Week 3 of the 2022 NFL season was far from ideal for a lot of fantasy managers; well, I would say 50% of us. It was ugly out there, but if you won you can at least feel better about things as we move through the season. There were some serious running back injuries to deal with as David Montgomery, D’Andre Swift, and Dalvin Cook were forced out of action which placed Kahlil Herbert, Jamaal Williams, and Alexander Mattison on our radars. As we work through the preparation for Week 4, let us take at some NFL wavier wire options as we also saw the potential emergence of Romeo Doubs. 

 

 

 

 

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups Week 4

Waiver Wire Quarterbacks

Geno Smith (SEA); FAAB Bid: 1%

From a quarterback perspective, it is a relatively calm week as far as options and injuries go (just Mac Jones), but Smith has proven to be a solid option to begin the season. In fact, Smith has been better than Russell Wilson to begin the season, and who had that on their bingo card? By no means though, should anyone take that as an invitation to drop Wilson for Smith, but if you are looking for a quarterback, Smith is a solid option who has a favorable matchup against Detroit this week. Smith has thrown for two touchdowns in two of three games this year and threw for 325 yards this past week against Atlanta giving him two games of greater than 20 fantasy points. 

 

Jameis Winston (NO); FAAB Bid: 1%

We never know how teams will truly react to playing in London, but that is the case for the Saints this week in what should be a good matchup against Minnesota. Winston only has four touchdown passes in the first three weeks of the season but he did throw for 353 yards last week and Chris Olave is developing as a legitimate weapon in the passing game. The expectation here is that the Vikings game will serve as a “get right” affair for New Orleans offensively. 

 

Waiver Wire Running Backs

Khalil Herbert (CHI); FAAB Bid: 10-15%

When David Montgomery exited Sunday’s game with a knee/ankle injury, things did not look good for his status in the immediate future. As of Monday night, the word is that Montgomery is day-to-day, but I am still not sure we see him take the field this week. At this point, even if the incumbent does return, I would expect Herbert to take on a larger role in what is very much a run focused offense. Herbert carried the ball 20 times for 157 yards and two touchdowns after gaining 83 yards on 13 carries to open up the season. Chicago’s offense is limited, at best, through the air so they will have to lean on the running game and that means Herbert. In fact, you could make the argument that Herbert fits the Bears’ offense better. Herbert was drafted in the majority of leagues but after the first two weeks it was possible, he was jettisoned to the waiver wire which means he is available in 51% of Yahoo leagues. 

 

Alexander Mattison (MIN); FAAB Bid: 8-10%

Generally, our criteria are players rostered in less than 50% of Yahoo leagues and at 55%, Mattison is just over that mark. However, with Cook day-to-day he deals with a subluxed shoulder his backup is going to receive a great deal of buzz this week. This is one of those situations where a mandatory handcuff should be in place, but whenever Cook is sidelined, Mattison is essentially a must start. It is possible that Cook can play through the injury while wearing a harness, but that will not be known until later in the week and it is not something I would bank on. Last week, Mattison carried the ball seven times for 28 yards and a touchdown after Cook’s injury and he is capable of more than that this week. 

 

Samaje Perine (CIN); FAAB Bid: 1%

It is a quick turnaround for Joe Mixon and the Bengals this week as they play on Thursday while he deals with an ankle injury that forced him out of Sunday’s game. The early indications are that Mixon’s ankle is good to go for Thursday’s game, but it might make sense for Perine to be on our radars as well. After carrying the ball just two times over the first two weeks, Perine picked up 47 yards on nine carries against the Jets while also catching a touchdown pass as he is a capable handcuff. 

 

 

 

Waiver Wire Wide Receivers

Romeo Doubs (GB); FAAB Bid: 8%

And this is what we were waiting for all summer and through the first two weeks of the season from the rookie. Aaron Rodgers has to throw the ball to someone and the assumption was that Doubs would pick up the slack in Green Bay’s passing game. After not making much of an impact in either of the first two games, six receptions for 64 yards on eight targets, Doubs emerged on Sunday. The rookie caught all eight of his targets for 73 yards and a touchdown and now that he has gained Rodgers’ trust, I would expect him to be a large part of Green Bay’s offense. 

 

Mack Hollins (LV); FAAB Bid: 3%

We expected Darren Waller to be heavily involved for the Raiders this week, but instead it was Hollins who stepped up to fill the void created by Hunter Renfrow’s injury. It was not the first time we saw him make an impact this season as he was targeted eight times and caught five passes for 66 yards two weeks ago. That proved to be just an appetizer for Hollins as he stepped up with Renfrow being sidelined as he turned 10 targets into eight receptions for 158 yards and a touchdown. It appears that Renfrow will return this week, but concussions are tricky and we should not expect Hollins to simply fade into the background. 

 

DeVante Parker (NE); FAAB Bid: 2%

After being targeted just four times in the first two games, catching one pass for nine yards, Parker erupted last week in a game in which the Patriots were trailing from the start. It certainly worked to Parker’s advantage as he caught five of his 10 targets for 156 yards but we do have a new variable in place with Mac Jones’ ankle injury. To be honest though, I am not sure how much of a difference there will be between Jones and Brian Hoyer and if the Patriots are playing from behind it should only serve to benefit Parker. 

 

Waiver Wire Tight Ends

Tyler Conklin (NYJ); FAAB Bid: 1-2%

Tight end has been a difficult position this season, and at the least, we can say that Conklin has been busy over the past two weeks. The Jets are turning back to Zack Wilson under center this week so it remains to be seen if their offense looks any difference, but I am not sure there will truly be much of a change. New York will likely be playing from behind often this season and Conklin has proven to be a large part of their offense with 24 targets over the last three weeks. Conklin turned that into 18 receptions for 140 yards and that consistency could prove to go a long way. 

 

Cameron Brate (TB); FAAB Bid: 1%

The Tampa Bay offense still has some work to do three weeks into the season, but are we really going to doubt Tom Brady? After catching just one pass in each of the first two weeks, Brate was targeted six times on Sunday and turned that into five receptions for 52 yards. Brate is still looking for his first touchdown of the season, but this is a case of following the targets. While Mike Evans will be returning this week from his suspension, there is no competition for targets on the tight end depth chart behind Brate. 

 

 

Fantasy Alarm is the home of all things Fantasy Sports. Bringing you the best Fantasy Football content all year long. Be sure to also check out the best fantasy promo codes on offer today!


Related Articles: