We've put a bow on Week 4 of the 2021 NFL season. Now, it's time to gaze into the crystal ball and see which players we should target on the waiver wire now for a potential big payofflater this season.
The fantasy football season heads into Week 5, with waivers coming up Wednesday. Winning your fantasy title requires more than just week-to-week planning. You need be a visionary. You need to continue to look ahead. There are players you need to stash now, for a big payoff later in the campaign.
Here are my lookahead waiver claims for Week 5 and beyond.
Early Fantasy Waiver Wire Targets
Alex Collins, RB, Seahawks
Seattle loves Chris Carson, but he doesn't look completely healthy. Carson has underwhelmed as a fantasy running back, producing the following PPR finishes: RB20, RB16, RB19, and RB52. He’s also getting minimal passing game work, with just seven receptions over four games.
If Carson were to miss time, 27-year old Alex Collins should be next in line for the lead running-back duties. Collins led Seattle with 44 rushing yards on 10 carries and a touchdown in the 28-21 over San Francisco. He also added two receptions for 34 yards, on just three fewer snaps than Carson.
There are many ways Collins could see a larger role in the Seattle offense. Injury, continued production or Carson's fumbling woes returning could all vault Collins into a weekly low-end RB2 fantasy play.
Collins is currently rostered in just 2% of Yahoo leagues.
Kendrick Bourne, WR, Patriots
Is Kendrick Bourne the best Patriots wide receiver? Probably not, but he might be the most useful.
The 26-year-old wideout has seen a rise in snap share from 42.9% to a 70% average over the past two games. Bourne leads the Patriots with a 12.9 yards per catch average, plus he has 11 receptions for 154 receiving yards and a touchdown in his past two games.
Bourne carries a Top 25 Production Premium and Fantasy Points Per Target average on PlayerProfiler. With running back James White now out for the year and backup satellite back J.J. Taylor already in the doghouse for a Week 4 fumble, Bourne could see his role steadily increase during the second half of the season.
Zach Pascal, WR, Colts
Indianapolis might have turned a corner in their 27-17 win at Miami. The Colts have struggled on offense for most of the season, plus they’re devoid of a depth of playmakers. Pascal tallied three touchdowns in his first two weeks, averaging six targets per week in the process.
Indianapolis faces Houston, Tennessee, Jacksonville and the New York Jets over its next five games. That should provide ample opportunity for solid fantasy WR3 production. Pascal isn't flashy, but with a 90% snap share over the first four games, he’s clearly a consistent option in the Colts passing game. That sort of opportunity is very helpful during bye weeks.
Van Jefferson, WR, Colts
Is Van Jefferson a better fantasy receiver than Robert Woods? As we enter Week 5, that could just be the case.
Jefferson was the Rams most productive receiver in Week 4, catching all six of his targets for 90 receiving yards and a touchdown. If was his second touchdown of season, with his last score coming on a 67-yard touchdown catch in the season opener.
He’s only rostered in 5% of Yahoo leagues, and will probably stay that way for a few more weeks. The former second-round pick from Florida could actually outproduce Woods the rest of season. He’d be a solid WR2 option if either Woods or Kupp suffered an injury.
Jeff Wilson, RB, 49ers
This is one of your last chances to grab the player that could be the 49ers’ starting running back in just two weeks. The San Francisco backfield remains as clouded as ever, with rookie Trey Sermon failing to take over the lead RB duties. The 25-year-old Wilson has 15 touchdowns over the past two years and should return from meniscus surgery mid-season.
With sixth-round pick Elijah Mitchell still injured, Wilson is set up for a major role when he returns. We’re not far removed from Wilson being a very productive option in an ideal fantasy RB offense.
Wilson found fantasy relevance competing with Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman, and the current depth chart provides less competition. Stash Wilson now for a potential lead running back that will face the Bengals, Titans, Falcons and Texans during the fantasy playoffs.
Maxx Williams, TE, Cardinals
While most fantasy players aren't paying attention, Arizona's Maxx Williams might just be carving a role as a usable weekly fantasy tight end. Williams caught all five of his targets for 66 yards and a touchdown, while playing just 58% of the Week 4 snaps.
Tethered to MVP candidate Kyler Murray, the window to pick up Williams will close quickly. He now has 66 or more receiving yards in two of the past three games and is still available in over 99% of Yahoo leagues.
Malcolm Brown, RB, Dolphins
Don't look now, but Malcolm Brown has slowly taken over the Miami backfield.
Myles Gaskin 💀💀💀
Snaps: 23%
Routes: 24%
Attempts: 14%
Short-down-distance: 13%
Long-down-distance: 25%
2-minute offense: 0%Malcolm Brown — the great — has seized the day.
67%, 37%, 57%, 75%, 75%, 100%#INDvsMIA
— Context Matters (@dwainmcfarland) October 3, 2021
With a 90th percentile (11.01) Agility Score, Brown actually has some hidden three-down ability on a Dolphins team that’s very much in need of offensive firepower. Brown was very useful at the goal line for the Rams last season, and has games in the middle of the season against Jackonville, Atlanta and Houston.
It's time to grab Brown off the waiver wire before this RBBC gains clarity.
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