The Best Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 4

What a crazy Week 3. Dolphins drop 70 on the Broncos, Jordan Love in a fourth-quarter comeback, Texans get their first win, Taylor Swift watches a game with Travis Kelce’s mom…

What will Week 4 bring, let’s take a look at some of the hot waiver wire pickups.

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WR Quentin Johnston (LAC) 51% Rostered

Since hearing that WR Mike Williams suffered a torn ACL and will be out the rest of the season, it means time to find the rookie. I know Palmer had a great game Sunday vs. the Vikings, but if anyone has the real potential to be the WR2 behind Allen…its Johnston. He was a 1st round draft pick out of TCU and is a huge kid with abnormal athleticism and speed.

He only had 3 targets vs. the Vikings, but that will change. With Herbert’s accuracy downfield, Johnston can make an immediate impact with Williams out. I expect many to reach for Palmer, but I like the long-term season play of Johnston.

They play the Raiders next who allowed Calvin Austin a 72-yard TD. I can easily see that same play resulting in a TD for Johnston. So, grab Johnston while you can because, after their week 5 bye, I think Johnston and Herbert will be firing together nicely!

– Courtney Burrows @LuvTractor03

WR Josh Palmer (LAC) 5%

Coming into the year, seemingly the only barrier to high-level production for the top 2 starting WRs for the Chargers was injury – well the first domino there fell in week 3 with Mike Williams injuring his ACL which will knock him out for the rest of 2023. So that sucks.

However, in the NFL injuries create opportunities and that’s exactly what Josh Palmer has in front of him. The good news for us is that we have already seen what he can do with the opportunity created via injury last year (when he parlayed his increased role in 2022 to a WR37 PPR finish including 10 games with 9 or more PPR points and a 32-point explosion in week 11).

That showcases both Palmer’s consistency and his upside. This past week he had 7 targets with 4 catches for 66 yards and a TD – and in the coming weeks, it’s fair to expect more of the same with weekly potential for even more.

I want any pieces of this offense I can get, and while I like Quentin Johnston as a potential upside play and late-season hammer as he learns the ropes in the NFL and grows into his expanded role – if you are hurting at the WR position like I am…I’m going to prioritize the guy producing RIGHT NOW on one of the top offenses in the NFL and shoot my shot with Palmer. – James “Doc” Ferretti, DO @TFSDoc

WR Tank Dell (HOU) 48%

Tank Dell is actually the number 1 WR in Houston. Tank Dell leads the team in snap percentage even higher than Nico Collins. Let’s not forget that CJ Stroud asked for him to be drafted. There’s a lot of usage and trust here between the two of them. – Jared Good @TheYetiExpress 

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RB Roschon Johnson (CHI) 59%

I’ll keep pounding the table for this one. It should be no surprise to anybody who knows me that I’m telling you Roschon Johnson should still be on all your benches. He is currently RB 21 in PPR leagues due to his week one performance as a top 10 RB.

He ended the game against the Chiefs with one more rush attempt than Kahlil Herbert this past week. This is showing us a glimpse of how the split will be for the future of this team as they feature Roschon more and more. Plus if an injury occurs to Herbert, then Roschon will be able to handle the bulk of the carries.

With the struggles of the Bears’ offense, some league mates may drop Roschon out of frustration. If Justin Fields can’t get anything going in week 4, they may need to lean more on the run game going forward. Roschon has been the more efficient runner and is more effective in the passing game than Kahlil Herbert.

Roschon will no doubt consume control of this backfield in the coming weeks. The Bears may be in position for a top draft pick next year. So, they would be foolish not to give some of their younger talent more touches to see what they have for the next season. – Jamie Perog @JamiePerog

QB Andy Dalton (CAR) 5%

This is more of a temporary option but Andy Dalton is the man in Carolina until Bryce’s ankle heals. This week he was the 7th best quarterback and made the Carolina offense look almost functional. Next week Carolina plays the defensive dumpster fire that is the Minnesota Vikings. Who knows? Maybe they’ll keep him in to show Young a thing or two about being a quarterback. Nathan Janasik @MeLlamoMoron

QB CJ Stroud (HOU) 31%

Don’t look now, but the Texans have themselves a fantasy-relevant quarterback. Stroud threw the ball 40-plus times in the first two weeks, but only attempted 30 passes in Week 3, but his efficiency went up– throwing for two TDs with zero interceptions. His schedule gets a little tougher over the next few weeks, including a Week 4 matchup against the elite Steelers defense, but if you have room on the bench to stash him, his post-bye-week schedule includes the Panthers, Bucs, Cardinals, Broncos, and Jags. – Geoff Lambert @GeoffLambert77

WR Josh Downs (IND) 12%

Downs, through his first two weeks, had 12 targets and 7 receptions. He matched or exceeded those numbers with his Week 3 outing, catching 8 passes on 12 targets for 57 yards. Granted, it was with Gardner Minshew under center, but being an underneath player, he is capable of similar numbers once Anthony Richardson comes back. – Geoff Lambert @GeoffLambert77

Others to Consider

• WR Adam Thielen (MIN) 58%
• WR Marvin Mims (DEN) 27%
• QB Jameis Winston (NO) 2%
• WR DJ Chark (DET) 15%
• TE Luke Musgrave (GB) 25%
• WR Jayden Reed (GB) 34%

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