It's yet another big week for waiver wire pickups heading into Week 4! Saquon Barkley (ankle) is going to miss more than a month of games, the QB landscape has been littered with injuries and under-performance, and there are two teams with early byes this coming week (Jets and 49ers). Here is your full waiver analysis to get you prepared for this week's top adds:
Main Waiver Wire Targets
Make sure they're not available! Mecole Hardman, WR, KC; Nelson Agholor, WR, PHI; D.J. Chark, WR, JAC; Golden Tate, WR, NYG; Ronald Jones, RB, TB; Justin Jackson, RB, LAC
Obvious adds: Wayne Gallman, RB, NYG; Darrel Williams, RB, KC; Rex Burkhead, RB, NE
Barkley fantasy owners have no other option but to put in their first waiver claim in on Wayne Gallman and try to hold back the tears. The Giants will have to make a move for more RB depth this week, but Gallman is set to play almost every snap for the Giants for as long as Barkley is sidelined. Gallman is immediately on the low-end RB2 radar in Week 4 against Washington. ... Damien Williams (knee; missed Week 3) and LeSean McCoy (ankle) are both banged up, but it was Darrel Williams -- not preseason darling Darwin Thompson -- who saw the most opportunity last week. In fact, Williams ended up out-snapping (37 to 26) and out-touching (14 to 11) McCoy against Baltimore while Shady was limited with his balky ankle. For what it's worth, Thompson played just five snaps. Kansas City's backfield has turned into a mess, but we have to keep investing in this high-powered offense. ... Rex Burkhead ended up dominating the Patriots backfield without James White (personal - birth of child) against the Jets. Burkhead played on 74 percent of Patriots snaps and rolled his 17 touches into 69 yards from scrimmage and a rushing score in Week 3. White will be back for Week 4, but with Sony Michel looking stiff to start the season, Burkhead may be forced into a bigger role than we originally expected. Michel is averaging 2.4 YPC and has forced just one missed tackle on his 45 carries.
Phillip Dorsett, WR, NE -- With Antonio Brown out of the fold, Dorsett is going to play a full-time role in the Patriots attack for the rest of the season. Dorsett was in on over 80 percent of New England's snaps in Weeks 1 and 3, tagging receiving lines of 4/95/2 and 6/53/1. Dorsett's targets will likely ebb and flow based on the game-plan -- he will be their fourth target most weeks -- but Dorsett is a great depth WR4/5 if you're ever desperate during the bye weeks.
Chris Herndon, TE, NYJ -- The start of the season has been rough for the Jets, but help is coming soon. Sam Darnold (mono) is set to return in the next few weeks while Herndon only has to serve one more game on suspension. He'll be eligible to return in Week 6 after the Jets bye. Over 90 percent available in NFL.com fantasy leagues, Herndon is worth stashing on your bench over the next two weeks if you have a spot to burn. Herndon was the Jets most efficient receiver last season, earning team-highs in YPA (9.0), success rate (61 percent), and Next Gen Stats' catch rate above expectation (11.3 percent) on his targets from Darnold.
Deep Waiver Wire Targets
Diontae Johnson, WR, PIT -- Not only did the Steelers bench Donte Moncrief in Week 3 for poor play... they made him a healthy scratch. Johnson made the most of Pittsburgh's re-shuffled receiver depth chart in Week 3, putting up 3/52/1 on six targets. Mason Rudolph really struggled against the 49ers, but James Washington was finally made a full-time player and finished second on the team in routes run (34) behind JuJu Smith-Schuster (35). Johnson was third in routes (26). Both Johnson and Washington may see an uptick in targets if Vance McDonald (shoulder) misses time, too.
Adam Humphries, WR, TEN -- This is a PPR-only play, but after catching three passes for 4 yards in his first two games, Tennessee finally decided they wanted to use their $36M slot-man in Week 3. Humphries' snap rate has increased in three-straight games (34 percent in Week 1; 56 percent in Week 2; 68 percent in Week 3) while he turned his team-leading nine targets into 6/93 against Jacksonville.
Preston Williams, WR, MIA -- You can't trust any Dolphins in fantasy football leagues anytime soon, but I'd be remiss to not mention Preston Williams again in this space. Williams has now hit receiving lines of 4/63 and 4/68 over the past two weeks while his 18 targets in this span are tied with Larry Fitzgerald and Kenny Golladay for 16th-most among pass catchers in this span.
Quarterback Streamers
Daniel Jones (vs. WAS) -- After ripping the Bucs for 336 yards, 2 TDs, and 4/28/2 on the ground -- Jones gets a great matchup at home in Week 4 against the Redskins. Jones' mobility and ability to evade pressure and create outside of structure immediately unlocked the Giants' offense in his debut. We can't bank on rushing scores every week, but Jones' legs will remain a sneaky source of fantasy points after quietly rushing for over 1,300 yards and 17 TDs in three years at Duke.
Matthew Stafford (at KC) -- We have to go back to the Stafford streaming well in Week 4 even though he disappointed last week against Philadelphia. Thanks to Patrick Mahomes and Co. relentlessly putting up points and forcing opposing teams to keep up, the Chiefs have now surrendered 20 or more fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in 13-of-19 games dating back to the start of last season.
If you're desperate: Jacoby Brissett (vs. OAK); Kyle Allen (at HOU)
Tight End Streamers
Will Dissly (at ARI) -- There is only one tight end worth aggressively targeting on the waiver wire in Week 4. Dissly has now scored 7 TDs in six full career games and has the absolute best matchup for tight ends up next. Arizona has been completely set on fire by enemy tight ends this season, giving up 6/131/1 (T.J. Hockenson), 8/112/1 (Mark Andrews), and Greg Olsen (6/75/2) in Weeks 1-3. It's worth noting that Dissly is not a full-time player yet -- he's played under 60 percent of Seattle's snaps in all three games so far -- but that may not matter when the matchup is this ripe.
If you're desperate: Vernon Davis (at NYG), Dawson Knox (vs. NE)
D/ST Streamers
Colts defense (vs. OAK) -- The Raiders are in a tough spot in Week 4. After getting handled by the Chiefs in Week 2 and whacked on the road by the Vikings, they now have to travel cross-country (again) for a road draw in Indy. Oakland's offensive line kept Derek Carr clean against Denver in the season opener, but they have since allowed seven sacks in their last two games combined.
Falcons defense (vs. TEN) -- Atlanta's defense isn't very good and missing S Keanu Neal will hurt this unit even more, but Week 4 is short on D/ST streamers and getting the Titans at home is not the worst matchup in the world. The Titans' offensive line is struggling and Marcus Mariota holds the ball way too long, which can be a lethal combo for our fantasy defenses. Mariota has been under pressure on over one-third of his dropbacks and has already absorbed a league-leading 17 sacks so far.
- -- Graham Barfield is a fantasy editor and analyst for NFL.com. Catch him on the Fantasy LIVE podcast with Marcas Grant and Michael Fabiano, Fantasy LIVE on NFL Network, watch him on Fantasy League One, and follow him on Twitter @GrahamBarfield. *
