X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Deeper League Free Agent Pickups for Week 4

Some fantasy football leagues are deep enough that top Week 4 waiver wire adds are already gone. Jake Trowbridge identifies some deeper free agents to pickup.

Three weeks into the season we can start to finally suss out the difference between flukes and trends. If a player has one or two unexpectedly great games to start the year, that could be a coincidence. If a player has three straight? That's a sign they're balling capabilities ought to be taken seriously.

And the same is true for players you may be holding onto that haven't lived up to expectations through these first three weeks. Sure, it could be a spate of bad matchups. Or maybe this just isn't their year and you need to move on. If you decide to officially cut bait on those downward-trending players, might I suggest scooping up some of these hidden gems?

The following players are owned in approximately 10% or fewer of Yahoo leagues, so they won't be the flashiest names on the market. But if you're looking for a good spot start for an injured player or just need some high upside lottery tickets, these are your guys. Let's look at some potential waiver wire adds in deep leagues.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Free Agent Quarterbacks

Teddy Bridgewater, New Orleans Saints - 6% owned

I listed Bridgewater in this space last week, but since so few of you listened, he still qualifies as a deep league waiver add. In his first start since Week 17 of last season, Bridgewater proved to be a more-than-capable game manager. That term never sounds exciting for fantasy purposes, but when a game manager has two of the greatest short-yardage receivers in the NFL at his disposal, it can work pretty well. Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas give Bridgewater a respectable week-to-week floor as a fill-in.

Kyle Allen, Carolina Panthers - 3% owned

Panthers head coach Ron Rivera has already announced that Kyle Allen will get the start against the Houston Texans this Sunday as Cam Newton rests his injured foot. Allen fired darts all day long against a suspect Cardinals Defense, racking up 261 yards and four touchdowns on the day. Houston's defense isn't nearly as thin, though the unit has given up the 10th-most passing yards in the league, just slightly better than Arizona in that category. If you need a spot start at a decimated QB position, you could do worse than Allen. With Cam evidently being a week-to-week decision, you may get more than just one more start out of him.

 

Free Agent Running Backs

Jamaal Williams, Green Bay Packers - 9% owned

It seems the Mike McCarthy era isn't as fully in the rearview as many wanted to believe. At least, not when it comes to the frustrating and quizzical timeshare between Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams. Despite the obvious gap in talent, Williams saw more rushing attempts and targets than Jones in Sunday's matchup with the Broncos. It seems head coach Matt LaFleur wasn't bloviating when he said he wanted to even up the touch counts between his two backs. Outside of a few early game drives, the Green Bay offense has been unusually stifled so far this season. That should change as their schedule starts to open up, which makes Williams a reasonable flex play if the backfield split continues this way.

Wayne Gallman, New York Giants - 7% owned

Fantasy owners' worst fears were realized this past Sunday when Saquon Barkley went down with a high-ankle sprain. The heart of the Giants' offense, Barkley will miss at least a handful of weeks, though there's no distinct timetable in place for his return. Gallman didn't look great in his stead and his matchups don't get much easier in the immediate future. But based on his massive projected workload, the third-year back should be picked up everywhere.

Darrel Williams, Kansas City Chiefs - 7% owned

Andy Reid is who we thought he was: A head coach with zero loyalty to his depth chart. With Damien Williams sidelined it was actually Darrell Williams --not Darwin Thompson or LeSean McCoy -- who led the way in rushing and receiving yards out of the Kansas City backfield. Granted, it was nearly a 50/50 split between Williams and McCoy in terms of total touches, but the discrepancy in production was noticeable. The other thing we know about Andy Reid is that he's willing to roll with a replacement running back long after his initial starter is healthy and ready to go. We saw it play out with Spencer Ware and Kareem Hunt. Scoop up Darrel Williams and hope that trend continues.

 

Free Agent Wide Receivers

Cole Beasley, Buffalo Bills - 8% owned

No, you're not going to feel great about starting him. But yes, you should absolutely pick him up at this point. It doesn't matter what uniform he's wearing or which quarterback is throwing him the ball, Beasley is going to get peppered with targets. He's already on pace for 123 targets and 91 receptions, which would be career-best numbers for the eighth-year receiver. He's pretty much a lock for 10 points each week in PPR formats. That kind of security is nice to have in this topsy turvy game we play.

Diontae Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers - 4% owned

We don't know who the preferred target is Mason Rudolph behind JuJu Smith-Schuster. That simple unknown makes rookie Diontae Johnson worth a stash on your bench heading into a juicy matchup with Cincinnati on Monday Night Football. The Bengals have allowed the sixth-most points, making this a potential bounceback game for the Steelers. Johnson was just one target behind Smith-Schuster and has an opportunity to separate himself from the pack as the No 2 option.

Damiere Byrd, Arizona Cardinals - 1% owned

The supposed high-flying attack of Kliff Kingsbury and company hasn't translated to the kind of widespread fantasy relevance many of us hoped for Arizona's wide receivers. That may change as the rookie quarterback gets used to orchestrating it. If it does, Damiere Byrd should be one of the biggest beneficiaries. Byrd played more snaps than any other Cardinals receiver this past Sunday and has seen 18 targets through the first three games. The recently-acquired Michael Crabtree was even more recently released, which can only mean good things for Byrd.

 

Free Agent Tight Ends

Ricky Seals-Jones, Cleveland Browns - 1% owned

Often with tight ends, we're left to chase either points or injuries. This week it's injuries. David Njoku was placed on IR, which means the earliest game he'll be available to play is Week 12. The Browns offense hasn't looked like a world-beating squad by any stretch of the imagination, but they definitely want to throw the ball a lot. And though fellow tight end Demetrius Harris has far out-snapped Seals-Jones, the latter is a significantly better pass-catcher. If he can wiggle his way into some more snaps, Seals-Jones could end up having some solid games down the road.

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Advice




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Cleveland Browns

Browns Decline Kenny Pickett's Fifth-Year Option
New York Giants

Giants Won't Pick Up Evan Neal's Fifth-Year Option
Carolina Panthers

Panthers Pick Up Fifth-Year Option On Ikem Ekwonu
Chandler Simpson

Extends Hit Streak To Eight Games With Three-Hit Effort
Philadelphia Eagles

Dallas Goedert Could Remain An Eagle
Andrés Muñoz

Andres Munoz Secures Save No. 10, Tied For League Lead
Dallas Cowboys

Dallas Could Still Add Wide Receiver Help Prior To 2025 Season
Jordan Romano

Earns The Save In Extras On Sunday
Justin Martinez

Shaky In Recording Third Save
Pete Fairbanks

Notches Sixth Save On Sunday
Luis Urías

Luis Urias' Home Run Wins It For The A's In Extras
Cleveland Browns

Shedeur Sanders Struggled During Pre-Draft Process
Buffalo Bills

Elijah Moore Visiting With Bills
Jacksonville Jaguars

Emmanuel Ogbah Signs With Jaguars
New Orleans Saints

Derek Carr Undergoes MRI Exam
Carolina Panthers

Hunter Renfrow Signs With Panthers
Rafael Devers

Blasts Another Home Run
Eddie Rosario

Braves Sign Eddie Rosario, Option Jarred Kelenic To Triple-A Gwinnett
Boston Red Sox

Brandon Clarke Earns Call To High-A
Boston Red Sox

Hayden Mullins Joining Double-A
Kristian Campbell

Stuffs Stat Sheet In Win
Franklin Arias

Promoted To High-A
Nolan Jones

The Only Source Of Offense Sunday
Jordan Sprinkle

Heading To High-A
Braden Montgomery

Promoted To High-A
J.P. Crawford

Launches Second Homer
Chayce McDermott

Struggles In First Rehab Start
Anthony Volpe

Picks Up Two More Knocks In Nightcap
William Byron

Ends With A Strong Top-Five Finish At Talladega
Ryan Blaney

Bad Luck Continues With Talladega Crash
Kyle Larson

Has A Career-Best Performance At Talladega
Ian Machado Garry

Gets Back On Track With UFC Kansas City Win
Brad Keselowski

Talladega Run Ends Early After Crashing
Carlos Prates

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Zhang Mingyang

Still Undefeated In The UFC
Anthony Smith

Retires After UFC Kansas City Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous Decision Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous-Decision Loss
David Onama

Extends Win Streak At UFC Kansas City
Michel Pereira

Drops Decision At UFC Kansas City
Erik Swanson

Starting Rehab Assignment On Tuesday
Abus Magomedov

Extends His Win Streak
Wade Miley

Exits Rehab Outing On Sunday
Yordan Alvarez

Smacks Third Home Run
Nicolas Dalby

Gets Finished For The First Time
Randy Brown

Gets Back In The Win Column
Ikram Aliskerov

Gets First-Round TKO Finish At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Gets TKO'd At UFC Kansas City
Ivan Demidov

Has Historic Outing In Game 4
Timo Meier

Records Two Points Sunday
Andrei Svechnikov

Nets Hat Trick In Game 4 Win
Leon Draisaitl

Caps Off Four-Point Effort With First Postseason Overtime Goal
Connor Hellebuyck

Gets Pulled Again
Alexandre Carrier

Fails To Finish Game 4
Tyler Tucker

Makes Early Exit Sunday
Chase Elliott

Recovers from Speeding Penalty to Finish Fifth
Joey Logano

Finishes Last at Talladega After Disqualification for Missing Spoiler Brace
Ryan Preece

Loses Talladega Race First in Photo Finish Then in Post-Race Inspection
NASCAR

Poor Toyota Strategy Arguably Cost Bubba Wallace Winning Chances at Talladega
Christopher Bell

Unhurt After Hard Contact with Inside Retaining Wall
Jaylen Brown

Available For Game 4
Darius Garland

Questionable For Game 4
Jaden Ivey

Making Progress
Frederik Andersen

Exits Game 4 With Injury
Jake Neighbours

Shines On Sunday With Three Points
Jordan Binnington

Makes 30 Saves In Game 4 Victory
Patrik Laine

Not Expected To Play In Game 4
Sam Montembeault

Labeled Day-To-Day
Aliaksei Protas

Considered A Game-Time Decision Sunday
Logan Thompson

A Game-Time Call Sunday
Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Adds Insurance With Max Brosmer
New York Jets

Donovan Edwards Inks Deal With Jets
Atlanta Falcons

Nick Nash Signs With The Falcons
Tennessee Titans

Xavier Restrepo Reunites With Cam Ward In Tennessee
Chase Elliott

Is One OF The Top Overall DFS Picks Of The Week
Joey Logano

Could Joey Logano Finish A Race With A Top Finish At Talladega?
NASCAR

DFS Players Should Like Bubba Wallace For Talladega This Week
Christopher Bell

Should DFS Players Roster Christopher Bell At Talladega?
Austin Cindric

Is Austin Cindric Worth Rostering For Talladega DFS Lineups?
Shane Van Gisbergen

Is A Solid, Safe, DFS Choice For Talladega Lineups
Austin Dillon

Is Austin Dillon A Viable DFS Play At Talladega This Week?
Josh Berry

Qualifies Too High At Talladega To Be Worth Rostering In DFS
Michael McDowell

Should DFS Players Take A Shot On Michael McDowell At Talladega?
Noah Gragson

Could Be A Sneaky DFS Play For Talladega
William Nylander

Posts Two Assists In Losing Effort
Denny Hamlin

Probably Qualified Too Well for DFS Consideration
Kyle Larson

Increasingly Undervalued Due to His Crashing, but Still a Great DFS Option
Jake Sanderson

Keeps Senators Alive With Overtime Winner
Mackenzie Blackwood

Records First Postseason Shutout
Gabriel Landeskog

Scores First Goal In Nearly Three Years
Ivan Barbashev

Gives Vegas Vital Win
Nikita Kucherov

Records Three Assists In Game 3 Win
Troy Stecher

Cleared For Sunday
Jimmy Butler III

Ruled Out On Saturday
Isaiah Stewart

Questionable For Sunday's Game
Jaylen Brown

Questionable For Game 4
Jrue Holiday

Won't Play On Sunday
Miami Dolphins

Dolphins Select Quinn Ewers In Seventh Round
Mitchell Robinson

Questionable For Game 4 Versus Detroit
Michael Porter Jr.

Available On Saturday Night
Russell Westbrook

Won't Suit Up For Game 4
Indianapolis Colts

Riley Leonard Drafted By Colts Saturday
Pittsburgh Steelers

Steelers Select Will Howard In Sixth Round Of NFL Draft
Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles Add Kyle McCord To Quarterback Room
Miami Dolphins

Miami Adds Ollie Gordon II To Backfield
Los Angeles Chargers

Chargers Add KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Oronde Gadsden II To Offense
Indianapolis Colts

Colts Add DJ Giddens To Backfield
Darius Garland

Won't Suit Up For Game 3
Darius Garland

Unavailable For Pregame Warmup
Jrue Holiday

Classified As "Day-To-Day"
Brandin Podziemski

Not On Injury Report For Game 3
Jimmy Butler III

Warriors Optimistic About Jimmy Butler III Playing Saturday
Jae'Sean Tate

To Remain Out Saturday
Jock Landale

Unavailable For Game 3
Terry Rozier

Out On Saturday
Jrue Holiday

Ruled Out For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Orlando
Kevin Love

To Miss Saturday's Game
Jaylen Brown

Available For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Magic
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Max Greyserman

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Lee Hodges

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Gary Woodland

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Max McGreevy

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Akshay Bhatia

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Erik Van Rooyen

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Andrew Novak

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Thomas Detry

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF