Waiver Wire Targets: Week 4

The difference in your week one game may have been changed based on one injury or one player putting up a dud. In order to prevent that from happening next week and each week following, here are a couple guys at each position who are owned in 50% of leagues or less according to NFL.com:

Quarterback:

Ryan Tannehill, Dolphins – Owned in 7.9% of leagues

Ryan Tannehill has slowly put together three weeks of solid to impressive fantasy stats. While there are questions about whether he will be able to show consistency, sometimes it is just better to ride the hot hand before it runs out. Tannehill is the 12th best QB through the first weeks and he has proven worthy of a bench fantasy spot for most leagues.

Baker Mayfield, Browns – Owned in 4.4% of leagues

Anyone who was watching the Browns’ game this past week could tell who the better QB was after Mayfield came in for Taylor. Mayfield was able to use all his weapons and spread the ball across the whole field. He scored 10 points in only one half of the game. He has the talent and the weapons around him to be a great fantasy QB. He will finally get the opportunity to show it.

Josh Allen, Bills – Owned in 0.7% of leagues

Among one of the most surprising games of this week was the absolute beatdown the Bills gave the Vikings. One of the main contributions was the three TDs from rookie QB Josh Allen. He could not be stopped this week and if he can continue this, he could become the next stud rookie QB in fantasy.

Running Back:

T.J. Yeldon, Jaguars – Owned in 40.1% of leagues

Yeldon took over the lead back role this week with Fournette still dealing with an injury. Yeldon himself is also not completely healthy yet and both of them are not locks to play this week. Regardless, Fournette has shown a tendency to get injured in his first two seasons and Yeldon deserves a bench spot in case Fournette gets hurt again during the season.

Alfred Morris, 49ers – Owned in 20.4% of leagues

Shortly after it looked like Breida was ready to run away with the starting RB job, he has a gruesome looking knee injury. It was confirmed yesterday it was only a hyperextended knee. Morris should stand to become the primary ball carrier for any time that Breida misses and with Garoppolo out for the year, don’t be surprised if the 49ers start running the ball more frequently.

Chris Ivory, Bills – Owned in 0.6% of leagues

With McCoy out this week, Ivory dominated the snap count and took advantage of his opportunities as he was able to gain 126 total yards. It will be interesting to see if this offensive surge by the Bills will continue or be just a fluke. Ivory should only remain fantasy relevant if McCoy continues to miss games.

Javorius Allen, Ravens – Owned in 8.8% of leagues

Javorius Allen has quietly been putting up great fantasy numbers. Unfortunately, he has also become reliant on TDs to give him any sort of value. The good news is that he has four carries inside the five yard line in these first three weeks while Collins has just gotten one. Allen should be rostered due to the thinness at the RB position, but expectations should be tempered especially if he doesn’t find the endzone.

Darren Sproles, Eagles – Owned in 7.9% of leagues

Sproles has missed the past two weeks with an injury, but according to reports out of Philly, he is more likely to return this week. While there are a lot of mouths to feed in the Eagles’ backfield, the coaching staff likes putting Sproles in as much as possible and letting him get the ball in space. He has big play potential every time he touches the ball and he can especially be useful in PPR leagues.

Wide Receiver:

Calvin Ridley, Falcons – Owned in 11.7% of leagues

Welcome to the NFL Calvin Ridley. Most rookies take a year or so to get acclimated to the game speed of the NFL, but it looks like Ridley is a quick learner. After his 33.5 point performance this week, he will be one of the top waiver wire priorities for anyone looking for a WR. This will likely be the last chance you will have to get him.

Tyler Boyd, Bengals – Owned in 3.3% of leagues

Tyler Boyd has looked good especially these past two weeks. That trend could definitely continue this week if AJ Green cannot play this week. He has already become Andy Dalton’s go to without A.J. He will also have a great matchup against a much depleted Falcons’ secondary this week.

Mike Williams, Chargers – Owned in 5.4% of leagues

Mike Williams is finally showing the Chargers why they drafted him in the first round. He is currently the 15th WR in fantasy and has gotten at least eight points in each of the first three weeks. Rivers has shown he trusts Williams in the endzone and his big frame makes him perfect for jump balls. He should continue to see success as long as he can stay healthy.

Geronimo Allison, Packers – Owned in 5.6% of leagues

Allison has found significant success this year despite working as the third WR in the offense. Rodgers has grown to trust and rely on Allison much more than last season. He has outproduced Cobb in fantasy and that will likely continue due to his ability to stretch the field. Any WR that has the trust of Aaron Rodgers deserves to be rostered in fantasy.

Albert Wilson, Dolphins – Owned in 0.5% of leagues

It is finally clear why the Dolphins gave an unproven Albert Wilson $8 million a year to come play for them. They have already shown an interest in using him as a trick player with his TD pass to Jakeem Grant this week. He has also shown plenty of ability as a receiver. Tannehill has shown he can be successful downfield and all of his receivers are benefiting.

Tight End:

Vance McDonald, Steelers – Owned in 2.2% of leagues

It didn’t take long in last night’s game to see the potential of Vance McDonald. He is a beast with the ball in his hands and very difficult to match up with. The Steelers will continue to look for ways to get mismatches and get the ball to McDonald. The only issue could be consistency with Jesse James also eating into the snap and target count.

Dallas Goedert, Eagles – Owned in 0.8% of leagues

Dallas Goedert may have benefitted the most out of anyone from the return of Carson Wentz. He was given a larger snap count than in previous weeks and he was able to catch every pass thrown his way. While he may not get on the field as often as Ertz, his receiving potential makes him an easy pickup for anyone in need of a tight end.

Ben Watson, Saints – Owned in 14.9% of leagues

Watson will not be a flashy tight end. He is a high floor reliable option given his chemistry with Drew Brees and the Saints offense use of TEs. He can fill in for bye week tight ends, but he should not be expected to hold up and produce the entire season given his age. Still could be a good pickup for anyone who lost Engram this week.