Is Joshua Palmer A Good Fantasy Football Pickup for Week 4? Waiver Wire Outlook

The NFL season is in full swing with three weeks already in the books. Injuries are unfortunately starting to stockpile, but that’s the nature of the game. For fantasy football, this means taking a look at the next man up. 

The Chargers have been a franchise that’s been hit hard in recent seasons, and the injury bug is continuing to bite this year. Their star wide receiver Mike Williams suffered a torn ACL on Sunday after putting up 121 yards and a touchdown against the Vikings. Williams was a dynamic player who added an elite deep threat to the offense. Who is the next man up in the receiver room?

That would be Joshua Palmer, a third-round pick two seasons ago who has been a steady pass-catcher for Los Angeles in his young career. Is he worth picking up in fantasy?

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What Did Joshua Palmer Do In Week 3?

Palmer, the 77th pick in the 2021 draft from Tennessee, has provided quarterback Justin Herbert with a reliable weapon out wide. He had a slightly underwhelming rookie season with receivers Keenan Allen and the aforementioned Williams taking most of the work but still ended with 353 yards on 33 receptions. 

2022 was a semi-break-out year for the young receiver. While Allen was sidelined for a number of games with a hamstring injury, Palmer took advantage and ended the year with 72 catches for 769 yards and three scores. 

This past week with all three receivers healthy, Palmer caught four of seven balls for 66 yards and a tough touchdown catch that was almost intercepted. 

With the Vikings doing a surprisingly great job of stopping the run, Herbert took to the air and had a field day. All three WRs finished as top 30 options at the position, with Herbert taking the QB1 spot on the week.

Los Angeles just took the uber-talented receiver Quentin Johnston in the first round this past April, but the TCU product has not seen the field nearly as much as Palmer this season. Palmer has played 60% of offensive snaps through three weeks, compared to only 22% for Johnston. 

Are There Any Worrying Signs With Palmer?

As I mentioned above, Palmer took on some of the load that was left open when Allen was out last year, but he wasn’t all that consistent. Over the first 10 weeks, he finished outside the top 50 WRs four times but was also a top-30 option the same number of weeks, highlighted by WR3 and WR11 finish. 

Many expected Palmer to take a major step forward last season and while his opportunities and numbers went up across the board, he didn’t necessarily prove that he is a great second option in an NFL offense. 

For fantasy football, though, this is quite all right. Palmer can still provide value as the current second pass-catching option for an elite quarterback like Justin Herbert. Even if he may not be the WR of the future for Los Angeles, Palmer is still a good player that can be used in fantasy. 

Should I Pickup Joshua Palmer Off the Waiver Wire in Fantasy Football?

Besides Dolphins running back De’Von Achane, Palmer should be the top waiver priority in fantasy this week. An argument can also be made for Texans WR Tank Dell, but Palmer is the more established player in a better offense. Herbert is on fire to start the year, with three straight 23+ point fantasy performances, highlighted by his first career 400-yard game this past week. 

Herbert won’t be able to chuck it as easily as he did against the Vikings every week, but this is still a high-volume passing offense especially with Austin Ekeler still sidelined. Quentin Johnston has more long-term upside, making him the better dynasty target, but Palmer will provide more immediate value. He should be a weekly flex option that is worth around 20% of your FAAB.

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