Waiver Wire Targets Week 4 2017

By Armando Marsal
Armando Marsal Finally! We get an exciting week of football. We had some upsets, blowouts, shootouts, and even games that went down to the wire. After two slow weeks of football, Week 3 finally provided us with some high scoring fantasy teams and plenty of fun games to watch. We did witness several injuries and certain players continued to struggle, which is why we have to focus our attention on the waiver wire as we do every week. Even if your team is doing well and none of your players are hurt, it is always a good idea to bulk up the depth on your bench. Below are some of this week’s players to target off of waivers.

Quarterback

Jared Goff – Rams: Goff is owned in just 7.3 percent of ESPN leagues, yet he is averaging over 20 fantasy points per game, as well as 272.3 passing yards per game and has thrown five touchdowns. He has a nice matchup in Week 4 against a subpar Cowboys secondary that will be playing on a short week. For those who drafted a quarterback that is struggling, Goff could be a nice stream play. Others to consider: Jay Cutler - Dolphins

Running Back

Chris Thompson – Redskins: Chances are that he may not be available in your league, but he is still available in 15 percent of ESPN leagues and that should not be the case. In PPR formats, he has strung together three strong performances scoring 15.6, 25.6, and 33.8 fantasy points. He has scored at least one touchdown in each game and has four for the season. He has played in 43 percent of the Redskins snaps this season and has been peppered with 19 targets through the first three games. If he is still available in your league, he should be a priority waiver wire target.

Jamaal Charles – Broncos: Charles turned in his best performance of the season with nine carries for 56 yards and a touchdown, while also catching his lone target. He continues to be involved on this offense and steal carries from C.J. Anderson. Charles accounts for 31.8 percent of the Broncos red zone carries and has now played in 30 percent of the snaps in two games this season. He could eventually work into a 50/50 share and do just enough with his opportunity to provide fantasy owners with some production. After all, he is averaging 5.1 yards per carry. We also have to keep in mind that Anderson does have an injury track record.

Wendell Smallwood - Eagles: The Eagles running back situation could be tricky, but Smallwood is the back to target now that Darren Sproles is out for the season. Smallwood led all Eagles running backs with 43 snaps, accounting for 57 percent of them. He rushed 12 times for 71 yards and caught 1-of-2 targets for nine yards. It is unknown if they will give him the full workload, but he should see plenty of opportunities moving forward, making him an intriguing waiver wire target.

Others to consider: Darren McFadden – Cowboys (proactive add); Alvin Kamara - Saints; D’Onta Foreman – Texans; Chris Carson - Seahawks

Wide Receiver

Devin Funchess – Panthers: Kelvin Benjamin suffered a knee injury in Week 3, which led to 10 targets for Funchess. He has now received 16 targets in the last two games and has played in at least 84 percent of the snaps in each of the last two games. If Benjamin is forced to miss any time, Funchess could be the top option at the wide receiver position for Carolina.

Willie Snead – Saints: Snead is still available in roughly six percent of ESPN leagues and that should not be the case. His three-game suspension is over and he will be eligible to return this week. He will jump right into the No. 2 receiver duties and has a great matchup this week against the Dolphins.

Paul Richardson – Seahawks: Richardson has now scored in two consecutive games and has been peppered with 19 targets in the first three games. Doug Baldwin suffered a groin strain in Week 3, which could lead to extra targets for Richardson, should Baldwin miss. Richardson played in 84 percent of the snaps in Week 3. The Seahawks play the Colts in Week 4, who are one of the worst defenses in the league.

Others to consider: Robert Woods – Rams; Sterling Shepard – Giants; Jaron Brown - Cardinals

Tight End

Charles Clay - Bills: Clay has caught each of his last nine targets and has now caught 13-of-18 targets for the season, while scoring two touchdowns. He has played in 82 percent of the snaps for the Bills and clearly is one of Tyrod Taylor’s go-to pass catchers. The Bills head to Atlanta this week in a game they could be chasing points, which should open up the door for plenty of targets for Clay.

Others to consider: David Njoku – Browns; Ben Watson - Ravens

For any questions, feel free to reach out to me on the Twitter machine @Armando_Marsal. Best of luck to all.