Dynasty Waiver Wire: Week Four
As we start to wrap up week four of the NFL season, we look back on a weird week for fantasy football. Unless you were one of the “lucky” owners to start players like Chris Godwin, Nick Chubb, Jameis Winston, Jordan Howard, or Robert Woods… it was a relatively low-scoring week.
While many of us want to follow the mantra of “always start your studs”, it is becoming harder and harder to trust that week in and week out. If Odell Beckham cost you your matchup against your bitter rival and co-worker, I apologize. If you started Mecole Hardman, hoping for a big game against the Lions, I feel for you. Or maybe you rolled out everyone’s favorite Minnesota State alumni, Adam Thielen expecting even semi-decent numbers… I know your pain.
All of this makes the waiver wire even more crucial in any given week. On your next trip to the water cooler, you may hear someone bragging about how they picked Wayne Gallman off of waivers this past week, plugged him in, and won their matchup due to his solid play. First off, who walks over to a water cooler anymore? Second, don’t be “that owner” who doesn’t pay enough attention to who to target and who to stay away from.
So let me be your fantasy football teacher for the next three-six minutes, so I can educate you on some names to possibly add to your roster.
Shallow (18-22 man rosters)
Gerald Everett, TE LAR
In this week’s shootout with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Everett put up nice numbers. He saw eight targets, and turned those targets into five catches for 44 yards and a TD. That stat line is great, but the thing that I like most is his snap percentage increasing every week since week one. In week one he played in 39% of the snaps, week two he played in 71%, and in week three he played in 88%. The Rams are getting him on the field, and good things happen when you get playing time.
Willie Snead, WR BAL
Snead is a low-volume receiver, and will only go as far as Lamar Jackson’s arm will take him. But the positive note is that Snead has posted at least 40 yards receiving in three out of the four games, and has two TD’s to go along with those receiving yards. Snead isn’t flashy, but could be a WR3/flex option against the right matchup once bye weeks start coming around.
Jack Doyle, TE IND
Doyle is a name that has been floated around for quite some time. But only until last year, when Eric Ebron decided to score 13 TDs, did Doyle fall to the backburner. He doesn’t have gaudy stats so far this season, but in week four, he hauled in four passes for 22 yards and a score… which is all you can ask for at a position with so much scarcity. While Ebron will still get most of the attention, Ebron himself has some problems he needs to work through (cement hands), and Doyle could take advantage of that in the coming weeks.
Ito Smith, RB ATL
Ito Smith went into concussion protocol after week three. He worked his way back into the picture and got his first TD of the season in week four… much to the chagrin of Devonta Freeman owners. I think in a perfect world, the Falcons would like to get Smith 7-12 touches a game, and lighten the load for Freeman who has suffered his fair share of injuries over the past couple of seasons. Smith doesn’t have a ton of stand-alone value, but if another injury were to hamper Freeman, Smith would become an automatic RB2 candidate.
Gus Edwards, RB BAL
Mark Ingram has been an absolute fantasy stud so far this year, and Gus Edwards has played the clear second fiddle in the offense. But he is still seeing around eight-ten touches per game, and has shown that in limited opportunity, he can play well. With how run-heavy the Ravens plan to be, Edwards has some fantasy relevance.
Other “Shallow” roster players to keep an eye on:
- Chris Conley, WR JAC
- Dawson Knox, TE BUF
- Jaylen Samuels, RB PIT
Average (23-27 man rosters)
Ryquell Armstead, RB JAC
Armstead showed that the standout from Temple can play ball when given the opportunity. Even on a day where Leonard Fournette rushed for a career-high 225 yards, Armstead showed he can contribute. Fournette may have been a bit tired since he was running all over the field in that thin air at Mile High Stadium, which could have contributed to Armstead’s increased playing time. But regardless, Armstead is a must-own for all Fournette owners.
Zach Pascal and Chester Rogers, WR(s) IND
TY Hilton had to sit out in week four due to a quad injury, which opened up a massive opportunity for some of the younger guys on the roster. I honestly have no idea who would be the better addition to your roster, hence why I listed them both. Pascal saw seven targets and turned that into four catches for 72 yards, while Rogers saw six targets and caught three of them for 48 yards and a TD. If Hilton is forced to miss more time, Either Pascal or Rogers falls into that WR4 range.
Antonio Callaway, WR CLE
Antonio Callaway was suspended for four games before the season kicked off… it is now week five. The Browns have looked up and down all season, and they could use another spark on offense with Jarvis Landry suffering a concussion in week four and Rashard Higgins still out. While Callaway will most likely need some time to get up to speed and get his conditioning right… you would have to think he will be penciled in as the WR3 entering next week behind Odell Beckham and Damion Ratley.
Ricky Seals-Jones, TE CLE
I think we can say with confidence that Ricky Seals-Jones is the most talented pass-catching tight end with David Njoku on the bench. RSJ caught three balls for 82 yards and a TD. That stat-line for a tight end may very well end up top five at the position on any given week. RSJ has always shown flashes of talent here and there, but never consistently. He will get an opportunity in Cleveland to shine while Njoku is healing up.
TJ Yeldon, RB BUF
Yeldon is like a poor man’s James White… a really, really poor man. Yeldon benefited from Devin Singletary missing a second straight week, and Yeldon got involved in the passing game and contributed heavily. He caught four passes for 68 yards. I still think Yeldon can help the Bills if they get him involved, but it will be in limited playing time once the rookie is back. Yeldon is worth an add, but temper expectations.
Other “Average” roster players to keep an eye on:
- JD McKissic, RB DET
- Jarius Wright, WR CAR
- Dontrell Hilliard, RB CLE
Deep (28+ man rosters)
Jonathan Hilliman, RB NYG
You may be asking, who is Jonathan Hilliman? While some Boston College fans may find that offensive, it is a valid question… because honestly, I didn’t know. Wayne Gallman played very well in his first start for Saquon Barkley, but the Giants still gave Hilliman ten carries on the day. Let me be clear, Hilliman will have a small amount of value… until Barkley comes back. In the small occurrence that Gallman goes down, Hilliman would be the next man up.
Jaron Brown, WR SEA
Jaron Brown has had a weird start to the season. While playing over 70% of the teams snaps in the first two weeks… he didn’t even register a target. Now in back to back games, he has caught three balls. In week four, he turned those three catches into 50 yards. It is looking more and more like Tyler Lockett and Will Dissly are going to be Russell Wilson’s top targets, but Wilson is a great quarterback and will find the open man. So as long as Brown stays on the field, he has some value in Seattle’s offense.
Olabisi Johnson, WR MIN
This one is for those deep, DEEP, leagues that complain about no one being on the waiver wire. Olabisi Johnson is making a push on the Vikings depth chart after the injury to Chad Beebe. The seventh-round rookie could jump to as high as 3rd on the depth chart. The Vikings run-first approach caps any value that Vikings wide receivers have, but Bisi Johnson is a guy to keep an eye on.
Dexter Williams, RB GB
The Green Bay Packers decided to role with just Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams as their only two running backs, paired with their fullback (Danny Vitale) in Thursday night’s game against the Eagles. Jamaal Williams got knocked out early in the game on a scary-looking hit, and that left Aaron Jones as the only true running back on the roster. With the time-table for Jamaal Williams return still in the air, Dexter Williams could be in line for some fantasy relevance, backing up Jones.
Logan Thomas, TE DET
TJ Hockenson has looked like the real deal this year, but unfortunately, he took a hard hit when he tried to hurdle a defender against the Chiefs and landed on his shoulder and neck. He was carted off the field and is being treated for a concussion. I would be very surprised if Hock played this upcoming week, and it was surprisingly Logan Thomas who came into the game and not “backup” Jesse James. While that could have simply been a game-plan choice, the tight end position is something to monitor for Detroit this upcoming week.
Other “Deep” roster players to keep an eye on:
- Brian Hill, RB ATL
- Lance Kendricks, TE LAC
- Chase Daniel, QB CHI
- Jesse James, TE DET
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