Week 4 Fantasy Football Playbook: Waiver Wire & Sleepers

Fantasy Football Fantasy Football Sleepers Waiver Wire

No matter what type of Fantasy Football league you play in, here are some fantasy tips for Week 4, including Waiver Wire Pick-ups and Sleepers.

 

Waiver Wire Pick-ups for Week 4:

 

Quarterbacks:

Courtesy of ICON SMI

Courtesy of ICON SMI

1. Ryan Tannehill, Dolphins-

Tannehill is owned in very few fantasy leagues so he should be available for most people. While his fantasy numbers haven’t been stellar, he has 827 yards, with a 66.3% completion rate and is averaging a good 7.73 yards per attempt. The touchdowns are low, at just 4 so far, but those are likely to increase as he gets even more familiar in this offense and with his receivers.

While he doesn’t have much production on the ground, Tannehill has good mobility and will likely end the year with 100-200 yards rushing and 2-4 TD’s. He may not be a top starter, but he’s a very passable bye week starter.

 

2. Philip Rivers, Chargers-

Rivers is actually a top 5 fantasy quarterback so far in standard scoring and should not only get consideration as a back-up, but as a possible starter. He’s averaging 266 yards per game, and has a ridiculous 8 TD to 1 INT stat so far this season. His completion percentage is at 70% and his yards per attempt sit at 8.0.

The problem with Rivers is so much of it is based on that Philly game, as he’s failed to top 200 yards in either of the other two games this year. The Chargers have a bad defense and a suspect rushing attack so Rivers should have plenty of chances to put up good numbers this year, but he’ll likely be hit and miss depending on the match-up.

 

3. E.J. Manuel, Bills-

Manuel is 13th in standard scoring so far among quarterbacks, and this could just be the tip of the iceberg for him. His first two weeks he was well over 60% completion rate as a passer, and has now gone over 200 yards in each of the past two weeks. He has 76 rushing yards so far and that number will surely go up along with some rushing TD’s as the season wears on.

He may not have the fantasy impact that some rookies have had the last two years, but he could be close. He is a good guy to have on your bench going forward and could end up being your starter before the year is out.

 

One more to watch: Brian Hoyer, Browns-

The Browns are likely to keep rolling with Hoyer and given that they have zero run game, Hoyer should be putting the ball in the air quite a bit. As a cheap back-up he’s not a bad option.

 

Running Backs:      bilalpowell

1. Bilal Powell, Jets-

Powell is coming off a 147 yard performance against the Bills, and is now firmly in place as the top back for the Jets as Chris Ivory is expected to miss a couple weeks due to a hamstring injury. Powell should be good for 75-100 yards each week and will likely become more active in the passing game in the coming weeks. With a rookie quarterback the Jets won’t quickly abandon the run in games.

 

2. Willis McGahee, Browns-

His debut wasn’t too promising, but McGahee still could have some fantasy value. With the Browns now being a bigger threat to throw the ball, he could see more favorable opposing defenses and should quickly get in the mix with goal line carries. It will probably be a couple weeks before he could be even considered a bye week fill in, but down the stretch he could help as a solid back-up option.

 

3. Fred Jackson, Bills-

C.J. Spiller went down with injury, giving Jackson a major chance to be a fantasy option in the coming weeks. He’s probably already owned in a few leagues, but there are still likely a number of leagues where he’s still available.

If you have a chance on him he’s a must add. Jackson has been highly effective when running the football this year, and has even gotten some solid fantasy points splitting carries with Spiller. If Spiller misses time and Jackson is the focal guy, he could be a top 15 back.

 

One more to watch: Jason Snelling, Falcons-

It looks like Steven Jackson will miss the next few weeks and though this figures to be a committee approach between Snelling and Jacquizz Rodgers, both backs can have value. Snelling is more likely to get goal line touches and is more involved in the passing game than people think.

 

Wide Receivers:

1. Josh Gordon, Browns-      joshgordon

Surprisingly Gordon is still unclaimed in many leagues out there. If that is the case in your league, he has to be your number one waiver wire pick-up this week. He’s a bonafide number one receiver, and there is even a chance he could be traded to an even better passing attack. Even if he sticks with the Browns he should be in the mix for 100 yards each week and should end up with 7-10 more TD’s.

 

2. Ryan Broyles, Lions-

With Nate Burleson suffering a broken arm, Broyles now becomes the Lions number two receiver. Burleson has had at least 6 catches a game and is averaging over 70 yards a game, so Broyles should be able to get similar production. He probably won’t top 100 too often, but he’s a decent bye week fill in since you know the Lions will throw the ball and he’ll get 5-8 catches and 60+ yards a game.

 

3. Stephen Hill, Jets-

Hill has had back-to-back solid weeks, and will likely continue to be Geno Smith‘s big play target. He’s still a raw receiver, but he’s so physically gifted that the throw doesn’t need to be perfect for him to go get the football. Jets could start to try to use his size as an advantage more in the Red Zone and this could lead to increased TD’s.

 

One more to watch: Santonio Holmes, Jets-

It’s shocking to consider a pair of Jets, but Holmes is coming off a big game against the Bills, and is starting to look more like his old self. If Geno Smith continues to develop, Holmes could end up being a solid fill in player.

 

Tight Ends:

1. Heath Miller, Steelers-    heathmiller

Miller missed the first two weeks as he is coming back from a late season ACL injury, but in week three he had three receptions for 35 yards. With the way the Steelers are struggling they are likely to be throwing a lot and Roethlisberger will likely be looking for Miller quite a bit this season. Now for the next couple of weeks it still may be slow going, but as the season wears on he could end up being a top 12 TE week-to-week.

 

2. Charles Clay, Dolphins-

Many wanted to point to Clay’s 100 yard Week 2 performance as a fluke, but he went for 54 yards in Week and 40 yards in Week 3 so it isn’t like he’s being ignored in the offense. He might not be a top starting tight end, but he’s a solid number two option. Expect his Red Zone targets to go up and for him to see a couple touchdowns going forward.

 

3. Coby Fleener, Colts-

With Dwayne Allen out Fleener is the top tight end, and with his familiarity with the offense and Andrew Luck he’s a nice sleeper play. He didn’t have a good Week 3 versus the 49ers, but that was a tough match-up. Going forward he should be targeted more, and get 4-6 catches and 50-70 yards a week.

 

One more to watch: Jordan Reed, Redskins-

Reed got injured this past week and will likely miss this up-coming week versus Oakland, but after the Redskins bye he could be a pretty solid number 2 TE play. The Redskins are forced to throw the ball more this year and Reed has proven to be sure-handed and a guy who can move the chains. Look for him to get targeted more and more as the season goes on.

 

Sleepers for Week 4:

 

QB:

Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers-

Courtesy of ICON SMI

Courtesy of ICON SMI

Given the lackluster start of the Steelers’ season, Big Ben doesn’t seem like a great fantasy play, but he just put up 400 yards against the Bears defense. While the lack of touchdowns and throwing four interceptions so far is troubling, it does appear he’s getting better and he has a great match-up this week versus the Vikings.

Minnesota has been one of the worst passing defenses this season, so Roethlisberger should have plenty of opportunities. With Le’Veon Bell expected back this week, the Steelers will actually have some balance to their offense, which should give Roethlisberger more time to make plays.

 

Colin Kaepernick, 49ers-

Kaepernick has had a rough past two weeks after a great Week 1. He’s simply too talented of a quarterback to count out and the 49ers are going to need him to step up with some question marks in their defense. The Rams defense has not been as impressive as expected so far this season, and Kaepernick could have some opportunities to exploit them both through the air and on the ground.

 

RB:

DeMarco Murray, Cowboys-

Murray had over 200 total yards against the Rams on Sunday, and that was with him even sitting for the fourth quarter. The Cowboys appear to be focused on balancing their offense and they should have another easier match-up to do so against, as the Chargers defense has been woeful this season.

San Diego has given up a lot of yards this year both on the ground and through the air. Murray should be able to top 100 yards rushing again and will likely add a few catches as well. He’s a really good number 2 RB or Flex play this week.

 

Trent Richardson, Colts-

Richardson didn’t have the greatest debut for the Colts averaging just 2.7 yards per carry, but that will likely change this week as he’ll have a full week of practice and be more involved with the offense.

The Colts are going to want to get him going and this week versus the Jaguars is a perfect week to set him loose. The Colts will likely spend much of the 2nd half running the football so there should be plenty of carries for Richardson down the stretch.

 

WR:

Denarius Moore, Raiders-             denarius-moore-dive

Moore had a big game versus the Broncos, and now gets to feast on the weak Redskins secondary this week. Even if Pryor can’t play this week, Moore should do well against a Redskins secondary that has been torched this season.

 

Cecil Shorts, Jaguars-

Shorts has gotten off to a rough start this season, but that has been in part due to the tough defenses he’s faced. With the Colts the match-up this week, Shorts could finally have a chance to have a big game this week for the Jaguars as they will need to throw the ball a lot to keep up. Shorts is too good of a receiver to not get better numbers going forward, even with the poor quarterback situation.

 

TE:

Heath Miller, Steelers-

Heath is back and expect Big Ben to recognize that this week against a Vikings defense that has been abused by tight ends the past two weeks. He’s still recovering from his ACL injury, but he’s a good bet for a touchdown and 5-7 catches this week.

 

Zach Miller, Seahawks-

Miller had a good week for Seattle and looks to be a real viable Red Zone target. Expect the Seahawks to look to keep him more involved this week and for him to be the safety valve target against this Houston pass rush.

 

 

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