Notable Injuries from Week 4:
- Bucky Irving (TBD)
- Miles Sanders (Ankle)
- Malik Nabers (ACL)
- Ricky Pearsall (Knee)
- Tyreek Hill (Knee)
- Cedric Tillman (Hamstring)
- Darnell Mooney (Hamstring)
- Lamar Jackson (Hamstring)
Teams on a BYE week:
- Atlanta Falcons
- Chicago Bears
- Green Bay Packers
- Pittsburgh Steelers
Waiver Wire Targets:
Woody Marks (Rostered in 33.2% of ESPN leagues) Genius Pick of the Week
Marks had a breakout game against the Titans putting up 27.9 points for those brave enough to start him. I will say that the Titans are ass (Cam Ward said it first) but it’s encouraging to see Marks start to get work over Nick Chubb. We know how dominant Chubb was with the Browns but 2 major leg injuries seem to have taken away a bit of the juice he once had. This year it feels like there are no usable running backs on waivers so Marks should definitely be a priority target. Also, Joe Mixon seems to have no timetable for his return which should keep Marks relevant for a little bit.
Rachaad White (Rostered in 48% of ESPN leagues)
In Sunday’s loss to the Eagles, Bucky Irving exited the game with an undisclosed injury. At the time of me writing this article, that injury and its severity has yet to be disclosed. If Irving is to miss any time, White would be the instant starter. White is no slouch and he has shown the ability to handle that role in the past. If you have Irving on your team and missed out on handcuffing White, he is certainly worth adding this week just keep an eye out for injury updates.
Elic Ayomanor (Rostered in 31% of ESPN leagues)
I get it, the Titans are terrible. But the targets for Ayomanor are there and the Titans have a soft schedule over the next 3 games as they face the Cardinals, Raiders and Patriots. I’m not saying that you need to start Ayomanor but he is certainly worth a bench stash or even a flex play now that BYE weeks are setting in. Reminder that there is fantasy value even on the worst teams. You just need to know where to look.
Romeo Doubs (Rostered in 36.7% of ESPN leagues)
First and foremost, let me just say that his performance against the Cowboys is an outlier kind of game and will not happen week to week. However, you can’t ignore such a performance (3 touchdowns and 29.8 fantasy points) especially as BYE weeks start. The Packers still don’t have a defined wide receiver 1 which kind of creates more opportunity for Doubs. It also doesn’t hurt Doubs that Jayden Reed is on IR. Doubs profiles as a boom or bust flex option if you love to gamble.
Wandale Robinson (Rostered in 54.2% of ESPN leagues)
Robinson had a hot start to the year averaging 9 targets but cooled off a bit in weeks 3 and 4. He has always kind of flirted with fantasy relevance when it came to PPR leagues but has never really been the guy. With Nabers out for the year, this is the best chance for an opportunity to shine. Still TBD on how the targets will be distributed with rookie Jaxson Dart at the helm but Robinson has shown the ability to be a reliable target in the past. If you dare to mess with the Giants, Robinson could be your guy.
Darius Slayton (Rostered in 3.6% of ESPN leagues)
With that being said, don’t count out Darius Slayton. The argument here is much the same. No Nabers = more opportunity.
Brenton Strange (Rostered in 21.3% of ESPN leagues)
In week 4, Strange had a quiet but productive fantasy outing largely overshadowed by a jawwing match between head coach Liam Cohen and defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. Catching 6 of his 7 targets for 45 yards, Strange provided fantasy managers a respectable 10.5 points. Not a jaw dropping performance but an encouraging one. With tight ends, get your targets where you can. If Lawrence keeps looking this guys way, Strange is a reliable tight end week in and week out.
Here’s what I had to say last week:
Strange is another one of those tight ends on the fringe of starting territory. He’s averaging 5.3 targets a game but has not yet produced in the redzone. However, stats don’t always tell the whole story. While watching the games, Trevor Lawrence looks Strange’s way on key possessions. You have to love QB/TE chemistry because usually that equals points. I like Strange against the 49ers who just lost their best pass rusher to a season-ending injury.
Mason Taylor (Rostered in 3.2% of ESPN leagues)
Do we have a budding QB/TE relationship in New York? Over the past 2 weeks, Mason Taylor has seen 6 and 7 targets respectively. He has also seen his snap count increase week to week. In week 4, Taylor’s 11.5 fantasy points were good for a TE11 finish. Fields has had success with tight ends in the past, most notably with Cole Kmet during his Chicago days so hopefully the same can be done with Taylor. Taylor may be a player to stash this week.
Jaxson Dart (Rostered in 21.1% of ESPN leagues)
All the way back in my week 2 waiver wire targets list, I called out that Jaxson Dart was a longshot play should QB injuries pile up or if you were playing in deeper leagues and backup QB options were slim. Week 5 is now upon us and QB injuries have certainly taken their toll already. It is worth mentioning again that the Giants have an absolute gauntlet of a schedule so Dart may not be so great moving forward. With that being said, they play arguably their softest matchup of the year against the Saints this week. Dart could provide starting value this week and is likely worth benching for depth from there on out.
Dillon Gabriel (Rostered in 0.4% of ESPN leagues)
This has the same vibes as Dart but with arguably better weapons all around. Flaco has been less than stellar this year for the Browns and the team has 2 young QBs chomping at the bit to get some playing time. Gabriel seems to be the next man up. Weapons wise, he has David Njoku, Harrold Fannin, Cedric Tillman and Jerry Jeudy. Not to mention a solid rookie running back in Quinshon Judkins. Let’s also not forget that Gabriel set the NCAA FBS record for passing touchdowns and finished second in passing yards all time. The dude throws the ball. Stash him until the Browns inevitably move on from Flaco.
*Point totals mentioned assume full point PPR scoring
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