Fantasy Football Week 4 Waiver Wire Pickups: De’Von Achane, Tank Dell, Quentin Johnston are Must-Add Rookies

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

Let’s look back at Week 3 and dissect the prospects for the Fantasy Football Week 4 Waiver Wire.

Week 4 Bye Weeks: None

Note: Roster % based on Yahoo leagues and should hover around 55% or less

Check First: Jaylen Warren (56% rostered), Tutu Atwell (60%), Rashid Shaheed (48%), Jordan Love (69%), Matthew Stafford (55%)

WEEK 4 WAIVER WIRE PICKUPS

START

1. De’Von Achane, RB Miami Dolphins (40% rostered)
2. Tank Dell, WR Houston Texans (30%)
3. Joshua Palmer, WR Los Angeles Chargers (2%)

It’s not too often you see numbers like this from a backup running back, but De’Von Achane had a field day against the Broncos — much like the rest of this unstoppable offense. He finished with an absurd 203 rushing yards and two scores on 18 carries while catching four balls for 30 yards and another two touchdowns — for 50-plus fantasy points. Be prepared to blow your entire FAAB balance on this rookie with league-winning upside in the league’s most creative and potent offense.

Hopefully, you read last week’s article and scooped up Texans receiver Tank Dell because he had another big day, which could have been even better. Dell led all Texans receivers in targets (7), receptions (5), yardage (145), and touchdowns (1). He also caught a deep ball and was tackled at the two-yard line, which would have sent him nuclear. He saw a career-high in route participation percentage and target share percentage. He has a clear connection with CJ Stroud that should continue to build as the season progresses.

The ACL injury to Mike Williams is a big blow to the Chargers’ offense, but it should open the door for Joshua Palmer to slide into the WR2 role behind Keenan Allen. The Chargers are throwing the ball at an extremely high rate under Kellen Moore, with Austin Ekeler still sidelined with an ankle injury. Palmer finished Sunday with 4-66-1 on seven targets. Expect a more significant workload for Palmer as he fights off a rookie, which we’ll highlight below.

STASH

1. Josh Downs, WR Indianapolis Colts (7%)
2. Roschon Johnson, RB Chicago Bears (48%)
3. Quentin Johnston, WR Los Angeles Chargers (32%)
4. Tyjae Spears, RB Tennessee Titans (24%)
5. Kendre Miller, RB New Orleans Saints (34%)
6. Luke Musgrave, TE Green Bay Packers (18%)
7. Marvin Mims Jr, WR Denver Broncos (26%)
8. Rashee Rice, WR Kansas City Chiefs (26%)
9. Jake Ferguson, TE Dallas Cowboys (41%)
10. CJ Stroud, QB Houston Texans (20%)

Colts rookie Josh Downs had his best game thus far while also seeing season highs in snaps and routes run. Indianapolis opened up the passing game more with Gardner Minshew under center and Downs has out-targeted Alec Pierce in three straight games.

Despite the Bears’ offense looking like complete and utter shit, Roschon Johnson is quietly approaching the Bears RB1 slot. Khalil Herbert saw a dip in usage this week (game script may have been a factor here), while Johnson continues to be right on his heels after surpassing D’Onta Foreman in the depth chart.

Like Joshua Palmer at the top, Quentin Johnston will benefit from the Mike Williams ACL injury. Although the rookie is the clear WR3, Johnston has a similar skill set to Williams and was drafted in the first round for a reason. He must improve quickly because the offense has a massive void to fill. Still, the upside is monstrous in this offense.

It was another weird game from the Titans backfield this week, more similar to the opening week game. Trailing nearly the entire game, Derrick Henry was on the field for only 36% of snaps, while Tyjae Spears played a season-high 57% of the snaps. Spears seems to have the edge when the Titans are playing from behind, which might be a theme this season based on their early performance.

We got the rookie debut from Kendre Miller this week after Jamaal Williams was put on IR. He was still behind Tony Jones Jr. on the depth chart, and now, with Alvin Kamara returning, his usage should be pretty slim. Regardless, he’s a nice handcuff to Kamara with more upside than any backup Saints RB.

With 80%+ of snaps and routes run in back-to-back weeks now, Luke Musgrave is climbing the Packers receiver ranks early on. His usage is elite, and we’re just waiting to cash in on that opportunity while only Romeo Doubs seems to be a consistent factor.

Despite playing under 30% of snaps in all games this year, Broncos rookie Marvin Mims continues to produce, leading the team in receiving yards. He’s too talented to keep on the sideline for this long, and it’s only a matter of time until he becomes a mainstay on the field.

While there were plenty of positives to take away from the Chiefs’ dismantling of the Bears, the most significant one may have been the increased role of Rashee Rice. Rice saw a huge bump in his workload, mostly at the expense of Marques Valdez-Scantling. Rice was second in target share behind only Travis Kelce, and while no consistent option seems to be stepping up for Mahomes, Rice looks like he could be that guy sooner rather than later.

Despite Dallas’s other pass-catching options, Jake Ferguson has emerged as the clear TE1. We know Dak has a good history with tight ends, and despite the number of pass catchers at its disposal, the Cowboys have featured Ferguson to a respectable amount with a team-high seven targets this week.

The No. 2 overall pick is off to a torrid start in Houston as CJ Stroud looks better and better each week. The Texans are a pass-heavy attack thus far, and Stroud continues to take care of the ball and spread it out amongst his ‘weapons.’ He’s already eclipsed the 300-yard mark in a game and has back-to-back 20-point games under his belt.

STREAM

1. Adam Thielen, WR Carolina Panthers (48%)
2. Matt Breida, RB New York Giants (30%)
3. Romeo Doubs, WR Green Bay Packers (41%)
4. Cleveland Browns D/ST (46%)
5. DJ Chark, WR Carolina Panthers (10%)
6. Jayden Reed, WR, Green Bay Packers (21%)
7. Calvin Austin, WR Pittsburgh Steelers (2%)
8. Melvin Gordon, RB Baltimore Ravens (2%)

Old man Adam Thielen saw 14 Red Riffle targets and caught 11 for 145 yards and a touchdown in Week 3. More impressively, he’s commanded a 25% target share over the last two games. Should we trust him long-term, especially once Bryce Young returns? We aren’t quite sure about that yet. But, let’s take advantage of the moment, especially with a #revenge matchup against the Vikings on the horizon.

While Saquon is out for a little longer, the Giants used Matt Breida as its featured back. Aside from punching in a touchdown, the production wasn’t there. But then again, nothing else really worked for the Giants in a tough matchup against the 49ers. He should be an emergency fill-in once again for desperate fantasy managers. He gets a softer Seattle front-seven this week.

Christian Watson remains out for the Packers through three weeks, and Romeo Doubs has filled in very nicely thus far. Watson could still be out this week, or even if he returns, he could be limited on Thursday Night Football against the Lions. Either way, Doubs should remain the Packers’ WR1 until further notice.

The Browns DST has been ELITE to start the season and face divisional rival Baltimore Ravens next week, who already have the injuries piling up. The Browns are on a legendary defensive pace, and turnovers are starting to mount for the Lamar Jackson-led Ravens.

In his second game back from injury, DJ Chark reclaimed his WR2 spot with over 90% in snaps and routes run. The injury to Jonathan Mingo helped the cause here, but Chark responded with 11 targets and a touchdown. It was a very solid day in the shadow of Adam Thielen’s monster performance.

Jayden Reed continues to command targets with Christian Watson out of the lineup. Although he hasn’t broken out from a reception standpoint quite yet, he’s seen 15 targets over the last two games and put up a career-high 63 yards on three receptions last week. He’s developed a rapport with Jordan Love and as long as Watson is sidelined, Reed can be a Flex option on Thursday night.

While Diontae Johnson remains out, Calvin Austin has filled in nicely. He offers significantly more upside than Allen Robinson, as Austin finally broke off a big one on Monday night. While Diontae Johnson remains sidelined, Austin is a serviceable fill-in with big-play upside. The Steelers get the Texans’ secondary this week.

Justice Hill missed Week 3 with a toe injury, and Gus Edwards left this week’s game with a concussion. Thus, journeyman Melvin Gordon could be the lone running back for Baltimore against a stout Browns defense. The matchup sucks, but the volume could be there.