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Dan's top quarterback Week 4 fantasy pickups (2025). The best QB fantasy waiver wire pickups to add and Week 4 QB streamers for 1QB, 2QB and superflex leagues.
Week 3 wasn’t the most explosive week for fantasy teams, but there were some impressive performances from quarterbacks across the league. Five different quarterbacks scored at least 20.0 fantasy points, headlined by Caleb Williams (29.1) and Jalen Hurts (29.0). We even saw a backup quarterback (Marcus Mariota).
There weren’t any major quarterback injuries in Week 3 (thankfully), and some of the backups that gave us fantasy relevance in Week 3 will likely head back to the bench. Still, there are plenty of under-rostered players who can make an impact in your fantasy lineup in Week 4 and beyond.
In this article, I will focus on players under 65% rostered in fantasy leagues while adding a couple of deep sleepers for two-quarterback leagues (less than 25% rostered). Let’s look at who you should consider picking up for Week 3 below. All roster percentages will be from Yahoo fantasy leagues.
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Single-QB Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers
Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders - 28% rostered
Week 3 gave us the full Geno Smith experience in fantasy. The Raiders were down big to the Washington Commanders in the game, forcing Smith to attack down the field for big chunk plays. Smith responded by throwing for 289 yards and three touchdowns on just 19 completions, scoring 28.0 fantasy points in the process.
The Raiders tie up the game with a Tre Tucker touchdown. 😏
(🎥: @NFL)pic.twitter.com/8jjC9AChZV
— theScore Bet (@theScoreBet) September 21, 2025
The veteran quarterback has had at least 17.0 fantasy points in two of his three starts, with his lone poor performance coming against the Chargers’ defense. He will have a chance to have another strong game against the Bears' secondary.
Chicago’s defense had a strong showing against Dak Prescott in Week 3, but they have an offense that can score points and a secondary that is banged up. It is another perfect recipe for a big game.
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams – 31% rostered
Nobody will confuse the current version of the Rams’ offense with the high-flying unit from years ago. However, Matthew Stafford is still capable of providing a steady floor for fantasy managers.
Stafford has attempted at least 29 passes in all three of the Rams’ games this season. He’s thrown two passing touchdowns in back-to-back games, which has helped him score at least 15.0 fantasy points in consecutive weeks.
Week 4’s opponent, the Indianapolis Colts, looks like a difficult matchup on paper, but they’ve hardly been tested this season. The Colts have faced off against the Dolphins, Broncos, and Titans offenses to start the season.
Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks – 19% rostered
Sam Darnold completed just 14 of 18 passes in Week 3, but still threw for 218 yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions. Darnold now has back-to-back weeks with 15.0 or more fantasy points.
The veteran quarterback is starting to get comfortable with Seattle and is finding Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Tory Horton in the passing attack. Darnold was benched in the fourth quarter of Week 3’s game against the Saints because of the massive lead that Seattle had built up.
Seattle faces off against an Arizona Cardinals’ defense that is significantly injured in the secondary. The Cardinals just allowed an injured Mac Jones (knee), without George Kittle (hamstring), Brandon Aiyuk (knee), or Jauan Jennings (ankle), to throw for 284 yards and a touchdown. Darnold’s weapons are healthy, which could lead to a big day in fantasy.
Two-QB Waiver Wire Pickups and Stashes
Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers – 19% rostered
The Panthers' win in Week 3 had very little to do with Bryce Young. The third-year quarterback completed 16 of 24 passes for 121 yards but was able to salvage his fantasy day (11.6 points) thanks to a rushing touchdown.
However, Young has an extremely quarterback-friendly schedule on the horizon. Carolina’s next seven games come against the Patriots, Dolphins, Cowboys, Jets, Bills, Packers, and Saints. Six of those seven teams are in the top 12 of fantasy points allowed to the quarterback position this season.
More importantly, we know that the Panthers aren’t afraid to let Young hit a high passing volume in games with a negative game script. Young attempted 55 passes in Week 2’s shootout against the Arizona Cardinals, throwing for 328 yards and three touchdowns and finishing with 21.3 fantasy points.
If the Panthers have a lead, they want to run the ball and use the clock. However, this upcoming stretch of opponents has offenses that can keep Young passing and defenses that are happy to let him do it. He will have streaming upside for the next seven weeks, especially once bye weeks start.
Carson Wentz, Minnesota Vikings – 5% rostered
Carson Wentz didn’t need to do much in Week 3 to get the win over the Cincinnati Bengals. But he did show that he could efficiently move the ball through the air when needed. Wentz completed 14 of 20 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions.
Welcome back, Carson Wentz. pic.twitter.com/bLa7PYJYqO
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 21, 2025
When second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy (ankle) was injured, an initial two-to-four-week timeline was given. The Vikings have games the next two weeks before a bye in Week 6 (which would be the fourth week for McCarthy to recover). There is a good chance that Wentz has two starts left before McCarthy returns.
The Vikings will get the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 4. Pittsburgh is typically associated with a stout defense, but this season, teams have been able to attack them through the air. The Steelers may not have the offense to keep up with Minnesota. However, Wentz can still put up respectable numbers with an offense featuring Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson, and Jordan Addison.
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