• Kareem Hunt sees double-digit carries in season debut: Hunt is one of the few running backs available who could be his team’s primary starter for the rest of the season.
• Dontayvion Wicks scores twice: Christian Watson’s injury has opened the door for Wicks to be the Packers’ lead outside wide receiver.
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Estimated Reading Time: 26 minutes
With Week 4 of the 2024 NFL season nearly complete, here are the key players to target on the fantasy football waiver wire. Here, we'll cover options for smaller and deeper leagues and also highlight the players to avoid.
Jump to a position group:
QB | RB | WR | TE
Quarterback
Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers (Rostered in 33.7% of leagues on ESPN)
Fields has been the top quarterback on this list every week this season, and this will hopefully be the last time. His fantasy potential has always been high, thanks to his rushing ability, but he significantly improved as a passer this season. This led him to a 32-point fantasy performance in Week 4, which was the top showing for a quarterback this season.
He completed 22 of his 34 passes for 313 yards and a touchdown, and he ran 10 times for 55 yards and two touchdowns. On the season, Fields has the fourth-most fantasy points among quarterbacks. He could maintain top-five value over the rest of the season.
Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings (43.2%)
Darnold is one of the three quarterbacks to score more fantasy points than Justin Fields this season. Darnold has finished among the top 13 fantasy quarterbacks in all four weeks, which included a 275-yard, three-touchdown performance against the Green Bay Packers.
His receiving group took a step in the right direction this week with the return of Jordan Addison, and it could take another step soon once T.J. Hockenson returns. Darnold is also reaching a point where he should be in fantasy starting lineups every week. This is ideally the last time he’s included in the waiver article because he should get picked up in most leagues.
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars (33.3%)
Lawrence started the season rostered in most leagues but then had three straight games of ranking outside the top 20 quarterbacks, leading him to get dropped in many leagues. He started to turn things around in Week 4 with 15.7 fantasy points. Touchdowns fueled his fantasy production this week, but it’s worth remembering that both of his outside receivers are new, Gabe Davis is currently dealing with an injury and tight end Evan Engram has missed three of four games this season.
Wide receivers Brian Thomas Jr. and Christian Kirk put up their best fantasy performances of the season this week. We’ve seen Lawrence have cold and hot streaks throughout his career, and for whatever reason, he’s played better in the second half of seasons. There is a good enough chance that Lawrence turns things around that he’s worth picking up in leagues where Darnold and Fields aren’t available.
Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks (28.9%)
Smith remained a top-12 quarterback in fantasy points over the first three weeks despite having a down Week 3. He completed more than 75% of his passes for nearly 300 yards but threw one touchdown and two interceptions.
Even though the touchdowns haven’t always been there, Smith ranks third in passing yards over three weeks in the Seahawks' new pass-friendly offense. All of his receivers have had at least one good week this season, and the offense should even improve with more time together. Smith can be put in fantasy starting lineups when the matchup is right.
Smith will have an opportunity to move up the ranks on Monday Night Football while facing the Detroit Lions.
Andy Dalton, Carolina Panthers (8.7%)
Dalton has ranked among the top 12 fantasy quarterbacks in both weeks as a starter. This week, it took him throwing the ball 40 times to do so, but the Panthers are 1-3 and will likely be playing from behind more often than not. He will need to keep putting together top-12 performances before most fantasy managers will trust him in starting lineups in single-quarterback leagues, but he’s the clear top waiver option among quarterbacks who are still widely available.
Running Back
Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs (21.5%)
The Chiefs signed Hunt off their practice squad ahead of Week 4, and he replaced Keaontay Ingram on the active roster.
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