Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 4: Target Jauan Jennings, Bucky Irving
Jauan Jennings, Bucky Irving and more waiver wire targets.
So the injuries couldn't get worse than last week… right?! It felt like we were preparing for battle heading into the waiver wire with a CVS-length receipt of injured players. Thankfully, this week was a little better.
The first bye week will come in Week 5 when four teams have off: the Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans — so we need to start planning accordingly.
You know what we have going on here! Let's go through the biggest fantasy-relevant injuries for this week and dive into the players worth picking up on the waiver wire. As always, the names are in order of priority and all players listed are below 40% rostered. Good luck!
INJURY ROUND-UP
- Chargers: Justin Herbert (high ankle sprain)
- Eagles: DeVonta Smith (concussion)
- Lions: Sam LaPorta (ankle)
- Panthers: Adam Thielen (hamstring)
- Dolphins: Skylar Thompson (chest)
- Cardinals: Trey McBride (concussion)
- Steelers: Najee Harris (arm), Jaylen Warren (knee)
- 49ers: Brock Purdy (back)
- All of the 49ers who are fantasy-relevant, just assume at this point
- Sourdough Sam (dehydration)
…and Christian McCaffrey is in Germany visiting with an Achilles specialist!
WAIVER WIRE ADDS FOR WEEK 4
Jauan Jennings, 49ers (32% rostered)
Do we even need to break this one down? Jauan Jennings was the ABSOLUTE HERO this week for your fantasy teams — 46.5 fantasy points is absurd. But that's not all Jennings accomplished. According to ESPN Stats and Info, Jennings became the first 49er to have…
- three touchdown receptions
- more than 10 catches
- 150 yards
…since Hall of Famer Jerry Rice in 1995.
Jennings will be on every graphic for waiver wire articles this week.
And it seems like the opportunities aren’t going to stop right away. Deebo Samuel is expected to miss multiple weeks with his calf injury. George Kittle will need to be monitored on the injury reports this week to get a true sense of his hamstring injury. Hopefully you were able to get Jennings last week, but if for some reason he is still out there then he is the top waiver wire priority this week.
Bucky Irving, Buccaneers (35% rostered)
Patience is about to pay off for Bucky Irving GMs.
Irving ran for 70 yards on nine carries and caught 3 passes for 14 yards in a Week 3 loss to the Broncos. Rachaad White had 6 carries for 17 yards and notched five receptions for 18 yards.
Irving handled 56% of the Buccaneers' rushing attempts against the Broncos and while White played all four quarters, he was primarily the passing-down option, with 58% of the routes, according to Dwain McFarland.
Head coach Todd Bowles said on Monday that Irving has earned more snaps moving forward, so there is a lot of promise in these next few weeks. GO GET Bucky Irving!
Andy Dalton, Panthers (4% rostered)
Well, I guess we don't need to wait too long to see if Andy Dalton is going to be an upgrade in this offense. In Dalton's first start with the Panthers, he finished 26 of 37 for 319 yards and three touchdowns. Dalton also became the first NFL quarterback this season to post a 300-yard, three-touchdown performance.
So where do we go from here? We shouldn't assume that this is going to be the norm every week — 24.5 fantasy points in Week 3 put him as the QB5 for Week 3 heading into MNF. He should absolutely be rostered in SuperFlex leagues and stashed in standard leagues with bye weeks on the horizon. Dalton elevates these Panthers receivers, so make sure to check out some of my favorites (below) heading into Week 4.
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Braelon Allen, Jets (36% rostered)
Another repeat waiver wire highlight for Braelon Allen, because he needs to be rostered. During Thursday Night Football against the Patriots, Allen had 11 carries for 55 yards. It wasn't as exciting as his two-TD Week 2 performance, but this does show us that Allen could have more value than just a handcuff to Breece Hall.
The Jets took down the Patriots 24-3, so that standalone value for Allen could hold true during games where the Jets are favored. They play the Broncos, Vikings and Bills in their next three games.
Allen Lazard, Jets (30% rostered)
Listen, I didn't think we would be talking about Allen Lazard heading into Week 4, but here we are!
We saw that chemistry again between him and Aaron Rodgers on prime time, and with bye weeks coming up I want to give everyone options — just in case.
Lazard locked down all three targets for 48 yards, a touchdown and 13.8 fantasy points in the Jets' 24-3 win over the Patriots. I think an up and down fantasy season is an acceptable expectation when it comes to Lazard, but when the connection with Rodgers is even minimally strong, he can walk away with some fantasy value.
Darnell Mooney, Falcons (26% rostered)
I know managers are hoping for continued success for Drake London, but we have to talk about Darnell Mooney these past couple weeks. He had 17.8 fantasy points in Week 2 and followed that up with eight receptions for 66 yards in Week 3 — good for 14.6 fantasy points. London is the only Falcon with more targets than Mooney this season.
Mooney holds WR3 upside, especially when we look at target distribution. The Falcons are at home for the next two games against the Saints and Buccaneers before going on the road to take on the Panthers. If we need wide receiver help, Mooney is a name to keep in mind.
Cam Akers, Texans (36% rostered)
The Houston Texans were without Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce in Week 3, which opened the door for Cam Akers. We'll have to watch the injury reports for this week, but if it's the same situation, Akers should be on your waiver wire radar. Akers had nine carries for 21 yards and one reception for eight yards and a touchdown.
9.9 fantasy points isn't a huge day, but the Texans were never really in this game during their 34-7 loss against the Vikings and that Brian Flores defense. Still, if Mixon is out in Week 4 against the Jaguars then Akers will have that lead role again, which gives him fantasy value.
Tyler Conklin, Jets (14% rostered)
Fantasy tight ends have been horrific this season. SERIOUSLY, PLEASE MAKE IT STOP. Tyler Conklin had five receptions for 93 yards during Thursday Night Football, which was good enough for 14.3 fantasy points. Conklin has streamable value, but this could be another tight end with highs and lows throughout the season. The Jets face the Broncos in Week 4 and they are giving up 10.2 fantasy points per game to tight ends so far this season.
Xavier Legette, Panthers (20% rostered)
A Panthers wide receiver in a waiver wire article?! Who would have thought, especially after the first two weeks of the season! But if you read about Andy Dalton above, then you know we have to highlight rookie Xavier Legette. We need to watch the injury reports for news on Adam Thielen (who went down with a hamstring injury during Week 3). If Thielen isn't able to suit up this week, Legette needs to be in Flex conversations.
He had two receptions for 42 yards in Week 3, for 6.2 fantasy points, which isn't a lot, but once Thielen left the game, Legette and Jonathan Mingo saw significantly larger roles. The Panthers take on the Bengals, Bears, Falcons, and Commanders in their next four games.
Emanuel Wilson, Packers (3% rostered)
Unfortunately, the Packers put rookie running back MarShawn Lloyd on IR with an ankle injury, which means he will be out for the next four weeks (at least). Emanuel Wilson is the next man up for the Packers behind Josh Jacobs. While half of Wilson's carries came in the fourth quarter, he still finished with 12 carries for 50 yards and two receptions for 35 yards and a touchdown, which helped him to 16.5 fantasy points in Week 3.
We need to be careful in deciding how much standalone value Wilson has. The Packers were up 20-7 by halftime and never felt like they were going to lose that lead, which is why we saw a little less Jacobs (who had 32 carries the week before). Right now Wilson is a great handcuff for Jacobs, but be careful playing him straight up against a TOUGH Brian Flores-led Vikings defense in Week 4.
Jalen Nailor, Vikings (11% rostered)
Hopefully, you were able to snag Jalen Nailor after reading last week's waiver wire article, but if not he's good for another shot at starting lineups as long as Jordan Addison is out with injury.
Nailor had three receptions for 31 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 34-7 win over the Texans.
Tyler Badie, Broncos (1% rostered)
This is a super deep cut, but hear me out — the Broncos' current running backs just are not cutting it. Quarterback Bo Nix is the current rushing yards leader on the team and the next guy? Yeah, Tyler Badie. He had nine carries for 70 yards against the Buccaneers and is worth a stash in some fantasy leagues.
Yes, a lot of his rushing yards came late in a game where the Broncos held a beyond-comfortable lead, but if you have the bench spots available then why not take a stab on a running back room that has not blown us away this season? Again this is not a must-start player, but someone to stash in those deeper leagues just to see what happens.
