Fantasy Football Week 4 Waiver Wire Pickups: Handcuffs Alexander Mattison, Khalil Herbert, Samaje Perine Are Top Adds

Welcome to the Fantasy Football Week 4 Waiver Wire pickups where we give you the players to start right away, stash at the end of your bench, or stream for a week or two.

Let’s look back at Week 3 and dissect the future prospects for the fantasy football Week 4 waiver wire.

Note: Roster % based on Yahoo leagues and should hover around 50% or less

WEEK 4 WAIVER WIRE PICKUPS

*First check on Jamaal Williams (60% rostered), who will be the Lions’ starter with D’Andre Swift potentially out until after the team’s Week 6 bye week.*

START

1. Khalil Herbert, RB Chicago Bears (48% rostered)
2. David Njoku, TE Cleveland Browns (51%)
3. Joshua Palmer, WR Los Angeles Chargers (21%)
4. Tyler Conklin, TE New York Jets (21%)

We touched on Khalil Herbert in our early waivers piece, but with the injury to David Montgomery, it was all Herbert in Week 3. All the preseason reports about how Herbert might actually fit their offensive system better than the veteran came to fruition during his career day against the Texans. Even with a healthy Montgomery, Herbert still has high touchdown upside Flex appeal.

With Cleveland struggling to find an additional pass-catcher alongside Amari Cooper, enter David Njoku who had his 2022 breakout game on Thursday night. With a 9-89-1 line on 10 targets, Njoku moves into low-end TE1 territory and should be a big part of the Browns’ passing game moving forward.

With Keenan Allen out once again, Joshua Palmer filled in very nicely showing solid chemistry with Justin Herbert. Palmer had team highs with six catches for 99 yards on nine targets while leading the receivers in snaps and routes run. Even if Allen is in the lineup, Palmer can put together a solid showing but should either Allen or Mike Williams miss time, Palmer becomes a must-start as a “WR handcuff.”

Tight end Tyler Conklin led the Jets this week in both receptions and yards with an 8-84 line on eight targets. Fantasy’s TE3 in points per game, Conklin has been one of the biggest surprises of the season. We’ll see if this hot streak can continue with Zach Wilson returning either this week or next week.

STASH

1. Alexander Mattison, RB Minnesota Vikings (55% rostered)
2. Michael Gallup, WR Dallas Cowboys (36%)
3. Zay Jones, WR Jacksonville Jaguars (10%)
4. Romeo Doubs, WR Green Bay Packers (24%)
5. Samaje Perine, RB Cincinnati Bengals (6%)
6. Isaiah McKenzie, WR Buffalo Bills (42%)
7. George Pickens, WR Pittsburgh Steelers (40%)
8. Craig Reynolds, RB Detroit Lions (0%)
9. Kadarius Toney, WR New York Giants (33%)
10. Robert Tonyan, TE Green Bay Packers (29%)
11. Kenny Pickett, QB Pittsburgh Steelers (4%)

Another year, another Dalvin Cook injury. It’s his shoulder once again, which means top handcuff Alexander Mattison needs to be added if he’s still available on the waiver wire. Due to his history of shoulder injuries, it appears Cook will wear a harness and attempt to play through the pain. But, a shoulder dislocation has a very high chance of re-injury, which means it could be Mattison time in the very near future.

Mike McCarthy hinted at a Michael Gallup return on Monday Night, but the young wideout will wait another week. Luckily, Cooper Rush looks competent enough and Dak Prescott should return soon. Although Rush and Noah Brown have developed a rapport, Gallup should be the WR2 based on his skill set. Gallup, who’s coming off an ACL tear, is more of a stash than a start right away.

Look out folks, the Jaguars have arrived! Zay Jones led the way with 10-85-1 on 11 targets, all team highs. He’s the clear No. 2 behind Christian Kirk, but Jones has still been productive while playing a high percentage of snaps and running routes on the majority of dropbacks. Jones has nine-plus targets in two of the three games this year and Trevor Lawrence is playing at an elite level.

With all the injuries to Packers receivers, it was made clear that this week would be big for rookie Romeo Doubs. He responded with 8-73-1 on eight targets, playing as the WR2 behind Allen Lazard. Doubs has way more upside and with Sammy Watkins going on IR, Doubs could be looking at a much more significant role in Green Bay’s offense moving forward.

At the moment, Joe Mixon is said to be fine ahead of Thursday night’s game against Miami. He missed the end of the Jets game with an ankle issue, so should anything pop back up and limit Mixon this week, Samaje Perine would enter an RB1 role. It’s always smart to handcuff a banged-up running back on a short week.

Outside of Stefon Diggs and Daddy Davis, it could be a pick-your-poison type affair for fantasy-relevant Buffalo Bills players. Isaiah McKenzie popped in Week 3, securing seven of nine targets for 76 yards and a touchdown. But, that came after only seeing six total targets through the first two weeks of the season. There’s a bunch to love about his skill-set, but Josh Allen has so many solid weapons, it will be tough to pick the blowup weeks.

It feels like a slow build-up, but the signs are pointing towards George Pickens getting closer to his breakout game. Still, the clear WR3 is playing a high number of snaps and running an equally high number of routes on dropbacks. The team has said they should probably look his way more, and his target numbers ascended to seven last week, highlighted by the early catch of the year on the sideline. Unfortunately, he’s still hampered by the limitations of Mitchell Trubisky and a talented target totem pole.

Jamaal Williams will get the attention in Detroit and deservedly so. However, Craig Reynolds will be the Lions’ RB2 with Swift out of the lineup and how could we forget his 26-carry, 112-yard performance last season? If you don’t own Williams, then stash Reynolds for a week and see how the backfield turns out on Sunday. If he gets double-digit touches, then he could be a Week 5 streamer.

Kadarius Toney is easily one of the most infuriating players in the league — to both fantasy managers and his coaches. But, with Sterling Shepard likely to miss the remainder of the season with a brutal non-contact knee injury, it could be Toney’s time to shine. Stash him in hopes of him maturing soon.

Through three weeks, tight end Robert Tonyan has seen his snap count increase each week. He’s working his way back into form from an ACL injury, but the Packers tight end is starting to capitalize on the absences of other Packers pass catchers. His targets and receptions were both second on the team behind Doubs as we might be able to expect more work from Tony going forward.

Mitch Trubisky has been bad and it seems that it could be Kenny Pickett’s time to shine soon. You likely don’t need to run to the waiver wire to stash the rookie unless you’re in a two-QB league, but we might as well put him on your radar. He has a chance to shine if given the chance due to his talented supporting case and sneaky running prowess.

STREAM

1. Russell Gage, WR Tampa Bay Buccaneers (42% rostered)
2. Greg Dortch, WR Arizona Cardinals (17%)
3. Tre’Quan Smith, WR New Orleans Saints (0%)
4. Mack Hollins, WR Las Vegas Raiders (1%)

This is why Tampa Bay picked up Russell Gage in the off-season. With all the injuries sustained, Gage turned out to be the guy and resulted in a massive 12-87-1 day. Mike Evans will return from suspension, but both Julio Jones and Chris Godwin have lingering injuries that may keep them out longer. If that’s the case, thrust Gage into your Week 4 lineups.

With all the missing Cardinals receivers, Greg Dortch has taken full advantage of his extended opportunity. Dortch caught nine balls for 80 yards on 10 targets while running just behind Marquise Brown as the WR2. Dortch has done such a good job, we wonder if he’ll be taking away work from Rondale Moore whenever he eventually returns to the lineup.

With Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry exiting Week 3 with toe/foot injuries, old friend Tre’Quan Smith corralled four of five targets for 105 yards. If those two wideouts are out of the lineup in Week 4, Smith and Chris Olave could be a speedy duo for Jameis Winston — who’s airing it out at an alarming rate.

Similar to Gage, Mack Hollins took full advantage of an opportunity with Hunter Renfrow sidelined with a concussion. Hollins played near every snap and ran a route on all but two dropbacks. He even out-targeted Davante Adams on the day. Hollins has been a consistent WR3 for Las Vegas, but any absence of the top two receivers for the Raiders makes Hollins a must-play.