Add the best free agents available with blind bid recommendations
It’s already Week 4! Time flies when you’re having fun. Let’s hit the waiver wire and keep shoring up our winning squads.
Quarterbacks - Waiver Wire Adds
Sam Darnold (CAR)
Sam Darnold continues to flourish outside of New York, leading the Panthers to a 3-0 record to start the season. He now has two consecutive 300+ passing yard games, and though he threw no touchdown passes on Thursday, he was able to run two in on his own. This offense is built around Christian McCaffrey, but with McCaffrey out for at least a month with a hamstring strain, Darnold should continue to step up and connect with star wideout D.J. Moore. Darnold finished the week ahead of Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson from a fantasy standpoint, and next up is a Houston Texans team that has surrendered the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this year. If you're looking for a superflex QB, or you're streaming quarterbacks, Darnold is trending in the right direction. Darnold is available in 78% of leagues.
FAAB: 3%
© Troy Taormina/USA TODAY Sports
Taylor Heinecke (WFT)
The Football Team has struggled out of the gate, starting the season 1-2, but Heinicke has filled in admirably for the injured Ryan Fitzpatrick. Heinecke has quietly put together back-to-back productive fantasy outings, finishing this week with more fantasy points than both Kyler Murray and Lamar Jackson. On Sunday, Heinecke threw for 212 yards with two passing touchdowns while rushing for 21 and adding a score on the ground. This week Heinecke faces an Atlanta team that has allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks across the first three games of the season. Heinecke isn’t an every-week starter, but he could be worth streaming in the right matchups. He’s available in 94% of leagues.
FAAB: 1%
More QB: Teddy Bridgewater (DEN), Jimmy Garoppolo (SF)
Running Backs - Waiver Wire Adds
Chuba Hubbard (CAR)
After Christian McCaffrey exited the game on Thursday, Hubbard saw the bulk of the workload at RB, rushing 11 times for 52 yards while catching three of his five targets for another 27 yards through the air. The rookie out of Oklahoma State averaged a highly efficient 4.7 yards per attempt and should see the lion's share of the work for Carolina, though bear in mind veteran Royce Freeman will still see some touches, and the Panthers have already worked out Duke Johnson. Of course, no one can replace Christian McCaffrey, but Hubbard should be productive given the role running backs play in this Carolina system. We saw Mike Davis had success in this spot last season, and Hubbard should be your number one claim this week- especially if you lost Christian McCaffrey. Hubbard is available in 75% of leagues.
FAAB: 36%
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Peyton Barber (LVR)
It's hard to get excited about a running back who averaged 2.7 yards per attempt in 2020, but here we are. In the absence of Josh Jacobs, it was Peyton Barber and not Kenyan Drake who racked up 142 total yards and a score in the Raiders' win vs. Miami Sunday. Barber's 36 attempts are more than double Drake's in the last two games, and it's clear Barber is the handcuff for Jacobs in what has become a potent Raider's offense. With the state of the running back position and Jacobs' injury history, Barber is worth adding.
FAAB: 3%
Giovani Bernard (TB)
Bernard was targeted ten times on Sunday in the Bucs' loss to the Rams. He operated solely as a receiver and has yet to have a single rushing attempt this season, but Bernard could have a big Sunday now and then in PPR leagues in the right game script. If you need depth at the position, Bernard is a decent bench stash that you can stream in deeper leagues. Bernard is available in 85% of leagues.
FAAB: 1%
More RB: Cordarrelle Patterson (ATL), Kenneth Gainwell (PHI), Brandon Bolden (NE), Royce Freeman (CAR), Tony Jones, Jr. (NO)
Wide Receivers - Waiver Wire Adds
Emmanuel Sanders (BUF)
I mentioned Emmanuel Sanders in this article last week, noting he was playing the same amount of snaps as Stefon Diggs while seeing a whopping 34% of Buffalo's air yards. He was due for a big game, and it happened Sunday. Last week, I recommended a 4% FAAB bid, but that window has now closed after Sanders caught five of his six targets for 94 yards and found the end zone twice as the Bills routed the Football Team 43-21. If you want a piece of this high-powered offense, Sanders is still available in 74% of leagues.
FAAB: up to 16%
Tim Patrick (DEN)
I'm not sure why Tim Patrick is still on the waiver wire in 76% of leagues, but that should be fixed immediately. Patrick found the end zone in both Week 1 and Week 2, and last week he was Bridgewater's deep threat, catching all five of his targets for 98 yards. Jerry Jeudy is still sidelined, and the Broncos just lost wideout KJ Hamler for the rest of the season due to a torn ACL. Teddy Bridgewater leads the league with a 76.8% completion rate, and the sure-handed Patrick should see plenty of opportunity for this winning Denver team.
FAAB: up to 11%
© Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Rashod Bateman (BAL)
We have yet to see the 27th overall draft pick out of Minnesota play in the NFL, but Bateman will begin practicing this week after a core injury sidelined him to start the season. If you were watching the game on Sunday, you saw that Lamar was throwing absolute darts, and the Baltimore receiving corps—most notably Marquise Brown—could not capitalize. The time could be right to put in your claims for Bateman. He's available in 85% of leagues.
FAAB: up to 4%
Kendrick Bourne (NE)
On Sunday, Bourne was the top-performing New England receiver, catching six of eight targets for 96 yards and a touchdown. Mac Jones had trouble connecting with Nelson Agholor, who was getting the Marshawn Lattimore treatment, and Bourne's volume increased due to the early exit of James White with a hip injury. Bourne is still behind Jakobi Meyers on the depth chart, so this is more of a deep-league add, but New England faces Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Bucs in the prime-time Sunday night game this week. The reigning Super Bowl champs have become an easy WR matchup—much to Bill Belichick's delight. I'm expecting drama and revenge narratives, and I'm adding Bourne in my deeper leagues.
FAAB: up to 2%
Terrace Marshall (CAR)
Terrace Marshall's snap share increased in Thursday's game vs. the Texans, playing 60% snaps to Robbie Anderson's 63%, with Marshall having the more productive day catching four of his five targets for 48 yards. He has now seen 14 targets on the season as compared to Anderson's 11. You have to wonder when Anderson will get going and if he will continue to lose opportunities to a 21-year-old rookie. Marshall is available in 86% of leagues.
FAAB: up to 2%
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (TEN)
After A.J. Brown exited early with a hamstring injury, Westbrook-Ikhine saw an increased opportunity and caught all four of his targets for 53 yards and a touchdown. According to coach Vrabel, Julio Jones was also absent for the second half of this game with "some tightness." Whether Jones lands on the injured list or whether they were managing his workload, it seems Westbrook-Ikhine could be getting plenty of opportunity in the coming weeks. He's available in 100% of leagues.
FAAB: up to 1%
More WR: Hunter Renfrow (LVR), Anthony Miller (Hou), Van Jefferson (LAR), Marquez Valdes-Scantling (GB), Marquez Callaway (NO), Kalif Raymond (DET), Cedrick Wilson (DAL)
Tight Ends - Waiver Wire Adds
Dalton Schultz (DAL)
If you want a piece of the Dallas offense, here's your chance. Schultz is available in 98% of leagues, and Monday night, we saw Prescott target him seven times. Schultz had six catches for 80 yards and found the end zone twice. Schultz finished the 2020 season as the 11th best TE in PPR leagues, and there's no reason to think that can't happen again with a full season of Dak Prescott, as Schultz has already season 15 targets across the first two games of the season.
FAAB: up to 3%
Dawson Knox (BUF)
Knox lined up at wide receiver a combined 37 times in Week 1 and Week 2, and he's now caught 10 of his 12 targets for 107 yards and two scores. Knox is available in 90% of leagues.
FAAB: up to 2%
Tyler Conklin (MIN)
Conklin has carved out the role as the #1 TE for the Vikings in the absence of Irv Smith, Jr. He caught seven of his eight targets for 70 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's contest vs. Seattle. Conklin could emerge as a red-zone threat, though he will always be behind Adam Theilen and Justin Jefferson as a receiver.
FAAB: up to 2%
More TE: Pat Freiermuth (PIT), Dalton Schultz (DAL), Zach Ertz (PHI)
Team Defenses - Waiver Wire Adds
Tennessee Titans
The Titans' defense is not good, and its secondary has allowed a lot of fantasy points, but the NY Jets' offense is even worse. Rookie Zach Wilson has already been picked 7 times and has already been sacked a league-leading 15 times. If you're streaming defenses, Tennessee is a matchup option.
FAAB: up to 1%
More NFL Coverage:
•
Week 4 Touches, Targets, Volume & Regression Index• MAQB: Risks and Reward of the Panthers' Aggressive Deal for C.J. Henderson
• MMQB: Week 3 Was the NFL's L.A. Dream
• Week 3 NFL Takeaways: Justin Tucker Is the Ultimate Weapon
• Early Losses a Warning Sign for the Chiefs
• Big Ben a Convenient Target, but Steelers Have Larger Issues
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