Top Players to Add in Week 4
A great draft can make a great team, but leagues are won on the waiver wire. Injuries happen, top draft picks become busts, and no names become household names. Successfully navigating the waiver wire will lead to a winning season.
As a reminder, I’ll be covering Waivers every Tuesday morning right here on QBList.com. You can also catch me and Brian Hartman (aka @TooMuch_Brian) on the Waiver podcast every Tuesday morning and the Start/Sit podcast every Thursday morning, wherever you listen to podcasts. If you like my work, give me a follow on Twitter @marioadamojr. With that out of the way, let’s dive into it.
Here are my top five targets, as well as some honorable mentions, to help you win through the wire this week.
An important thing to consider: this article focuses on players who are rostered in 50% or fewer of leagues. There could be players rostered in over 50% of leagues that are available in your league. Be vigilant; watch your league’s Free Agency pool and look for players who were given up on too early.
| Player | Position | Team | Roster % | Week 4 Opponent | |
| 1 | Ollie Gordon | RB | MIA | 2% | @ MIN |
| 2 | Braelon Allen | RB | NYJ | 18% | v LV |
| 3 | Keenan Allen | WR | IND | 21% | @ WAS |
| 4 | Kenyon Sadiq | TE | NYJ | 24% | @ CHI |
| 5 | Malik Washington | WR | MIA | 25% | @ MIN |
1. Ollie Gordon – News broke around noon that, unfortunately, De’Von Achane has torn his ACL and will miss the remainder of the season. Jaylen Wright was on the injury report and missed this game, leaving Ollie Gordon as the sole back to see any usage. Gordon was far from efficient, only averaging 2.4 yards per carry, but managed to find the end zone. I expect Wright to get some usage when he returns from his foot injury, but in fantasy, the best ability is availability, and right now Gordon is cornering the market.
Gordon is currently my top waiver target.
2. Braelon Allen – At the time of writing this piece, we’re unsure of the severity of Breece Hall‘s injury that forced him to exit Week 3 early. We don’t know if he’ll miss any games or how many he could miss. In Hall’s absence, Braelon Allen took over the lead-back responsibilities. Not only that, but Allen has already proven to be heavily involved in this offense, tallying 10 carries back in Week 1 and rushing in a touchdown in Week 2. Allen’s phone is ringing, and opportunity is on the line.
If Hall misses any significant time, Allen bumps up to my Number 1 waiver target.
3. Keenan Allen – With Alec Pierce set to miss a few weeks, we knew there would be a gap in this offense; we did not expect old man Keenan Allen to return Undertaker gif style. While Allen’s targets still fell behind Josh Downs and Tyler Warren, his 9 targets have him tied for 15th most on the week, along the ranks of WR1s Terry McLaurin, Rashee Rice, and more than some WR1s like CeeDee Lamb. Allen saw two red zone targets this week. He’s worth an add for anybody needing depth at WR.
4. Kenyon Sadiq – What has the world come to where I’m mentioning two Jets in a fantasy football piece? Kenyon Sadiq‘s target share exploded this past week, up from 6 combined in Weeks 1 & 2 to 8 targets in Week 3. It was Sadiq’s highest snap count percentage of the season, 58% up from 36% last week. This is the second time Sadiq has finished as a top-12; in Week 1 he was thrust into the top with a rushing touchdown. I’m standing on my take that Sadiq will finish with more touchdowns than continually over hyped and over-drafted Kyle Pitts. Now is the time to board the Sadiq train if you haven’t already.
Sadiq is my top waiver Tight End this week.
5. Malik Washington – Two Jets and two Dolphins? The AFC East is cornering the waiver market! Eleven wide receivers had at least 10 targets this weekend. Naturally, most of those players are rostered in fantasy. The second-least rostered was Josh Downs, coming in at 82%. You can figure out who the least rostered is based on whose section I’m writing this in. That’s right, Malik Washington saw 10 targets and led all Dolphins in targets for the second time in three weeks. In Week 2, Washington saw 1 fewer target than De’Von Achane, and unfortunately, as you’ve seen by now, Achane won’t be stealing any more targets this season. The production hasn’t come yet; Washington’s best finish has been WR44, but his points have increased every week.
As we get ready for byes and as players drop like flies, I love Washington as a spec piece in all leagues.
Others Receiving Votes
Alvin Kamara, NO (48% Rostered) – When you didn’t think it could get worse for Travis Etienne Jr., he left the game early and did not return. To quote Saints’ Head Coach Kellen Moore, there will be “time lost” due to Etienne’s hamstring injury. Alvin Kamara appeared to be the lead back in his absence. Not only that, but it was his second straight week of 9 carries. While I have concerns about Kendre Miller and his 6.5 carries per game lingering around, I believe Kamara would benefit most from the extra time in Etienne’s absence.
Woody Marks, HOU (52%) – Week 1 David Montgomery was jaw-dropping. His three touchdowns on the ground had you feeling like this was your year. You found the league winner, and it happened in Week 1! Then Week 2 came along; Monty had 6 carries while Woody Marks had 8! Not to worry, maybe Monty was still sore from putting the team on his back the following week. Week 3 was somehow worse; Marks got double the red zone opportunities and the touchdown. Marks is not going away. He will continue to see a role, albeit small. He should be rostered in more leagues as a FLEX consideration, especially as bye weeks approach.
Mack Hollins, NE (3%) – It doesn’t matter how bad Drake Maye is, and he is bad; someone needs to be the primary ball catcher while A.J. Brown misses time. After three weeks, the target leader in New England is Mack Hollins, averaging just over 5 a game. While this is a lower average than some team WR1s (and WR2s), it’s where those targets happen that matter. Hollins saw 3 red zone targets last week, tied for third most across the league. In the deepest of leagues, I take a shot that trend continues when the Patriots travel to Buffalo in what I expect to be an exciting divisional showdown.
Juwan Johnson, NO (58%) – Imagine being Top-4 at your position and not on a roster. Juwan Johnson is too involved in a pass-heavy offense to not be rostered.
Geno Smith, NYJ (10%) – Geno Smith is coming off of a good matchup facing the Lions. He took advantage, though, finishing with 26 points for QB3. He has favorable matchups the next two weeks, facing the Bears in Chicago and hosting the Browns in New York. As byes approach and with all the injuries to QBs, I like Geno for a few spot starts.
Marcus Mariota, WAS (4%) – If you finish as QB12 (before MNF) against the Seahawks and their elite defense, you deserve to be in the conversation. Marcus Mariota is not my first choice at QB, but I give him a shot over Drake Maye this week.
Defense Wins Championships
The Buffalo Bills (28%) host the New England Patriots, who have been abysmal to start this season. Anything can happen in a divisional game, but New England is the offense I’m targeting.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (22%) face the broken Green Bay Packers, a team that barely edged out an Overtime win vs. the New York Jets. While the Buccaneers might be down offensively, I like the defense to show up this week.
If you had the Kansas City Chiefs (63%) last week for their matchup against the Miami Dolphins, you can run them back for their game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Yes, Kirk Cousins and company are 3-0, but I don’t expect that to last.
Lastly, the New York Jets (4%) haven’t been lighting up the scoreboard defensively, but they have a great schedule coming up. Yes, Case Keenum looked great on Monday Night Football, but coming off of short rest, I like the Jets. After the Bears, the Jets host the Browns, then travel to New England before hosting Miami. I love that stretch for a defense.
Photo courtesy of Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Aaron Polcare (@abeardoesart on Bluesky and X)