots of passing, which means plenty of opportunity for he and Mike Wallace alike. Baltimore will battle the Raiders in a home matchup in Week 4, which could easily turn into a shootout with plenty of points to go around.

Kenny Stills (WR, MIA) – 25% Owned

Stills turned eight targets into five catches for 76 yards in what turned into a surprising slugfest between two rather poor teams on Sunday. While consistency will be an issue for Stills given his lack of red-zone involvement, the fact that the Dolphins defense can’t really stop anyone means that there should be plenty of volume to go around for Miami’s pass-catchers.

Ted Ginn (WR, CAR) – 23% Owned

Ginn was just barely tripped up on his way to a big TD in Week 3, but still caught three balls (on seven targets) for 62 yards on Sunday. He’s a known commodity at this point, a boom-or-bust WR who thrives on the deep ball. The reasoning for this is that he, and Carolina, are about run through the NFC South with consecutive matchups against the Falcons, Bucs and Saints in the next three weeks. Those are three defenses that have been burned pretty regularly in the early going, making him a decent home-run play.

Terrelle Pryor (WR, CLE) – 23% Owned

Pryor is unlikely to top this performance this season, but let’s face it, he stepped up and did a little bit of everything in a game where Cleveland was absolutely strapped for weapons. He saw 14 targets as a receiver, catching eight of them for 144 yards while also completing three passes for 35 yards and chipping in 21 rushing yards on four totes. It’ll be interesting to see how Pryor’s role shakes out moving forward, especially when Josh Gordon is activated in Week 5, but for now he’ll likely see quite a bit of Josh Norman in Week 4. That said, the Browns may need his versatility yet again and move him around so much that he can provide a healthy floor thanks to pure volume in all facets of the offense.

Cole Beasley (WR, DAL) – 21% Owned

Beasley continued to be Dak Prescott’s slot-man safety valve in Week 3, converting all seven of his targets into receptions for 73 yards. While he hasn’t found paydirt yet, he has recorded 65-75 yards in each of his first three games on at least five catches as he has provided solid PPR value for savvy fantasy owners. It’s likely that PPR formats make up more than 21% of leagues, meaning that there some of you out there that should be adding him for a Week 4 tilt against the 49ers.

Jamison Crowder (WR, WAS) – 15% Owned

Crowder was talked up as a nice Week 3 option after Josh Doctson was ruled out, as he’s now tallied at least seven targets in each of Washington’s first three games. He’s caught a TD in their last two contests, with his latest score coming on a beautiful 55-yard romp where he turned a short screen into six points. He’s earned a lot of trust from the coaches and from Kirk Cousins, and shouldn’t be going away as a solid PPR option this season.

(Why is Calvin Johnson owned in 11% of leagues? Really?)

Adam Humphries (WR, TB) – 4% Owned

Tampa Bay’s slot man saw a whopping 12 targets in Week 3, and has steadily seen his workload increase as the season has worn on. His growth has actually been eerily consistent, turning in lines of 3-34, 6-67 and 9-100 in Weeks 1-3. At this rate, he should catch 12 balls for 133 yards in Week 4, but that jokey math doesn’t appear likely against a tough Denver defense. Still, Humphries has shown himself to be a reliable PPR option until Tampa Bay’s defense shows that it can keep them in games.

 

Tight Ends - Week 4 Waiver Wire Options

Zach Miller (TE, CHI) – 49% Owned

Just a quick note, as he’s nearly owned in half of Fleaflicker leagues, but Miller was the clear beneficiary of Chicago playing in catch-up mode on Sunday night. He caught two third-quarter TDs to go along with 78 yards on eight catches in all. While that volume total is unlikely to remain consistent, hopefully this will serve as a reminder to Jay Cutler (when he returns) that Miller is a great red-zone option to hit.

Jack Doyle (TE, IND) – 31% Owned

This is what it’s come to, huh? Jack Doyle appears to have emerged as a serious and sustainable weapon for Andrew Luck and the Colts, catching all six of his Week-3 targets for 65 yards on Sunday. He’s outdoing Dwayne Allen and the Colts appear comfortable rolling out their two-TE set anyhow, harkening back to last season when it was Allen and Coby Fleener. Performance pays the bills and usually generates further opportunity, so Doyle makes for a nice deep-league play in Week 4 against the Jaguars before a Week 5 matchup against the beat-up Bears defense.

Hunter Henry (TE, SD) – 14% Owned

While a lot of people are going to see this and visualize his fumble at the end of San Diego’s Week 3 tilt, this is still a guy who caught all five of his targets for 76 yards. Starting in relief of the injured Antonio Gates, Henry should have at least two more starts ahead of him if the initial reports on Gates hold. That would put Henry in line to square up against the Saints and Raiders next, two teams that make for beautiful tight-end matchups.

Cameron Brate (TE, TB) – 8% Owned

With Austin Seferian-Jenkins waived and run-blocker Luke Stocker injured, Cameron Brate and Brandon Myers were the only two options at TE for Tampa Bay in Week 3. Myers is much more of a blocker, which meant that Brate ended up with a fantastic opportunity in what turned into an absurd shootout against the Rams. While the Bucs have a tough matchup against the Broncos at home next (and then @CAR in Week 5 before their bye), Brate’s opportunity could yield enough volume for him to be matchup-proof. His 10 targets on Sunday are a great first step, as well as being a clear red-zone target.

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