Weeks 2 and 3 have been downright brutal on the injury front. Dalvin Cook, Tee Higgins, Diontae Johnson, Josh Jacobs, Elijah Mitchell, Antonio Brown and Darrell Henderson Jr. all missed their respective games, while Christian McCaffrey, James White, A.J. Brown, Sterling Shepard, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and K.J. Hamler were all injured during their games.
Whether you need replacements for McCaffrey or White, or a Week 4 streamer, make sure to check out The Action Network's top targets at each position — all of which are available in at least 50% of Yahoo! leagues — that you should prioritize come Tuesday night.
Note: Yahoo! roster percentages are reflected in parenthesis and as of Monday.
Fantasy Waiver Wire Pickups
Fantasy Waiver QBs To Target
Sam Darnold, Panthers (22% rostered)
The post-Adam Gase glow up is treating Darnold well. The Panthers are 3-0, and Darnold has finished as QB17, QB13 and QB9 heading into Monday Night Football. The Panthers have a plush schedule over the next five weeks, on the road in Dallas, at home against the Eagles and Vikings, and then on the road against the Giants and Falcons. He should be a decent streaming option in those matchups.
Priority: High if streaming quarterbacks.
Taylor Heinicke, Washington (6%)
Since taking over for an injured Ryan Fitzpatrick, Heinicke has finished as QB12 and QB10 with one game left on the slate. It hasn't been the prettiest, as Heinicke was picked off twice in Sunday's game against Buffalo. He did tack on eight rushes for 21 yards and a touchdown to salvage his fantasy day. The Football Team takes on Atlanta in Week 4, whose defense has allowed the third-most points per game this season. He is definitely worth an add in superflex and two-quarterback leagues.
Priority: Medium in two-quarterback/superflex formats.
Jameis Winston, Saints (46%)
Winston and company got back on track after an embarrassing Week 2 loss to the Panthers. He completed 13 of 21 attempts for 128 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions, which isn't necessarily stellar, but the Saints do get the Giants in Week 4. Winston will be startable in superflex and two-quarterback leagues.
Priority: Medium in two-quarterback/superflex formats.
Fantasy Waiver RBs To Target
Chuba Hubbard, Panthers (25% rostered)
Hubbard will be the focal point of this week's waiver cycle after Christian McCaffrey went down in Week 3 with a hamstring strain. The Panthers haven't shared a clear timetable for McCaffrey's return, but did opt to not place him on injured reserve, suggesting they are optimistic he will return sooner than three weeks. In the interim, Hubbard should pick up the majority of the work out of the Panthers' backfield. The team faces the Cowboys, Eagles, Vikings, Giants and Falcons over the next five weeks, which makes Hubbard even more attractive as a potential RB2 based on workload alone. I would be wary of spending any more than 30-40% of your FAAB on what could be a one- or two-week rental.
Priority: High if needy at running back.
Peyton Barber, Raiders (7%)
Barber had a career day in Sunday's overtime win over the Dolphins. He saw 23 carries (66% share) for 111 yards and a touchdown and surprisingly caught three of five passes for 31 yards. Meanwhile, Kenyan Drake saw eight carries (23% share) for 24 yards and caught three of six targets for 33 yards. Barber is clearly going to have a significant role in this offense as long as Josh Jacobs is sidelined. The team plays the Chargers next Monday in what should be a high-scoring affair.
Priority: Medium.
Darrel Williams, Chiefs (10%)
Williams posted a season-high seven attempts for 28 yards and caught two of three passes for 11 yards in Sunday's upset loss to the Chargers. His appearance in this article is more a reflection of Year 2 running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who committed another costly fumble in the game. Edwards-Helaire did end up with a decent day for fantasy purposes and tallied over 100 all-purpose yards for the first time this season, but with his ball security issues, I would certainly keep an eye on Williams creeping in on Edwards-Helaire's touches.
Priority: Low to medium.
Kyle Juszczyk, 49ers (less than 1%)
Rookie Trey Sermon led the 49ers in carries on Sunday, but the fullback had a surprisingly big game and saw five carries for 14 yards and caught four of four passes for 37 yards and a touchdown. His increased usage is likely a function of so many injuries to this backfield, including Elijah Mitchell (shoulder), JaMycal Hasty (ankle) and Raheem Mostert (knee), who is out for the season. We know head coach Kyle Shanahan does not like to rely on any one running back in a reliable fashion, so there's a good chance we see more of Juszczyk if Mitchell and Hasty are sidelined. He's worth an add in deep leagues.
Priority: Low.
Malcolm Brown, Dolphins (7%)
Salvon Ahmed led the team in carries last week against the Bills, but saw zero touches in Week 3 against the Raiders. Meanwhile, Brown saw seven carries for 31 yards and a touchdown behind Myles Gaskin (13-65-0). He may be worth an add if you are desperate, though the Dolphins face the Colts and Buccaneers next, both of which are tough against the run.
Priority: Low.
Fantasy Waiver WRs To Target
Emmanuel Sanders, Bills (26% rostered)
Sanders caught a very respectable five of six targets for 94 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Washington's defense, which was carved up this weekend by Josh Allen and Co. He was out-targeted by both Cole Beasley and Stefon Diggs, who remains Allen's top option, but Sanders will have a role in this pass-heavy offense. He will have flex appeal over the next six weeks as the Bills take on the Texans, Chiefs, Titans, Dolphins, Jaguars and Jets.
Priority: Medium to high.
Tim Patrick, Broncos (23%)
Patrick led the team in receiving yards on Sunday against the Jets and caught all five of his passes for 98 yards. The Broncos are already down one receiver for a few weeks after losing Jerry Jeudy, and have unfortunately lost K.J. Hamler for the season with a torn ACL. Both Patrick and Courtland Sutton should pick up additional targets, especially while Jeudy is still out. Patrick is worth adding in most formats.
Priority: Medium to high.
Rashod Bateman, Ravens (14%)
Bateman began the season on injured reserve after suffering a groin injury in training camp that required surgery. The 2021 first-rounder is set to return to practice this week, according to head coach John Harbaugh, and is eligible to return as early as Week 4. Even if he doesn't play this week, he should be a nice bench stash, especially with the numerous drops from Marquise Brown in Sunday's nail biter against the Lions.
Priority: Medium.
Curtis Samuel, Washington (34%)
Samuel also began the season on injured reserve after injuring his groin in minicamp. He later re-aggravated the injury just before the team's first game. Head coach Ron Rivera said Samuel has had a "good, solid week" which bodes well given he is eligible to return as soon as this week. For now, he is a bench stash with potential WR3 upside when healthy.
Priority: Low to medium.
Josh Gordon, Chiefs (4%)
Gordon was reinstated by the NFL this past week and was swiftly signed to the Chiefs' practice squad. Kansas City hopes to promote him, though I would temper expectations for the former first-team All-Pro receiver. Aside from the fact that Gordon has dealt with numerous suspensions and reinstatements due to substance abuse violations, best case scenario is he joins a wide receiver room behind Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman, Demarcus Robinson and Byron Pringle. Hill is the lone player of this bunch that can be relied on for week-to-week production. I would only add Gordon if I had a bench spot to burn.
Priority: Low.
A.J. Green, Cardinals (15%)
It was the Christian Kirk (51% rostered) and A.J. Green show on Sunday as the pair collectively reeled in 12 of 14 passes for 216 receiving yards. DeAndre Hopkins and Rondale Moore had quiet days: Hopkins, who was banged up going into the matchup, was held to three catches on six targets for 21 yards and Moore caught two of two targets for one yard. Green leads the Cardinals in targets this season and is a boom-or-bust deep league or flex play on this crowded depth chart.
Priority: Low.
Kendrick Bourne, Patriots (1%)
Bourne had been fairly quiet through two weeks, but just posted a monster game in Week 3. He caught six of eight targets for 96 yards and a touchdown and could be benefitting from James White's injury. The Patriots face the Buccaneers next week, who have been extremely exploitable through the air this season and have allowed the second-most passing yards per game.
Priority: Low.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Titans (less than 1%)
Westbrook-Ikhine reeled in all four of his targets for 53 yards and a touchdown and saw an increased role with A.J. Brown sidelined for most of this game. I would continue to monitor Brown's status as the week progresses, but Westbrook-Ikhine could be an interesting deep league dart throw.
Priority: Lowest.
Fantasy Waiver TEs To Target
Dawson Knox, Bills (10% rostered)
Knox scored for the second week in a row in what was a tough matchup on paper against Washington. He reeled in four of five targets for 49 yards and a touchdown and gets a plush three weeks against the Texans, Chiefs and Titans before the Bills' Week 7 bye. He will flirt with TE1 streaming potential in those matchups given his position in Buffalo's high-powered offense and the unpredictable nature of the tight end position.
Priority: Medium if streaming tight ends.
Tyler Conklin, Vikings (4%)
Conklin has seen at least four targets in every game this year and reeled in seven of eight for 70 yards and a touchdown in Week 3. He's worth a look in deeper leagues with Kirk Cousins playing phenomenal football, though I would probably sit him against the Browns defense in Week 4.
Priority: Low to medium in deeper leagues.
