Week 4 Waiver Wire Wonders

Philadelphia Eagles Wide Receiver Greg Ward. Photo Credit: All-Pro Reels | Under Creative Commons License
Philadelphia Eagles Wide Receiver Greg Ward. Photo Credit: All-Pro Reels | Under Creative Commons License

What’s up LAFB Network fam, did you still get the win while recovering from the injury bug? Maybe its because you read our waiver article last week, or maybe its because you drafted like a boss and had the depth to survive.

Whatever the case may be, Good Job on the W! If you got the L let’s get you back on track this week with some players that could help your team. Week three didn’t have as many injuries as the week before but there’s definitely a lot to talk about.

Week 4 Waiver Wire Wonders

Quarterback

(SF) Nick Mullens vs Philadelphia Eagles

owned in about 2% of fantasy leagues

The man that escaped my Week 3 waiver article now finds his way on the wire. Though it shouldn’t be a surprise after his performance against the Giants. Mullens was 25 of 36 with 343 passing yards and a TD, ultimately finishing with 21.2 fantasy points. Not too bad of a day for your first start of the season. Against the Giants, Nick Mullens averaged 13.7 per completion with a 69.4% rate. Let’s see how he fairs against a mediocre Eagles defense.

(CHI) Nick Foles vs Indianapolis Colts

owned in about 3% of fantasy leagues

Jeeze. Last week we had Mitchell Trubisky now its Nick Foles. What’s happening with the Chicago offense? I don’t want to say we all knew Foles was going to take the starting spot from Trubisky because he started so hot. But damn, the Bears flipped cold on poor Trubisky within a drop of a hat.

And as the results show, Foles brought the victory home to Chicago. In less than two full quarters Nick Foles went 16 of 29 for 188 yards, three TDs, and a pick, finishing the day with 21.1 fantasy points. That’s a lot of production in half a game! Now I am not saying Foles will have the same kind of day against the Colts, but I would try to make some room on my roster to stash him.

Running Back

(MIA) Myles Gaskin vs Seattle Seahawks

owned in about 47% of fantasy leagues

Still, as we know it Myles Gaskin is the RB to have in the Miami backfield. This week should have solidified any concern because when we look at the rushing attempts and targets, both Matt Breida and Jordan Howard are slowly disappearing.

Here’s how the day panned out:

Gaskin – 22 rushing attempts for 66 rushing yards, five targets for five receptions and 29 receiving yards, totaling 14.5 fantasy points.

Brieda – three rushing attempts for four rushing yards, zero targets, totaling 0.4 fantasy points.

Howard – three rushing attempts for one yard and one TD, zero targets, totaling 6.1 fantasy points.

Sure there’s a total of 21 fantasy points floating around between the men, but I would rather have the guy claiming more than half. Roster Gaskin as a little keepsake.

(SF) Jeff Wilson vs Philadelphia Eagles

owned in about 22% of fantasy leagues

If you picked up Jerick McKinnon last week and saw Jeff Wilson take some of the wind from under your sails, do not fret. McKinnon still had a very fantasy-relevant game with 16.7 fantasy points. It just so happens so did Wilson with 21.9. I wouldn’t necessarily say that Frisco favored one over another because when you look at their stats, they are fairly similar.

Jeff Wilson had 12 rushing attempts for 15 yards and a score, along with three targets and three receptions for 54 receiving yards and a score. McKinnon on the other hand had 14 rushing attempts for 38 yards and a score, and four targets with three receptions for 39 receiving yards. There may be a double-headed monster forming in San Francisco so hurry up and claim one of the heads.

(SEA) Carlos Hyde @ Miami Dolphins

owned in about 19% of fantasy leagues

After this Sunday’s dramatic game with the Seahawks and the Cowboys, Chris Carson finds his way on the bench because of a knee sprain. Luckily he should only be on the literal and virtual bench for a couple of weeks but if you are in dire need of an RB spot start, Carlos Hyde might be your guy.

It might have been too late in the game for Hyde or Travis Homer to be used dynamically for fantasy’s sake but Hyde was the immediate replacement once Carson found his way in the blue tent. Hyde might also be the favorite to start because of his seasoned status being a workhorse back for both the 49ers and Houston Texans. And of course, being a new acquisition this offseason for the Seahawks.

(NE) Rex Burkhead @ Kansas City Chiefs

owned in about 11% of fantasy leagues

Whatever the Las Vegas Raiders did to make Rex Burkhead relevant again, thank heavens! If it was the coverage on the receivers, keep it coming. This was everyone thought Burkhead was going to do all along for the New England Patriots. He was never supposed to be the feature back, mainly a spark coming out of the backfield.

And he was exactly that. His rushing game was “solid” with six rushing attempts for 49 yards and two scores but his receiving game is what took off. He was targeted a team-high 10 times against the Raiders and with that came seven receptions for 49 yards and another score. He’s a high risk, high reward kind of prospect but someone I might gamble with on a week to week basis.

Wide Receiver

(MIN) Justin Jefferson @ Houston Texans

owned in about 31% of leagues

Besides Dalvin Cook, it might be hard to decide who the fantasy player is to own in this offense. Kirk Cousins has been off the first two games and is now suddenly on with his 26 fantasy point performance. Adam Thielen has been good but not great. Other than that, there are really no players to grab besides Dan Bailey.

Jefferson just found fantasy relevancy with his seven receptions, 175 receiving yards, and one TD performance but does that mean this week you’re going to slam him in your FLEX spot? You could and hope lightning strikes twice but I wouldn’t advise it. I think Jefferson might be one of those players you want to roster and monitor at this point. Don’t be afraid to throw a claim on the young receiver and see where he takes you.

(SF) Brandon Aiyuk vs Philadelphia Eagles

owned in about 28% of fantasy leagues

Speaking of rookie receivers, Brandon Aiyuk finds his way on our waiver wire wonders article this week because of his breakout performance, but also because of his injury-riddled team. As you all know, George Kittle was sidelined Week 2 so Jordan Reed filled his spot. He did so with a great fantasy day but when it came to this past week, Reed too ended up on the sideline.

This left Nick Mullens to find another receiver to put some faith in and it turned out to be Brandon Aiyuk. Aiyuk actually led all 49er receivers in targets, receptions, yards, and even rushing yards. He finished the day with eight targets for five receptions and 70 receiving yards, as well as, 31 rushing yards and a score, totaling 21.1 fantasy points. Depending on Deebo Samuel’s return time, Brandon Aiyuk should be sought after.

(PHI) Greg Ward @ San Francisco 49ers

owned in about 1% of fantasy leagues

It is no secret the Eagles have had a rough start to the season. No Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson has been a bust, Zach Ertz has been Ertz-ing your team and QB Carson Wentz has been non-stop struggling. Greg Ward has had some alright moments but in three weeks, he might be one of the most targeted receivers for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Actually, DeSean Jackson has one more target than Greg Ward, but Ward has more receptions. Right now Jackson is sitting at a 50% completion percentage, while Ward is at 73.6%. Ward is also the only Eagles receiver to catch a TD this season from Wentz. The Eagles WR corps might make you a little hesitant but if you were going to grab one of the WRs, Ward might be the man to go for.

Tight End

(PIT) Eric Ebron @ Tennessee Titans

owned in about 27% of fantasy leagues

Ebron has slowly been getting acclimated to Pittsburgh’s offense and as Big Ben found out this week, he can be relied on. He finished Week 3 with seven targets for five receptions, for 52 yards and a TD, totaling 16.2 fantasy points. Any player that has Ben Roethlisberger as his QB, I want on my fantasy team. Sure Big Ben doesn’t abuse his TEs as much as other teams but one thing is for sure, the Pittsburgh Steelers like to pass the ball so might as well get one of the guys that catches them.  

(CHI) Jimmy Graham vs Indianapolis Colts

owned in about 9% of fantasy leagues

Mr. Jimmy Graham knows the waiver article all too well this season. Already Graham is the second most targeted player on the Chicago offense, behind Allen Robinson, but he also leads the team in receiving TDs. And this is all before the news about Tarik Cohen landing on the IR. That might mean Nick Foles might have to do more dump-offs to Graham instead of Cohen in the weeks to come.

Philadelphia Eagles Wide Receiver Greg Ward. Photo Credit: All-Pro Reels | Under Creative Commons License