Each week I’ll list the best widely available free agents for fantasy football — I define “widely available” as being owned in around half of all ESPN or Yahoo leagues — and some guys who are probably better off in the free agent pool than collecting dust on your roster.
Follow me on X (formerly known as Twitter) @UTEddieBrown if you have questions throughout the week.
Here’s my NFL Week 4 waiver wire cheat sheet for all league sizes and formats, with players you need to add, drop and stream in your fantasy football league:
ADD
RB De’Von Achance, Dolphins (ESPN: 16%; Yahoo: 42%): I wrote this in my draft evaluation: “Achane is small, but fearless between the tackles and features sprinter speed (he was named an All-American in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 4×100-meter relay for the Aggies). He’s far from a gadget guy. If he were a few inches taller and 10-15 pounds heavier, he’d go much higher in this draft.” The 233 total yards and four total touchdowns he just dropped on the Broncos is indicative of what I was talking about.
WR Tank Dell, Texans (ESPN: 23%; Yahoo: 32%): Noah Brown landing on IR before Week 2 provided an opportunity for Dell to become an every-down player and he hasn’t disappointed. He’s the overall WR7 across all formats with 12 receptions (17 targets) for 217 yards and two TDs the last two games.
QB CJ Stroud, Texans (ESPN: 11%; Yahoo: 20%): One of the reasons Dell (and Nico Collins for that matter) has been so productive so far is because his rookie quarterback appears ahead of schedule. Stroud is currently leading a surprisingly high-volume attack for Houston. He’s tied for fourth in attempts (121), fifth in completions (78) and fifth in ing yards (906) through three games. Stroud is the overall QB10 in fantasy since Week 2.
WR Quentin Johnston, Chargers (ESPN: 46%; Yahoo: 33%): With Mike Williams done for the season after tearing his ACL, the talented Johnston will have every opportunity to secure a full-time role opposite Keenan Allen. Joshua Palmer (ESPN: 1%; Yahoo: 5%) will likely see a bigger bump in snaps and targets initially. Williams only played six snaps in a stretch from Week 9 to Week 13 last season, and Palmer was the overall WR10 in standard formats (WR8 in PPR). Allen played in three of those games.
BONUS: RB Kendre Miller, Saints (ESPN: 20%; Yahoo: 33%): Alvin Kamara is set to return, but he’s never been a 20-plus carries per game type back. With Jamaal Williams on IR, the dynamic Miller could see double-digit touches per game with a valuable early-down role, making the third-round pick in April’s draft deserving of flex consideration at least until Williams returns.
BONUS: WR Adam Thielen, Panthers (ESPN: 54%; Yahoo: 48%): Thielen is the overall WR8 in standard formats (WR7 in PPR) through three games, and it hasn’t mattered who was under center.
BONUS: TE Luke Musgrave, Packers (ESPN: 13%; Yahoo: 19%): Musgrave is the overall TE15 in standard formats (TE9 in PPR) through three games. The usage is borderline elite, but the production isn’t quite there yet. He’s a talented rookie who was drafted high (No. 42 overall), who is running a lot of routes. It’s a decent bet to pay off at some point, especially with tight end being such a wasteland in fantasy.
BONUS: QB Jameis Winston, Saints (ESPN: <1%; Yahoo: <1%): Derek Carr is considered week-to-week with a sprain in his right AC t (his throwing shoulder), which means Winston, the only member in the NFL’s 30/30 club — TDs and interceptions — will likely get at least one start. He’s a streaming candidate at home against the Buccaneers, the team that drafted him first overall in 2015.
BONUS: WR Marvin Mims Jr., Broncos (ESPN: 9%; Yahoo: 27%): For the second straight week, Mims was barely on the field, but still managed to stand out. He’s touched the football 15 times this season as a receiver, ball-carrier and kick returner and is averaging 28.6 yards per touch with a 60-yard TD reception and 99-yard kick return for a TD. Stash him until Sean Payton wakes up.
BONUS: RB Keaton Mitchell, Ravens (ESPN: <1%; Yahoo: 1%): Mitchell suffered a shoulder injury in Baltimore’s second preseason game and began the season on IR after beating out Melvin Gordon for the No. 4 running back spot. The undrafted rookie is electric with the ball in his hands. With J.K. Dobbins out for the season, you should stash him just in case Gus Edwards and Justice Hill can’t stay healthy either.
BONUS: TE Julian Hill, Dolphins (ESPN: <1%; Yahoo: <1%): Hill was inactive the first two weeks of the season due to an ankle injury, and now it appears the undrafted rookie from Campbell University is Miami’s primary receiving tight end. He’s the first member of the Fighting Camels to make an NFL roster, and any piece of the Dolphins’ offense could be valuable in fantasy.
BONUS: QB Kyler Murray, Cardinals (ESPN: 15%; Yahoo: 24%): I believe Murray is still probably at least a month away from playing, but now is the time to stash him if you’re hurting at QB.
BONUS: D/ST Broncos (ESPN: 6%; Yahoo: 38%): Don’t laugh! Denver’s defense is obviously better than it showed in Miami. I can’t imagine defensive coordinator Vance Joseph will have a hard time tapping into the pride of his players this week and they are about to face two turnover prone quarterbacks with the Bears and Jets next up on the schedule.
BONUS: D/ST Bengals (ESPN: 18%; Yahoo: 38%): Cincinnati’s offense has struggled with a banged-up Joe Burrow so the defense is shouldering more responsibility than usual for the team’s success. Lou Anarumo’s unit just created two interceptions and six sacks against the Rams, allowing only 16 points. It faces the Titans and Cardinals the next two weeks.
BONUS: D/ST Browns (ESPN: 78%; Yahoo: 47%): Cleveland is the fifth-highest scoring defense in fantasy through three games. It has two unappealing matchups against the Ravens and 49ers sandwiched around a bye week coming up. The schedule is on the softer side after that so pounce if this defense becomes available over the next few weeks.
DROP
WR Mike Williams, Chargers: An MRI confirmed Williams suffered a torn ACL in Sunday’s victory at Minnesota and will miss the remainder of the 2023 season.
RB Antonio Gibson, Commanders: Gibson only has 96 total yards on 14 touches and no TDs through three games. He’s also been put into fumble jail twice so far.
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, Patriots: Smith-Schuster only has 10 receptions on 16 targets for 66 yards through three games. He’s averaging 6.6 yards per reception. He only has value in the deepest PPR formats.
TE Juwan Johnson, Saints: Taysom Hill (TE20) and Jimmy Graham (TE37) are currently ranked higher in standard formats than Johnson (TE39) through three games.
WR Rashod Bateman, Ravens: Bateman received three targets for the third straight week despite playing almost 70 percent of the snaps with Odell Beckham Jr. being inactive against the Colts. He only has 59 yards on seven receptions through three games.
