With week 4 officially in the books, we have ourselves our first deep waiver wire of the season. This period’s waiver wire includes multiple options at RB and WR that can instantly slot into your starting lineup if necessary. If things are looking grim for you 1-3 or 0-4 teams it is time to be aggressive and go get some of these players to change the course of your season. For the teams sitting at 2-2, 3-1, and 4-0 teams now is not the time to celebrate as your roster can still be improved. With that being said, let’s take a look at some of the best players to add on the waiver wire ahead of week 5.
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Wan’Dale Robinson WR (NYG)
Robinsons is a guy who needs to be rostered in all PPR formats with his performance to start the 2024 season. He is now up to 38 targets on the season while hauling in 26 of those targets for catches. Despite the season’s low yardage output, he has topped 60 yards in back-to-back weeks. Robinson has a high floor with the amount of volume he receives in the Giants passing game making him a guy that needs to be rostered.
Kareem Hunt RB (KC)
After signing with the team two weeks ago, Hunt was in a major role on Sunday. He finished the game against the Chargers with 16 touches for 85 yards while Samaje Perine and Carson Steele combined for 8 touches on the day. Steele’s fumble on the opening drive contributed to him being benched early on in this game. Hunt should be a priority add this week and is destined for at least 12 touches. This backfield gets more clouded with the return of Clyde Edwards-Helaire next week as well.
Xavier Legette WR (CAR)
Shout out to Andy Dalton for getting the Panthers offense back to relevance the last two weeks. With Adam Thielen on the IR, Legette was in line for a larger role in week 4. This week he saw a 25% target share and 30% air yards showcasing his potential in fantasy football. He finished with 16.6 PPR points this week and as a rookie, he will continue to get better as the season goes on. I personally like him as a desperate FLEX play with Thielen out.
Dontayvion Wicks WR (GB)
The Packers got down early against the Vikings and forced them to throw the ball 54 times. Wicks finished with 5 catches for 79 yards and 2 touchdowns on 13 targets in the loss. Christian Watson left this game with an injury leaving some volume open for the Packers pass catchers to step up. I am convinced that Wicks 80% route participation and 35% air yards share (led team) will absorb Watson’s volume in this offense. Wicks could be in line for some big weeks in fantasy going forward and should be the top WR add during this waiver period.
Rico Dowdle RB (DAL)
The Cowboys running back situation is not ideal at the moment. They are choosing between 3 below-average runners at this point between Dowdle, Ezekiel Elliott, and FB Hunter Luepke. Dowdle has been the best of the bunch having the highest snap share (47%) among the Cowboys running backs and had 61 total yards with 1 touchdown last week. His ceiling is capped but Dowdle is a desperate RB play and a potential FLEX play with his current workload.
Trey Sermon RB (IND)
Jonathan Taylor suffered a high ankle sprain in the win over the Steelers that is believed to be a “Mild” sprain. Despite the injury not being that serious, a high ankle sprain typically leads to most running backs at least missing a game or two. Sermon would be the biggest beneficiary to take over as the lead running back in Indianapolis. Sermon will be a priority waiver pickup for many fantasy football teams this period.
Braelon Allen RB (NYJ)
The Jets offense was a disaster this week against the Broncos in large part of the running game being non-existent early on. The backfield split in New York might be getting closer than some Breece Hall owners want to admit. Last week Hall finished with 12 touches for 18 yards while Allen finished with 9 touches for 46 yards. That is the third straight game that Allen has at least 9 touches. His role is cemented in this offense as splitting touches with Hall on early downs. If Hall continues to underperform this season, Allen could earn more goal-line and receiving work down the stretch.
Justin Fields QB (PIT)
His 31.9 points this week ascended him to the QB7 in fantasy through the first four weeks of the season. He has always been a weapon in fantasy due to his rushing upside where we saw him get 10 carries and add 2 touchdowns. The Steelers were trailing in this one for a majority of the game which resulted in his volume increase through both the air and the ground. With many QB’s struggling in fantasy football his rushing upside gives him a safe floor. Fields is a QB1 as long as he is starting in Pittsburgh.
Honorable Mentions
Sam Darnold QB (MIN) Rostered: 43.6% (How is he available in more than half of leagues?)
Geno Smith QB (SEA) Rostered: 29.1%
Tank Bigsby RB (JAX) Rostered: 6.4%
Clyde Edwards-Helaire RB (KC) Rostered: 6.1%
Tyron Tracy Jr. RB (NYG) Rostered: 6.2%
Tutu Atwell WR (LAR) Rostered: 6.9%
Juju Smith-Schuster WR (KC) Rostered: 0.7%
Tre Tucker WR (LV) Rostered: 10.1%
Tucker Kraft TE (GB) Rostered: 4.5%
Hunter Henry TE (NE) Rostered: 35%
Noah Fant TE (SEA) Rostered: 8.3%
Denver Broncos DEF Rostered: 5.4%
Chicago Bears DEF Rostered: 37.4%
Chase McLaughlin K (TB) Rostered: 11.1%