Jeffrey G. Pittenger-USA TODAY Sports
I hope you took my advice last week and added some of my waiver picks because most of them are probably gone or going to be high priority adds after a big week 3. All but one of my 16 recommendations had useful fantasy lines and a few of them (Bradshaw, K. Davis, Cousins, John Brown) had breakout games. My only miss was on super-sleeper Davante Adams who was one of many disappointing Packers this week.
As for my week 3 Ogletree picks, Niles Paul had a pretty solid day (6-68) but I’m hearing Jordan Reed is probably coming back this week. If you broke the bank to get Paul (despite my warning), then at least you got one useful game from him before Reed comes back and takes his targets. My other two warnings (J Stewart, DMC) were on the money as they both disappointed as usual. McFadden was decent in PPR leagues with 4 catches (for just 6 yards!) and just under 60 yards rushing, but if you started him you were most likely disappointed. Stewart got hurt (again) and is out for another month. I hope you didn’t waste any waiver money (or a high priority spot) on those two bums!
The injuries weren’t any where near as bad in week 3 so the recommendation lists is a bit shorter this time, but there are some familiar faces and also a few new additions worthy of your attention and waiver dollars. I’ll list my recommendations below by priority and a few warnings on players to stay away from.
Every week on Tuesday, I will be posting my top waiver pick ups for the week. Only players owned in under 50% of Yahoo leagues will qualify. There are all sorts of leagues out there with different levels of competition and varying player pool depths, so I will have a few picks with under 50% ownership, a few under 30%, 15%, and at least one super sleeper under 5%. I’ll also be listing a few players that may be popular waiver adds that I think you should pass on (the Kevin Ogletrees) and I’ll give you my reasons why of course. If there are any players you have a specific question about feel free to hit me up in the comments or on Twitter.
Week 4 Waiver Picks
QB Kirk Cousins, Redskins (49%) – I recommended Cousins in my Start’em / Sit’em column last week, but even I didn’t expect 427 passing yards and 3 TDs. That was an impressive performance and Cousins is a solid top 12 QB this week in his matchup with the Giants.
RB Lorenzo Taliaferro, Ravens (9%) – I had Taliaferro ranked in the top 200 of my preseason draft rankings, but soured on him a bit after he didn’t receive any carries the first two weeks of the season. He proved to be worth a spot on fantasy rosters in week 3 with 91 yards on 18 carries. Taliaferro has great size (6’0, 226), is a downhill runner and a good fit for the Ravens one-cut scheme. Normal starter Bernard Pierce may be back this week, but I think Taliaferro will end up winning the job outright by mid-season. Taliferro might not do much the next few weeks, but pick him up, be patient, and stash him until he wins the job. He has top 20 RB potential if he’s the lead back in Baltimore.
RB Khiry Robinson, Saints (43%) – As expected, Robinson inherited Mark Ingram’s carries and finished with a solid 68 rushing yards on 18 touches. He didn’t score which might keep him off some radars, but he is the Saints goal line back while Ingram is out (3-4 weeks) so Robinson could have a breakout game soon. I would be confident starting Robinson as a FLEX this week.
WR Andrew Hawkins (41%) – What does Baby Hawk have to do to get some waivers love? Hawkins has had at least 10 targets in all three games so far and that should be the norm until Josh Gordon comes back around week 12.
WR John Brown, Cardinals (8%) – The Cardinal’s QB woes had me worried about Brown, but Stanton found him twice this week for TDs. Brown is a crisp route runner and is so fast that he often seems wide open. HC Bruce Arians has been talking Brown up all offseason and I think the Cards will continue to give him at least 5 targets per week. He’s worth owning in all leagues and is a borderline Flex starter right now.