Week 4 Waiver Wire Pickups Show from Fantasy Insiders
Ben Gretch, Josh ADHD and David Kitchen discussed this past NFL weekend on the FantasyInsiders Week 4 Waiver Wire Show, reacting to a few breakout performances and suggesting where to allocate waiver wire funds.
Find out about top waiver options this week, how to handle young wide receivers outperforming expectations, and a rookie quarterback getting his shot below.
Calvin Ridley goes off
Ridley hauled in 7 catches for 146 yards and three touchdowns, along with a rush for 9 yards. His insane fantasy day was a must for winning daily lineups.
Even in the high-powered Atlanta offense, our analysts approached the rookie wide receiver with a bit of trepidation. New Orleans has consistently struggled in the secondary, especially deep down the field, and Ridley had an average depth of target of 18.75. Tampa Bay had similar success on long passes as well, and Cleveland could have as well with some personnel changes.
Ridley may only be viable in these types of situations, but Atlanta has a handful of favorable matchups left. The wideout’s role has also been increasing and he’ll be a big part of future shootouts.
The analysts agreed Ridley is worth going out and getting where he’s available, likely in shallower leagues, as Sunday was a breakout game and could portend a stellar debut season.
As for what range of players to consider Ridley in, Gretch was asked recently to choose between adding Geronimo Allison, Tyler Boyd and the Atlanta rookie this week. His rest-of-season ranks had them within four spots of each other going into Week 3, and the huge game makes Ridley the easy choice.
“Based on what we saw this week, you have to bump him up for that.”
He may not be an automatic insertion into lineups given the plethora of options in Atlanta, but definitely someone to go get.
Tyler Boyd excels again
The sophomore wide receiver has clearly established himself as the No.2 option in the Cincinnati passing game and got an extra boost in Week 3 when A.J. Green went down with an injury. Boyd snagged a 49-yard catch and finished with 132 yards and a score, so he’s easily a pickup this week where available, the question is whether to add him into starting lineups.
Josh is on board with Boyd as a WR2 or flex option going forward, after the wideout managed the highest aDOT on the team plus a healthy seven targets.
“He’s here to stay, bro.”
Boyd’s long catch, as well as his touchdown, came with Green sidelined, so the production may not stay at this level, but he’s a major cog in the offense. Gretch could not say the same for his guy John Ross.
Mike Williams, the tight end
Supposedly No.4 on the Los Angeles wide receiver depth chart, Williams caught two touchdowns against a tough Rams secondary. Josh surmised Williams is actually functioning as a tight end, taking the role of injured Hunter Henry and serving as a primary red zone target for the Chargers’ offense.
“It’s a great role, we know what the tight end does with Philip Rivers and if that’s gonna be Mike Williams, you gotta snatch him up.”
Williams has pedigree as the seventh overall pick in 2017 so this performance isn’t a complete surprise, though Gretch pointed out fellow wide receiver Travis Benjamin missed the contest with an injury. Benjamin ran more routes than Williams in Week 1, and that coupled with a quite day from Keenan Allen may have inflated Williams’ opportunity.
Williams is a promising player, and while expectations should be tempered in a crowded offense, he is well worth an add.
Chris Carson not gassed this week
The Seahawks running back dominated touches and ran for over 100 yards against Dallas, leaving just three carries for Rashaad Penny in Week 3.
Carson is a definite add where he is available, given the level of opportunity, and is the top running back pickup. He was likely dropped in leagues after a poor Week 2, and this backfield seems like less of a committee than it did in previous contests.
Josh cautioned the performance was largely driven by game script against a defense missing Sean Lee so Carson may not be hitting the century mark again any time soon, but he appears the back to own in Seattle.
Baker Mayfield takes over
Mayfield stepped in for an injured Tyrod Taylor and was recently named Cleveland’s starter, but there are concerns going forward about this offense that make his prospects a bit less exciting.
The upside was clearly present in the one half Mayfield played last week which means he absolutely deserves to be on fantasy rosters and Gretch mentioned him in the same sentence as stud rookies Deshaun Watson and Cam Newton. He focused on the defenders instead of locking onto his receivers, fitting the ball into tight windows on several occasions.
Mayfield should certainly be on the radar of Jimmy Garoppolo owners, who will likely be without the quarterback for an extended period due to a knee injury.
Kitchen threw out some names against Mayfield for rest-of-season production and the results favored the rookie. Gretch and Josh were split on Mayfield versus Jared Goff and Russell Wilson, but took him over Andrew Luck. He can be considered a back-end QB1 moving forward.
- Author: Charlie Wright, Fantasy Insiders