NFL Waiver Wire: Week 4 Pickups

With Week 3 in the books we look ahead to Week 4, and the glaring item to notice on the schedule is the Vikings-Saints game kicks off Sunday morning in London. Unfortunately, the NFL takes from the late Sunday slate to move this game, leaving us with only three late games. There are nine early games. Anyway, let's see who's on the waivers this week; this might be the first significant week for the wire.

This column is geared toward "standard" 12-team leagues and based upon a $100 free-agent budget. Please adjust for your league based on both the number of teams (I'm in a 24-team league, for example) and remaining budget.

QUARTERBACK

SECONDARY TARGETS

Jameis Winston, NO - Winston, who will play in the aforementioned London game, has held his own in the fantasy world, largely due to Michael Thomas and Chris Olave. Jameis has at least 22.2 fantasy points in two of his first three games and the other game was 16 fantasy points against a tough Tampa Bay defense. Minnesota has looked terrible on defense, and Winston is an option for more than just this week. FAAB: $3-$6

HAIL MARY

Brian Hoyer, NE - It doesn't sound like Mac Jones is going to suit up this week and his ankle injury could mean a multi-week absence. A timetable hasn't been set for Jones' return. Unfortunately for Hoyer, this week's matchup is against a tough Green Bay defense. Outside of super-flex/two-quarterback leagues it's hard to get overly excited about Hoyer unless  Jones is out for a while. FAAB: $1-$2 

RUNNING BACK

PRIMARY TARGETS

Jamaal Williams, DET - I usually only highlight and discuss players who are at least 50 percent available on waivers. Every once in a while I'll make an exception, and Williams is that exception this week. He's rostered in 61 percent of Yahoo leagues, which means he could be available. Williams' is clearly the goal-line back for the Lions and if D'Andre Swift (shoulder) misses time, Williams would be in for an even bigger workload. He's worth your No. 1 waiver add or a hefty FAAB bid. FAAB: $25-$40

Khalil Herbert, CHI - I wish we knew the severity of the injury to David Montgomery and exactly how much time it will cost him, if any. However, after rushing for 157 and two touchdowns on only 20 carries, it's likely Herbert has earned himself more carries even if Montgomery is back. It would also make a lot of sense if Chicago takes its time bringing Montgomery back given Herbert's success, so the backfield this week against the Giants could be all Herbert's. Adjust the FAAB if more definitive news on Montgomery emerges. FAAB: $10-$20

Alexander Mattison, MIN - It's kind of a short week for the Vikings, who have to leave earlier than for a usual road game to head across the pond for Sunday morning's game. Mattison has always been a good insurance policy as he's considered one of the better backups in the league. Watch for news on Dalvin this week; obviously, not boarding the flight to London later this week would be a telling sign. FAAB: $5-$10

WIDE RECEIVERS

SECONDARY TARGETS

Russell Gage, TB - Gage was Tom Brady's main receiver Sunday with Mike Evans suspended and the usual suspects — Chris Godwin, Julio Jones — sidelined with injuries. Gage put together an impressive 13-12-87-1 line as Brady's favorite target and might have a more significant role than he did the first two weeks. The next six games line up nicely for the Tampa Bay wide receivers as they face defenses who are 18th or worse against the position this season. Mike Evans will be back as the top wide receiver for the Buccaneers this week, but Gage appears to have carved out a role in the offense. FAAB: $3-$6

Romeo Doubs, GB - Does anyone know who is Green Bay's No. 1 wide receiver? Allen Lazard has touchdowns in back-to-back weeks but only 58 receiving yards, showing how touchdown dependent his fantasy value is. Doubs has caught 14 of 16 targets from Aaron Rodgers, including 8-8-73-1 Sunday. Doubs might have enough confidence/rapport with Rodgers to be the 1B guy (at worst). Just hope Green Bay gets involved in more high-scoring affairs. (You're welcome for skipping a lame Shakespeare joke like I'm sure everyone else will ... not.) FAAB: $3-$6

Mack Hollins, LV - Hollins took advantage of teammates being out (Hunter Renfrow) and finished with a monster game against the Titans on Sunday with eight catches for 158 yards and a touchdown. Hollins is a big receiver at 6-foot-4, 211, and lining up opposite Davante Adams allows him to operate against much softer coverage. Renfrow's imminent return (likely this week) will obviously give a hit to Hollins' value, but Hollins did get eight targets Week 2 with Renfrow active. Las Vegas doesn't appear to be a solid team defensively, so they should be involved in a lot of high-scoring affairs this season. FAAB: $3-$6

Zay Jones, JAC - In case you haven't gotten the memo, Jacksonville is good, maybe even very good. Trevor Lawrence is starting to live up to his hype and Jones has become one of his favorite targets. After Sunday, Jones has 24 targets in three games and six targets in the red zone. Jones is on pace for more than 100 targets and has a season of seven touchdowns under his belt when he was with Buffalo in 2018. Christian Kirk is still the top dog among the receivers, but Jones is establishing himself as the second option. FAAB: $3-$6

Joshua Palmer, LAC - The Chargers' season seems bleak at this point, but with the injuries in front of him, Palmer seemingly has a role in this offense. His fantasy value is largely tied to the health of Keenan Allen. That might mean extra opportunities for Palmer who has scored 13 and 15.9 points in PPR formats the last two weeks without Allen in the lineup. FAAB: $2-$4

HAIL MARY

DeVante Parker, NE - If I don't mention him, I'll get asked about him, so here we go. He went for 10-5-156 on Sunday in a losing effort and one might question his lack of opportunities heretofore. It took a Jakobi Meyers injury to get him this number of targets, and with Meyers likely back this week, this is probably Parker's best game of the season. Throw in the injury to Mac Jones and it's hard to think Parker will be consistent for fantasy. If Meyers is on waivers this week, he's definitely the preferred target. FAAB: $1-$2

Jameson Williams, DET - Williams is on IR and therefore won't be ready until Week 5 at the earliest. It probably makes sense for him not to debut until Week 7 after the Lions' Week 6 Bye. However, he's free on waivers now and should at the very least be on everyone's radar. The Lions are going to play in a lot of high-scoring games this season (73, 63 and 52 point games to start the season) and Williams has a ton of upside if he's completely healthy. FAAB: FCFS or $1

TIGHT ENDS

SECONDARY TARGETS

David Njoku, CLE - Don't ignore the narrow passing tree in Cleveland. Past the stellar running attack, Cleveland seems to only throw to Amari Cooper and now, Njoku. He reeled in eight catches for 89 yards and a touchdown Thursday night and appears to be the second receiving option to Cooper. This is a run-first offense and with Cooper likely to attract a lot of secondary attention, Njoku should have plenty of room to run routes over the middle of the field. FAAB: $3-$6

DEFENSES

SECONDARY TARGETS

Green Bay Packers D/ST - The Packers are available in only a third of leagues and the only reason they might be out there is because they just played Tom Brady in Tampa. They'll likely face Brian Hoyer at home this week, so this is a great matchup for a defense that was already considered very good. Pick it up with the expectation that you can use it week in and week out, though the possible loss of Jaire Alexander doesn't help. FAAB: $2-$4

HAIL MARY

New York Giants D/ST - The Giants are at home and have a good matchup against the Bears. Chicago has no passing attack and when Justin Fields does air it out, there's a good chance it's going to be intercepted. The schedule gets a bit rougher after this game (at Green Bay, vs. Baltimore), but this is a streaming option to revisit later in the season. FAAB: $1-$2