Top fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 4

This was a rough week of fantasy football advice for me. I’ll admit it. Did not do so hot on most of my predictions and thoughts.

I said to go get Trevor Siemian and even decided to start him. He throws for 259 yards and two interceptions. I said get Rashard Higgins AND I STARTED HIM TOO! Two catches for 10 yards. Remember when I was worried about Jordan Howard last week and benched him? Welp, Howard’s back. Blarg.

But enough about me and my failures this week. That’s the beauty of fantasy football: There’s always next week. And Week 4 is going to be all of our weeks! It’ll be the best single week of fantasy football action ever and we’ll all be able to bask in it’s glory.

TO VICTORY!! [general screaming and yelling]

First steps to Week 4 victory: Winning the waiver wire. Here are the guys you should be instantly trying to add to your fantasy team (percent owned in Yahoo leagues).

QB Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans (14 percent owned)

I might have the commentator’s curse on me after I all but doomed Siemian into a terrible performance this week, but I’m liking this Deshaun Watson guy. He nearly dethroned my Patriots Sunday and has constantly shown the ability to make plays in both the air and the ground this season. He’s only going to get more comfortable in Bill O’Brien’s offense as the season moves on and he’s a great stash option if you have the space. It helps that he gets to face the Browns, the 49ers and the Colts twice.

RB Chris Thompson, Washington (75 percent owned)

It’s amazing what a week of hype can do for a player. Last week when I wrote that you should be adding Chris Thompson, he was only owned in 31 percent of Yahoo leagues. Now we’re well into the 70’s. I normally try and give players who’re under 50 percent owned but Thompson is clearly catching fire and if he’s available in your league, this is the last time to get him and you should go do that RIGHT NOW!

RB Duke Johnson Jr., Cleveland Browns (52 percent owned)

Don’t mind the “RB” next to Duke’s name, he might as well be a wide receiver for the Browns so far this season. He’s the team’s leading receiver in literally every category (except for touchdowns but that’ll change). He clearly has a serious role in this offense and is one of Deshone Kizer’s go-to guys. I know I just mentioned my “under 50% rule” but I’m breaking it again for Johnson. Plus, he’s owned in 52 percent so that’s close enough for me.

RB D'Onta Foreman, Houston Texans (17 percent owned)

Lamar Miller is still the led back in Houston but the rookie Foreman’s role seems to be steadily increasing from week to week. Against the Patriots, Foreman had eight carries to Miller’s 14 but saw a lot of work in the passing game. He’s someone who is definitely worth the stash as it seems the coaching staff is working hard to get him more touches and he’s been producing.

RB Wendell Smallwood, Philadelphia Eagles (4 percent owned)

I’d like to take a moment to pour some out for Darren Sproles who suffered what appeared to be a broken arm against the Giants Sunday. With Sproles out for a while at the very least, Smallwood is set to suddenly have a very major role in the Eagles’ offense. We already saw what he could do Sunday when he saw way more snaps than LeGarrette Blount (40 to Blount’s 22) and finished with the same number of carries but for more yards (12 each, 71 yards for Smallwood, 67 for Blount). #BlountForceTrauma did find the endzone but Smallwood will clearly get a heavy workload in the coming weeks.

WR Sterling Shepard, New York Giants (35 percent owned)

Remember when I said Eli Manning is done and that you should drop him and that he won’t have a 15+ fantasy point performance? (For those of you who aren’t listening to our fantasy football podcast, y’all missing out.) Boy was I wrong. It’s amazing what happens when you get the ball out of Manning’s hands record fast and into the hands of his playmakers. Shepard was the main beneficiary, catching seven balls for 133 yards and a touchdown, all while working out of the slot. If the game-plan continues to be get the ball out of Eli’s hands quick, Shepard has a ton of value moving forward.

WR Paul Richardson, Seattle Seahawks (11 percent owned)

Richardson has scored a touchdown in each of the last two games and Doug Baldwin went down with a groin injury Sunday. What more could you want? Oh, you do want more? Well, the Seahawks play the Colts next week. Boom! I’M OUT!

TE Charles Clay, Buffalo Bills (20 percent owned)

It’s amazing to me that with the shortage of tight ends in fantasy leagues right now—mainly because they’re all getting injured—Clay is still only owned in 20 percent of Yahoo leagues. Yes he’s not the flashiest of tight ends but he’s role in Buffalo’s offense is set in stone and seems one hundred percent reliable. So far this season, Clay has been the recipient of almost 23% of Tyrod Taylor’s targets and has caught half of his touchdowns. If you’re in need of a tight end, you could do a lot worse than Clay.