Week 4 Waiver Wire | Top Fantasy Football Pickups (2026)

by Wolf Trelles-Heard · Featured
Tuesday Waivers

Each week throughout the 2026 season, Wolf Trelles-Heard brings you the “must-adds” every Tuesday. In this week’s Week 4 edition, he highlights players who are worth rostering from the waiver wire if you’ve got the room.

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Week 4 Shallow League Waiver Wire Targets

Note: This range will primarily apply to most home leagues and those with shorter benches, with players available in at least 25% of leagues. Each player is listed with their current rostered percentage and a recommended FAAB bid range for a $100 budget. All values are in reference to six-point per passing touchdown leagues with PPR scoring unless otherwise noted.

Quarterback

Sam Darnold, Seahawks (40% rostered) | $1-3

Nice to see Sam Darnold back out there after only a short absence. In what turned into a surprising high-scoring affair against Washington, Darnold had to sling it 45 times in his return to the lineup. He ended up completing 31 passes for 379 passing yards and four touchdowns. In true Darnold fashion, he also threw two interceptions, but that comes with the territory. You take the good and the bad with him.

With Jaxon Smith-Njigba operating as the hottest receiver in football right now, Darnold has streaming appeal going forward. This coming week, he draws the 0-3 Chargers, who just did a nice job slowing down Josh Allen. Still, Smith-Njigba is an unstoppable force right now, and as long as he keeps playing like this, the guy throwing him the ball is a usable fantasy option.

Running Back

Alvin Kamara, Saints (48% rostered) | $5-7

While he looks like a shell of his former self, Kamara might be leaned on in the short term. Travis Etienne left Sunday’s game in the third quarter with a hamstring injury. After his departure, Kamara out-snapped Kendre Miller: 20 to 14.

Etienne will miss “some time,” per head coach Kellen Moore. Kamara will see more work this week but has a tough matchup against Atlanta, one of the stingiest units in fantasy points allowed to running backs so far this season. The veteran will likely see most of the backfield opportunities, but he’s been extremely inefficient so far this year — 24 touches for 63 scoreless yards and only one missed tackle forced — making him a low-end flex while Etienne is out.

Wide Receiver

Jakobi Meyers, Jaguars (63% rostered) | $6-8

If Jakobi Meyers was dropped after just three catches over the first two games, it’s time to make your impatient league mate pay for their mistake. It appears that Brian Thomas Jr. has taken a backseat to Meyers and was out-snapped 50 to 23 by the eight-year veteran in Week 3.


Meyers had his best game of the young season and has now played over 80% of the snaps in back-to-back contests. In Sunday’s drubbing of the Patriots, he caught seven of eight targets for 64 yards and a score. Those numbers were good enough for a top-20 WR finish on the week. If he’s going to continue playing that much, Meyers is back to being a locked-in WR3 and should be in lineups when Jacksonville draws favorable matchups.

Tight End

T.J. Hockenson, Vikings (45% rostered) | $1-2

Forget his paltry two-catch, 11-yard outing against the Buccaneers. This T.J. Hockenson recommendation is all about the upcoming schedule. Before Minnesota’s Week 6 bye, the Vikings get soft matchups against Miami and New Orleans.

Hockenson might see elevated target volume with Justin Jefferson nursing an ankle injury. Miami has been gashed by tight ends in consecutive weeks, surrendering 80 yards and a touchdown to George Kittle before giving up 59 yards and a score to Travis Kelce. Is it Hockenson’s time to carve up the Dolphins? After that contest, he gets a Saints defense that has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to tight ends through three weeks. If you need a short-term streamer, give Hockenson a look this week.

Week 4 Standard Bench Waiver Wire Targets

Note: This range will primarily apply to most leagues with standard benches, with players available in at least 50% of leagues. Each player is listed with their current rostered percentage and a recommended FAAB bid range for a $100 budget. All values are in reference to six-point per passing touchdown leagues with PPR scoring unless otherwise noted.

Quarterback

Kirk Cousins, Raiders (18% rostered) | $1-3

What a difference a competent playcaller makes. Klint Kubiak has the Raiders sitting at a surprising 3-0, already matching their victory tally from a season ago. More importantly, their plan to let No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza sit and learn behind Kirk Cousins is going better than expected. Cousins is balling out right now and is currently tied with Brock Purdy for the league lead with nine touchdown passes.

After back-to-back games with 20-plus fantasy points, Cousins offers a decent floor for managers looking for a streaming option. It could be tough sledding this week in a battle of unbeatens against Kansas City, but sometimes you have to ride the hot hand. Kirko Chainz is a must-start in superflex and has low-end QB1 appeal in single-QB formats when the matchup is soft.

Running Back

Ollie Gordon, Dolphins (2% rostered) | $25-35

Pour one out for De’Von Achane managers. Miami’s electric running back left last week’s game early in the first quarter with a torn ACL and will now turn his attention toward rehabbing for 2027. Enter Ollie Gordon, who took over and played the rest of the way. The second-year back finished with only 41 yards on 17 carries, but he did punch in a short touchdown. He also caught three passes for 18 yards.


Moving forward, the bruising Gordon has a golden opportunity in front of him. He should get first crack at lead-back duties but will probably share touches with Jaylen Wright, who was inactive in Week 3 with a few nagging injuries.

I’d make Gordon the priority over Wright; just know that neither guy is likely to give you steady RB2 production. Achane was averaging only 3.5 yards per carry before his injury, and Gordon only averaged 2.4 yards per carry against the Chiefs. Miami’s offense remains a mess, making Gordon more of a flex play than a weekly difference-maker.

Wide Receiver

Keenan Allen, Colts (21% rostered) | $4-6

Here we are in 2026, still talking about Keenan Allen. Why? Well, the 14-year veteran showed some life in Week 3, catching six of nine targets for 63 yards and a touchdown. It was by far Allen’s best outing of the season after a quiet first two games.

The advanced metrics aren’t pretty: only 1.37 yards per route run and 0.055 first downs per route run, per Fantasy Points data. The opportunity is there, though. Allen has a 26% first-read target share and has earned 20 opportunities through three weeks.

With Alec Pierce on IR, Allen will continue to play a sizable role in Indianapolis’ offense and should be no worse than third in the pecking order behind Josh Downs and Tyler Warren on a weekly basis. In PPR, that means Allen can be a useful WR3 or flex if you’ve been hit hard by injuries.

Tight End

Kenyon Sadiq, Jets (34% rostered) | $8-10

Welcome to the NFL, Kenyon Sadiq. Taking advantage of Mason Taylor and Adonai Mitchell sitting out, the first-round pick made the most of his opportunity in Week 3. In a shootout against the Lions, Sadiq caught seven of eight targets for 105 yards, marking his first 100-yard game as a pro. He also hauled in his first touchdown reception on a ball down the seam, diving in the air to catch it in the end zone. It was a crazy, athletic play from a crazy, athletic player.

Kenyon Sadiq’s Advanced Metrics

Sunday’s performance showcased Sadiq’s potential. We already knew about the speed — a 4.39 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine — but against Detroit, we saw the hands and playmaking ability on full display. With two TE1 performances in his first three games, Sadiq’s upside is apparent. If you don’t have one of the elite options at the position, the fastest tight end in history might not be a bad guy to add and plug into your lineup.

Week 4 Deep League Waiver Wire Targets

Note: This range will apply to leagues with deeper benches and more experienced managers, with players available in at least 75% of leagues. Each player is listed with their current rostered percentage and a recommended FAAB bid range for a $100 budget. All values are in reference to six-point per passing touchdown leagues with PPR scoring unless otherwise noted.

Quarterback

Geno Smith, Jets (10% rostered) | $1-2

The Jets may only be 1-2, but at least the offense looks functional. Geno Smith has been playing the role of point guard, distributing the ball where it needs to go and keeping things on schedule. So far, he’s racked up 783 passing yards with four touchdowns. Maybe more importantly, he hasn’t thrown a single interception.

In Week 4, the Jets battle the Bears in what could be another shootout. If you’ve been hit with injuries at the position — or you’ve been getting nothing from Drake Maye or Justin Herbert — Smith could slot into your lineup with some favorable matchups in October.

Running Back

Braelon Allen, Jets (18% rostered) | $10-15

Another Jet? Why not? The hulking Braelon Allen might get a few games to be the Jets’ lead back after Breece Hall left Sunday’s contest in the fourth quarter with a thigh injury. Allen finished the game with seven touches and 17 yards. Nothing crazy, but he was the next man up.


Allen is looking at a juicy Week 4 matchup against Chicago and, depending on how long Hall is out, could also draw Cleveland, New England, and Miami over the coming weeks. With New York’s offense performing like one of the better units in football, Allen could give fantasy managers flex-worthy output for as long as Hall is out.

Wide Receiver

Malik Washington, Dolphins (25% rostered) | $5-7

Malik Washington has 23 targets this year — same as another Washington lighting it up a little further north in Duval County. Miami’s version is a near-full-time player, running a route on 86% of dropbacks while earning a 26.7% target share. He had his best game in Week 3, seeing 10 targets and turning them into 5 catches for 56 yards. Washington also chipped in five rushing yards on two carries.

The raw production isn’t earth-shattering, but Washington is seeing a ton of opportunities. That makes him worth grabbing. Miami just lost De’Von Achane for the season, so it will likely be even more pass-happy moving forward. As Malik Willis‘ favorite target, Washington can be used as a low-end WR3 or flex in PPR leagues as long as this volume sticks.

Tight End

Darren Waller, Panthers (19% rostered) | $2-3

Darren Waller wasn’t just a touchdown merchant in Week 3. The 34-year-old played 51% of the snaps and saw eight targets in Carolina’s loss to Cleveland. He reeled in five of them for 51 yards, giving him double-digit fantasy points for the second straight week.

With Jalen Coker dealing with an injury that forced him out of Sunday’s game, there’s a chance Waller is asked to take on an even larger workload. Pair that with his propensity for finding the end zone, and Waller could be a viable low-end weekly starter going forward, especially this week against a Lions secondary that just got diced up by rookie Kenyon Sadiq.

Wolf Trelles-Heard is a fantasy football analyst for PlayerProfiler.

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