Fantasy Football Week 4 Waiver Wire Pickup Advice
Is your fantasy team in need of new blood? Each week I’ll bring to you the best pickups to make ahead of the waiver deadline. All the players I list will be owned in fewer than 50 percent of leagues, with the ownership percentage coming from Yahoo.com.
Quarterbacks
Derek Carr, Raiders (38% Owned): Don’t be fooled by the Raiders’ poor record, Carr is proving to be a sneaky decent QB. Carr has thrown for 288 yards or more in all three games this season, and is averaging 37 attempts per game. He hasn’t cracked more than a touchdown in any of Oakland’s first three tilts; that’s alarming, yes, but that’s why his ownership percentage is where it is. Fantasy is all about catching guys on the upswing, and that’s where you’re getting Carr. His attempts are there, his yardage is impressive, and his weak defense will keep him in pass-heavy game scripts.
Eli Manning, Giants (18% Owned): Carr has more season-long upside than Manning, but it’s hard to envision a better matchup for a streaming QB than the Saints, on the road, coming off an OT shootout. The Saints are going to travel to MetLife Stadium mentally exhausted, facing Manning, who just completed 25 of his 29 attempts last week. WR Odell Beckham Jr. has been uncoverable this season, RB Saquon Barkley might be the best receiving back in the league already, and we haven’t even mentioned WR Sterling Shepard. Mannng proved in Week 3 that he can succeed for fantasy with the right matchup, and this is that matchup.
Running Backs
Javorius Allen, Ravens (27% Owned): I ignored Allen last week because I don’t think he’s all that great of a running back, but I did not factor in usage enough. Allen has been given at least 10 touches in each of Baltimore’s first three games, and he is a favorite of John Harbaugh’s near the goal line, scoring a rushing TD every week this season, and throwing in a receiving score last week too for good measure. Allen is highly touchdown dependent, but he’s getting so much work near the goal line that he’s a solid bet to score on a weekly basis. I wouldn’t want to start him, but in an emergency you could do way worse
LeGarrette Blount, Lions (17% Owned): Blount saw 16 carries last week, so while we’re all very excited about Kerryon Johnson looking like a stud, it’s a sobering reminder that Blount is still part of this backfield. Johnson is certainly going to see more work moving forward, but any Johnson owner should be trying to own Blount as well if possible. Blount is still going to vulture touchdowns here and there, and if Johnson goes down, Blount is going to be a high-volume RB2.
Frank Gore, Dolphins (10% Owned): Gore, like Blount, is not someone anybody should be excited to own. He is, however, a must-own for Kenyan Drake owners, and a reliable option should Drake go down with an injury. Last week was really weird for Miami in terms of their play-calling, but when all the smoke cleared, Gore had five carries and Drake had five carries. Drake, despite all his talent, just isn’t running away with this gig and that means someone in your league, unless it’s fairly shallow, should have Gore on their team. This week is not a great one for free agent RBs, so hopefully you are working for trades if your RB situation isn’t on point.
Wide Receivers
Calvin Ridley, Falcons (38% Owned): This week, WR is where the exciting free agents are, starting with Falcons first-round pick Calvin Ridley. He arrived. Ridley is the clear WR2 in the Falcons offense, supplanting the annually underwhelming Mohamed Sanu and rendering him waiver wire food. Ridley ruined the Saints last week, catching seven passed for 146 yards and three touchdowns. This man is a problem, and while over the next few weeks I expect Julio Jones to start reeling in some TDs, Ridley is looking like a guy who can be a safe FLEX. Go get him, and don’t be afraid to spend.
Tyler Boyd, Bengals (17% Owned): Boyd is another player who is legitimately breaking out. Boyd had buzz last season, but flopped badly and pissed off the fantasy community. They need to get over it. QB Andy Dalton has been talking up Boyd this year, and last week was his second straight with a touchdown. Boyd has been targeted five or more times in all three games, piling up 91 and 132 yards in his last two. This week, he could see his target share leap if A.J. Green can’t suit up. While Green helps Boyd by drawing most teams’ top cornerback, that could be offset by the amount of targets he’d see in Green’s absence; Dalton is known to force feed his top receiving option most weeks. I like Boyd just as much as Ridley.
Chris Godwin, Buccaneers (42% Owned): Godwin had some bad breaks on Monday night, barely missing several touchdown opportunities. The second-year man out of Penn State looked like a presence though, soaking up 10 targets from Ryan Fitzpatrick in his third straight 400-yard performance. The Bucs have no running game to speak of, and their aggressive attack is creating opportunities for all pass-catchers to shine. WR Mike Evans is the primary focus of any secondary, so Godwin is going to have tons of chances to use his 6’2 frame to his advantage in one-on-one situations. Sometimes DeSean Jackson is going to be the big winner, but it’s reasonable to expect Godwin to score a bunch of touchdowns in this offense.
Brandon Marshall, Seahawks (35% Owned): Marshall hasn’t been as effective as I’d hoped in the absence of Doug Baldwin, but he’s seen exactly six targets in all three of Seattle’s games, many of them in the red zone. At this point he’s not a recommended start, largely because Tyler Lockett is out here living his best life, but if you are grasping in a deep league you can start Marshall knowing he’ll have enough chances to not throw up a zero.
Tight Ends
Ben Watson, Saints (44% Owned): The decent tight ends are largely owned, but if you are someone who just lost Evan Engram, see if Watson is lurking on the wire. He’s not great, and he is never really going to have a blowup game, but the Saints’ passing offense is back. Watson has watched his targets rise by one in each game, and he hasn’t found the end zone yet. He’s a steady option who is unlikely to ever put up a doughnut as long as Drew Brees is throwing.