Week 4 Wide Receivers: Waiver Wire Pickups & Adds

September 22, 2014

Bill Dubiel analyzes Week 4 fantasy football wide receivers (WR) - waiver wire pickups, adds and sleepers for both PPR and non-PPR leagues. NFL wide receivers are a key component.

Heck of a Week 3. We had a highly anticipated (and much closer this time around) Super Bowl rematch, a good scrap in Philadelphia, quarterbacks catching touchdowns and an absolute annihilation on Thursday night, to hit some of the high and low points. We had our last full slate of games for a while, as the horrible monster that is the Bye Week begins in Week 4.

Let’s take a look at some wide receiver sleepers that could be useful additions off the waiver wire for your teams either in the near future or for the long haul. Plug-and-play are just that, whereas the long-term solutions might be on bye this current week but I think they will be useful going forward.

Each week of the fantasy football season, I’ll also give you a bonus player to avoid (usually someone who might be a popular pickup that I disagree with). I’m still considering myself two-for-two, because the only reason Mohamed Sanu was successful this past weekend was because he threw a touchdown pass. Doesn’t count.

Fantasy Football Wide Receivers (WR)

Jordan Matthews (WR, PHI) — Owned in 30.0% of Fleaflicker Leagues

Does anybody else buy Riley Cooper as a starting wide receiver anymore? Don't think so. Matthews is the real deal. He was commonly described as “the best receiver on the field” at Eagles training camp, and we finally saw the full set of skills on display in Week 3. I’m not trying to say that he’s Nick Foles’ unquestioned new favorite target, but I do see him evolving into a solid second option in what is undoubtedly a pass-happy offense. The two touchdowns might be a rarity, but the eight receptions could become a regular occurrence. Definitely worth a flier, as in that offense the ceiling is extremely high for Matthews.

Baller Move: Add in 12 team PPR leagues, monitor in all leagues

Kelvin Benjamin (WR, CAR) — Owned in 77% of Fleaflicker Leagues

For some reason, Benjamin is still unowned in 64.8% of ESPN leagues.  Fleaflicker has more serious deeper leagues, no doubt.  Benjamin is Cam’s unquestioned top receiver, and while there is still some learning to be done on his part, he is super talented, and will have plenty of opportunities to prove himself. Benjamin is a physical freak, with shades of Megatron’s ability to make catches that just don’t make sense—that kind of talent translates to the score sheet eventually. He’s got a decent matchup against the Baltimore secondary in Week 4, and I could see him busting out for 90 yards and a TD.

Baller Move: Add in all leagues

Long Term Solutions At Wide Receivers (WR)

Allen Robinson (WR, JAC) — Owned in 6.0% of Fleaflicker Leagues

I like Robinson for two reasons. The first is that Blake Bortles is an upgrade over Chad Henne, and the second is that Marqise Lee can’t stay healthy. Lee and Robinson are both talented, but you can’t keep a starting job from the sidelines. Robinson has put up 75 or more yards in two straight weeks, and I don’t think he’s going to simply vanish, particularly with Bortles under center.

I do acknowledge that a majority of Robinson’s receptions have come in garbage time, but that’s the beauty of playing for the Jaguars—garbage time for everyone, all game long! As long as he’s starting, Robinson has the potential to be a solid PPR WR3/FLEX.

Baller Move: Add in deep PPR leagues, monitor in all leagues

Brian Quick (STL) — Owned in 32% of Fleaflicker Leagues

Quick is evolving into a legitimate WR3 in most formats, having solidified himself as the number one option in St. Louis, for what has been a surprisingly decent passing attack.

While he only had two receptions in Week 3, he made them count, producing 62 yards and a score. The point here is that Quick is getting it done from a fantasy perspective one way or another.

At some point he’s probably going to be limited by the offense and quarterback that he’s been saddled with, but on a week-to-week basis he’s going to put up consistent WR3/FLEX numbers.

Baller Move: Add in all PPR/deep standard leagues

Wide Receiver To Avoid (Bonus)

John Brown (ARI) — Owned in 11.0% of Fleaflicker Leagues

Brown has garnered some hype, having found the endzone thrice in the first three weeks. However, if you look outside the touchdowns Brown has been rather unimpressive from a fantasy standpoint. He’s only had nine catches for 109 yards total thus far, and doesn’t really see a whole lot of looks in that offense—he’s behind Michael Floyd, Larry Fitzgerald, and Andre Ellington when it comes to targets. His value is tied to touchdowns, which makes him a dice roll every time out. I preach consistency over explosiveness in fantasy, and this guy is riddled with red flags. But hey, we have hit the bye weeks, so you have to ask yourself…do you feel lucky? Well? Do ya…punk?

I’ll be your wide receiver authority for the 2014 season, so don’t hesitate to reach out to me @Roto_Dubs with any questions whenever.