Fantasy Football Week 4 Waiver Wire: Best Pickups At Every Position
Week 4 of the NFL season is upon us, which means the dreaded bye weeks are here too.
The schedule makers were kind enough to break fantasy football owners in easy with just two teams on bye to kick things off, but that doesn’t mean it’s not still a doozy: The New England Patriots are on vacation until Week 5, so you’ll be without stalwarts Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, LeGarrette Blount and, yes, Dion Lewis.
Plus, it looks like running backs LeSean McCoy (Bills) and Marshawn Lynch (Seattle Seahawks) could miss time, so chances are you — or one of your rivals — is scrambling to find a replacement on the waiver wire.
Here’s a recap of the best waiver wire pickups for Week 4.
TEAMS ON BYE: New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans
Quarterback: Tyrod Taylor, Buffalo Bills
Taylor has been the No. 1 surprise of the season thus far, leading the Bills to a 2-1 record but, more importantly, racking up the sixth-most fantasy points among quarterbacks through three weeks.
Seriously, who could have predicted Taylor would be better than guys like Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson, Peyton Manning, Matt Ryan and Matthew Stafford?
He has seven passing touchdowns plus another rushing score — which always is a viable threat given his propensity to run. Plus, the Bills are facing the New York Giants, who have allowed the most passing yards (1,008) of any team in the NFL this season.
He’s owned in less than 50 percent of leagues. That’s a mistake.
Other QBs to watch: Andy Dalton, Derek Carr, Michael Vick
Running Back: Lance Dunbar, Dallas Cowboys
We told you to snag Dunbar heading into Week 2, and his prospects have only risen with starting QB Tony Romo injured.
Backup QB Brandon Weeden isn’t going to light things up downfield, and Dunbar is the No. 1 checkdown option for the short pass-dependent Cowboys.
Dunbar’s 10 catches and 100 receiving yards should be enough to convince you to pick him up — especially in PPR leagues — but the fact that his 21 catches and 215 receiving yards both lead NFL running backs ought to hammer it home.
Dunbar is on fewer than 15 percent of rosters. Go get him.
Other RBs to watch: Karlos Williams, Chris Johnson, Darren Sproles, Ryan Mathews
Wide Receiver: Rishard Matthews, Miami Dolphins
Matthews has looked like Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill’s go-to target thus far. After back-to-back weeks with over 100 receiving yards, maybe he should be yours too.
Matthews finally found the end zone in Week 3 as well with two touchdowns. He ranks 13th in the NFL with 262 receiving yards, and he’s available in over 80 percent of leagues.
Other WRs to watch: Donte Moncrief, Marvin Jones, Travis Benjamin
Tight End: Gary Barnidge, Cleveland Browns
Where did this guy come from?
OK, so, this one could be a bit of a stretch because of the opponent given the Oakland Raiders had allowed multiple touchdowns to tight ends Tyler Eifert and Crockett Gillmore already this season.
But Barnidge wasn’t just Cleveland’s best tight end Sunday — he was their best overall receiver, leading or tying the team in every category: targets (10), receptions (6), yards (105) and touchdowns (1).
If you’ve got no other options with Gronkowski and Delanie Walker out this week — or just want to stash someone and hope — the 30-year-old is worth a flier.
Other TEs to watch: Crockett Gillmore, Eric Ebron, Charles Clay
Thumbnail photo via Tim Heitman/USA TODAY Sports Images
