Waiver Wire Pickups
Week 4 is here in the 2023 NFL season. It’s hard to believe that it’s already Week 4. If only we could have NFL football year-round. Congratulations on surviving Week 3 of the NFL Season. It was a bloodbath littered with injuries, under-performances, ghosting, and even wilder finishes. We had more injuries to running backs and quarterbacks. Many players suffered injuries or awful performances like Mike Williams, Derek Carr, and many more. Due to these injuries and poor performances from players, you need some new players on your roster. That’s why you’re reading this article. I’ll give you some names that you should see if they are on your waivers and consider picking them up. The league I’ll be basing these on is a 1QB, six-point passing touchdown, PPR, and 12-team league, although I’ll include some deeper league shout-outs.
The waivers are based on Yahoo’s system and roster percentages. Waivers typically process Tuesday or Wednesday night so go get those claims in! I wish you luck with Week 4 and may the NFL overlords give us some great football, no missed kicks, and plenty of healthy players with no injuries. Truly, it’s kind of depressing and crazy that Week 4’s here already. Enjoy the fantasy football and NFL season while you can!
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Quarterbacks
CJ Stroud
Houston Texans, 20% rostered
Stroud is the first player in NFL history to have at least 900 passing yards, zero interceptions, and at least four passing touchdowns over their first three starts. Plus, he’s scored at least 24 points in the last two games with two touchdowns in each of them. He’s showing incredible poise and mastery over the Texans’ offense. He’s the best rookie quarterback in the NFL and should be rostered if you are seeking a replacement quarterback for Jimmy Garappolo, Kenny Pickett, or Derek Carr. Also, he was reportedly less than 100 percent in his shoulder this past Saturday against the Jaguars. He still threw for 280 yards and completed a career-best 66.7% of his passes.
Running Backs
De’Von Achane
Miami Dolphins, 42% rostered
It should not be any surprise that he’s listed here. He will be the #1 waiver claim for a reason after his standout day. He was the #1 fantasy scorer in all of the NFL in Week 3. He had 203 yards on just 18 attempts. That’s 11.3 yards per carry! He had four total touchdowns, two on the ground and two through the air. He caught four passes for 30 yards. This highlights that the Dolphins will use him in the passing game and aren’t afraid of getting the ball plenty of times. He had two more touches than Raheem Mostert who had 20. He won’t ever come close to this kind of scoring again, but it’s easy to see how he could put up regular RB2 numbers with even half of this workload.
Jaylen Warren
Pittsburgh Steelers, 56% rostered
Warren is a change-of-pace running back so he will always have better-looking numbers than the starter, Najee Harris. This is due to an easier defensive scheme he faces and because he has limited touches. However, that doesn’t mean he isn’t worth being added. The Steelers are desperate for some punch from their running game. So far, Warren has given a better punch than Harris. Granted last week, he averaged just 3.6 yards per carry, but he did see 11 touches. He has a good chance to return flex numbers every week if he keeps seeing 10+ touches a game.
Honorable Mentions: Elijah Mitchell, Jerick McKinnon, Rico Dowdle
Wide Receivers
Tank Dell
Houston Texans, 32% rostered
Dell set a franchise record with 145 yards receiving in Week 3. That was the team’s most single-game yardage by a rookie ever. This is a team that had Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins. Dell was the WR5 in Week 3. He’s been seeing more playing time each week and his production has risen exponentially. He’s a top-20 wide receiver so far and should be added off the waivers. Considering the lack of talent opposite him on Houston’s roster, he should have very little trouble maintaining his control over the targets. More targets equal more fantasy points. More points equal more wins for you.
Joshua Palmer
Los Angeles Chargers, 4% rostered
It’s easy to forget that Palmer was the Chargers’ leading receiver last year. He finished the WR25 last week even with Mike Williams and Keenan Allen absolutely going off. Now, Williams is out for the season with a torn ACL. This has opened up the WR2 slot in the Chargers’ offense. I’d expect Palmer to get the first shot. After Williams left with an injury, Palmer ran a route on every pass attempt by Justin Herbert. He caught four passes out of his seven targets for 66 yards and a touchdown. He’s seen at least five targets the last two weeks. I would definitely be adding him off the waivers, especially if you are having wide receiver issues due to the multitude of injuries or poor quarterback play.
Honorable Mentions: Romeo Doubs, Marvin Mims, Rashee Rice, Quentin Johnston
Tight Ends
Luke Musgrave
Green Bay Packers, 19% rostered
Musgrave has been a TE1 this year. He’s the TE10 overall this year with 11 catches on 15 targets for 124 yards. However, two of those targets would’ve resulted in big play touchdowns if Jordan Love had him in stride. He continues to find ways to get open and Love will hit him in stride consistently soon. Plus, Week Three was his breakout week. He saw eight targets and caught six of them for 49 yards en route to a TE1-tier finish. He’s running more routes than any tight ends not named Hockenson, Higbee, Goedert, and Pitts. More time on the field running routes will result in him getting a lot more fantasy points. The catches and yards will come, but don’t miss out on him. Don’t watch him score plenty of points while you’re stuck with a tight end who isn’t scoring many points like Darren Waller or David Njoku.
Honorable Mentions: Zach Ertz
As always, I’m more than happy to talk on Twitter. Let me know your thoughts on these players if you managed to trade for/away from them. If you need thoughts on any trade, my DMs are open on 18/7. I respond to everyone.
