Week 4 Trending Waiver Wire Pickups & Projections: Go Grab Khalil Herbert Now

Can you believe that Week 3 is officially in the books? We are almost a quarter of the way through the season! This was the week of upsets! And that trend continued on Monday Night Football when the Dallas Cowboys (2-1) finished off the New York Giants (2-1) despite being road underdogs. The victory makes this a really interesting division to monitor with the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles in first place. Cooper Rush is filling in for the injured Dak Prescott incredibly but there have been recent reports that Prescot could return to action in Week 5 or potentially even Week 4. Fantasy managers who own any members of the Dallas Cowboys need to monitor Prescott’s injury as the offense looks different depending on the quarterback.

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In other upset news… Most people believe the Buffalo Bills (2-1) are the very best team in the NFL. However, after producing 400+ passing yards and six touchdowns in Miami’s Week 2 victory over the Baltimore Ravens, Tua led the Dolphins to a 21-19 upset over Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. The Dolphins are now 3-0 and lead the AFC East.

The Indianapolis Colts (1-1-1) shocked the world with the biggest upset of the week by defeating the Kansas City Chiefs (2-1). Matt Ryan led a flawless fourth quarter drive and sealed the win with a 12-yard dart to rookie tight end Jelani Woods for his second touchdown of the game with 29 seconds remaining. It was nice to see Michael Pittman back in action. Although he struggled in the first half, he did finish with a decent line of eight receptions of nine targets for 72 scoreless yards. Pittman should be fully healthy heading into Week 4. 

Perhaps even more shocking than the Colts victory was the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-1) shellshacking of the Los Angeles Chargers (1-2). Trevor Lawrence had himself a day and will surely be looked at on the waiver wire. He finished with 262 passing yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Zay Jones also emerged as a potential waiver wire darling. He was targeted a whopping 11 times, catching 10 balls for 85 yards and a touchdown. Christian Kirk continued to outperform his ADP with six catches for 72 yards and one trip to the touchdown. Even Marvin Jones chipped in with three catches for 33 yards and a touchdown but he’s clearly further down on the depth chart. And James Robinson was absolutely unstoppable. He stomped his way to 100 yards rushing including a 50-yard touchdown. Robinson continues to outperform Travis Etienne. The Chargers simply couldn’t get anything going on offense with Keenan Allen out of the lineup. Many surmised that Joshua Palmer would perform well in his absence and if you added him, he paid off with six receptions for 99 yards. The rest of the Los Angeles offense was completely out of synch. 

In a battle in the NFC South, the injury-riddled New Orleans Saints (1-2) were defeated by the Carolina Panthers (1-2). The Saints’ wide receiver corps suffered some serious injuries. Jarvis Landry exited early with an ankle injury and is questionable for Week 4 and Michael Thomas went down with a toe injury, though NFL Network’s Ian Rapaport reports Thomas will be fine for Week 4. Still, with those injuries, rookie receiver Chris Olave absolutely exploded. He caught nine balls on a whopping 13 targets for 147 yards. Tre’Quan Smith also had himself a day with four catches for 105 yards but he isn’t fantasy worthy unless Thomas or Landry are out for a significant amount of time. The Panthers somehow got it done despite only getting six receiving yards out of DJ Moore. Christian McCaffrey was effective on the ground but this offense needs to get the passing game going. Both Moore and Robbie Anderson each only had one reception on the day though Laviska Shenault turned some heads, hauling in his only two targets for 90 yards and a touchdown. I wouldn’t bank on this Panthers offense though. The defense got them that victory.  

And although it wasn’t quite an upset, you could argue that it was considering David Montgomery went down so early in the Chicacgo Bears’ 23-20 win over the Houston Texans. Fantasy owners are salivating over Khalil Herbert after the second-year running back turned 20 rushing attempts into 157 yards and two touchdowns, plus two receptions for an additional 12 yards. We’ll later get into the reasons to be super excited about Herbert’s fantasy outlook. Cole Kmet finally made a siting. It was nothing to write home about but it was nice to see him tally two receptions for 40 yards. On the other side of the ball, rookie running back Dameon Pierce looked really good. If you are for some reason in an incredibly shallow fantasy league, you’ll want to jump all over this kid. He produced 100+ all-purpose yards and a touchdown for 18.1 PPR points. But Davis Mills and the Texans’ passing game needs to go back to the drawing board.

There were a few other games that didn’t result in upsets and the Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Tennessee Titans, Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams, Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, and Denver Broncos captured victories. 

There have been several big surprises over the first three weeks of the fantasy football season. I don’t think anyone thought that the Dallas Cowboys would be 2-0 since Cooper Rush took over for the injured Dak Prescott. Nobody expcted Khalil Herbert to break out for 147 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday. And of course there are the injuries and suspensions that fantasy owners must deal with. Fortunately, Mike Evans will return in Week 4 but the San Francisco 49ers are still missing their entire starting backfield in Trey Lance and Elijah Mitchell. Jimmy Garopolo and Jeff Wilson Jr. didn’t do anything special in their absence on Sunday Night Football against the Denver Broncos as the Niners only scored 10 points in a loss. And we haven’t even discussed the few injuries that occured this week such as the one to David Montgomery. That’s why it is so important to work the waiver wire. There are so many players who are part of league-leading rosters who were added earlier this season such as Jamaal Williams who went for 22.7 PPR points or Mack Hollins with 29.96 PPR points.

It seems that every single season, this is the time when a few players emerge as league-winning contributors. As we gear up for the fourth week of the fantasy football season, it is time to make those pivotal waiver wire claims and FAAB bids. Now that Week 3 is in the books, it’s time to prepare for Week 4 with FantasySP’s unique Predictive Analytics. Keep reading here to access our Predictive Analytics or log into your account, and utilize the Fantasy Assistant. From there, you can see the predictive adds, drops, trades, and FAAB. 

Predictive Analytics in a nutshell is a game-changer for fantasy players. No one else in the industry offers these types of insights. You will now be able to analyze the most important fantasy metrics of the current week BEFORE waivers are processed.

Find out the Expected Waiver Interest (EWI) of each player, as well as how much of your FAAB budget it would take to get “your guy” in the average league. You will now have unique insights into which players fantasy owners are giving up on and which players fantasy owners are fighting for in the current week.

Looking At Week 4 Fantasy Football Predictive Adds:

[predict="add-2022-4"]

RB Khalil Herbert, Chicago Bears

I have been telling everyone and their mothers that Khalil Herbert would eventually surpass David Montgomery on the depth chart. I truly believe he is the superior all-purpose running back and that showed in Chicago’s 23-20 victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday. Montgomery left the game early with an ankle and knee injury and is considered a game-time decision heading into Week 4. Herbert filled in tremendously in Monty’s absence dating back all the way to last year. 

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When Montgomery was healthy to begin this season, the second-year running back still had some standalone value. In Week 1, Herbert turned nine carries into 45 rushing yards and a touchdown. He followed that up with four carries for 38 yards (9.5 Y/A) in Week 2. In Week 3, Herbert spelled Montgomery and saw the bulk of the workload out of Chicago’s backfield. He turned 20 carries into 157 rushing yards (7.85 Y/A), caught two passes for 12 receiving yards, and scampered into the end zone for two rushing touchdowns. 

After Sunday’s outstanding performance, fantasy owners should be flocking to the waiver wire and submitting a claim immediately. Even if Montgomery plays in Week 4, a combination of relatively minor injuries to his ankle and knee could make him limited. If Montgomery doesn’t play on Sunday, then starting Herbert is a no-brainer in Week 4. He is the most valuable free agent to pick up heading into Week 4. Herbert has standalone value when Montgomery is healthy and is a volume-based RB2 when Montgomery is sidelined. Chances are that Herbert will be called upon again either in Week 4 or beyond. He does not belong on the waiver wire this deep into the season and he can easily surpass Montgomery on the depth chart.

RB Jamaal Williams, Detroit Lions

J-Will shouldn’t be available anywhere on the waiver wire but he’s still available in approximately 30% of fantasy leagues. With D’Andre Swift ruled out for the next two weeks, Williams should continue to eat even with Craig Reynolds seeing a few snaps as the backup. In Week 1, Williams scored two rushing touchdowns though he only turned 11 carries into 28 rushing yards. In Week 2, Williams flopped. But he really shined in Week 3, finishing with 22 touches for 100+ all-purpose yards and two trips to the end zone. Williams now has four touchdowns on the year and should continue to be the Lions’ workhorse running back with Swift on the shelf. Williams should be in all fantasy football starting lineups ahead of a Week 4 date with a beatable Seattle Seahawks defense. Seattle allows the second-most rushing yards (131) per game to opposing running backs this season. 

[career="Jamaal Williams"]

TE David Njoku, Cleveland Browns

Njoku absolutely dominated in Cleveland’s Thursday night victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The big tight end hauled in nine of the 10 balls thrown in his direction for 89 receiving yards and a touchdown. It makes sense that so many fantasy owners are targeting Njoku after his masterful performance. Tight end is the most shallow position in all of fantasy football and if you don’t have one of the top three or four guys, you are basically throwing drafts at the position. Njoku has immense upside due to his athleticism and should be the No. 2 target in this offense behind Amari Cooper. I’m not so sure we’ll see a repeat performance from Njoku in Week 4 but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him sprinkle in a few more big games throughout the rest of the fantasy football regular season.  

WR Zay Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars

Jones turned heads in Jacksonville’s surpsring Week 3 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. Jones was one of Jacksonville’s heroes in this one. He drew a whopping 11 targets from quarterback Trevor Lawrence and hauled in 10 of those passes for 85 yards and one trip to the end zone. On the season, he has posted 19 receptions for 173 yards and a touchdown. He’s still battling for targets with Christian Kirk, Marvin Jones, Jamal Agnew, Evan Engram, and even the running backs in James Robinson and Travis Etienne. There are a whole lot of mouths to feed in Jacksonville but Jones should continue to excel in the short-to-intermediate routes, especially with Jacksonville playing from behind so often due to their atrocious defense. 

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Green Bay Packers DEF / ST

No defensive unit is being added more than the Green Bay Packers as they get ready for a Week 4 tilt with a depleted New England Patriots squad. Mac Jone suffered a high-ankle sprain and is unlikely to be on the field this week. Not to mention, the Packers have only allowed a combined 22 points over their last two games to Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers and to Justin Fields and the Chicago Bears. Although they haven’t logged a defensive touchdown over that stretch, they have recorded six sacks and three turnovers (including one interception). The Patriots will have no answer for the Packers with Brian Hoyer expected to start under center. The Packers should be the top defense in Week 4.  

TE Tyler Conklin, New York Jets

Once again, the tight end position is incredibly shallow so it might be worth taking a chance on the former Minnesota Vikings. Conklin balled out in Week 3 to the tune of eight receptions on eight targets for 84 scoreless yards. Conklin also caught a red-zone touchdown back in Week 1. Although he is battling for targets with Garrett Wilson and Elijah Moore, Conklin could be a decent streamer at the tight end position. We haven’t seen how he performs with Zach Wilson under center but i would think that we would only see an uptick in Conklin’s performance once Wilson is ready to return to action.

WR Mack Hollins, Las Vegas Raiders

Hollins lit up the box score in Week 4 to finish with a ridiculous 29.96 PPR points. He was the WR2 on the week only behind Philadelphia’s DeVonta Smith. Ever since his Week 1 stink bomb, Hollins has stepped up in a major way. The veteran wideout caught eight passes for 158 yards and a touchdown in a 24-22 loss to the Tennessee Titans. Hollins led all Vegas receivers in this game in catches and yards. His 10 targets tied for the most on the team with Davante Adams. Hollins is becoming a very useful weapon in a struggling offense, continuing to produce chunk plays when the Raiders need it most. It must be noted that Hollins saw increased opportunities due to Hunter Renfrow’s absence, who should return for Week 4 after being sidelined with a concussion. With Hollins’ recent productivity, he should see an increased role moving forward. He will continue to operate as the third target in this offense behind Adams and Darren Waller and should be on the fantasy radar after this showing.

WR Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers

Is Romeo Doubs the next Jordy Nelson or Davante Adams? Well, I wouldn’t go that far but he sure seems like Aaron Rodgers’ must trusted weapon in the passing game this year. As many of you may recall Dobbs was the training camp darling for the Packers this season. He was regularly beating veterans in practice, making spectacular play after spectacular play. With all the injuries to the Packers receivers, he finally had a chance to start against Tampa Bay and made the most of it. Sammy Watkins was placed on Injured Reserve and fellow rookie receiver, Christian Watson, was unable to suit up in Week 3. In stepped Doubs who caught all eight balls thrown his way for 73 yards and a touchdown. Although Allen Lazaard may still be the top target in Green Bay, Doubs is going to see plenty of action in 2022. He’s a solid pickup if you need a wide receiver who can potentially contribute down the line.

[projection="Romeo Doubs"]

New York Giants DEF/ST

Many fantasy owners added the Giants ahead of their Monday Night Football tilt with the Dallas Cowboys, hoping that they would be able to stop Cooper Rush, CeeDee Lamb, and that backfield featuring Ezekiel Eliott and Tony Pollard. Unfortunately for those fantasy owners, Big Blue’s defense crumbled in primetime as they allowed 23 points and failed to record a single sack or turnover. However, the Giants get another juicy matchup in Week 4 against a Chicago Bears offense that hasn’t done much to date. Justin Fields still doesn’t seem comfortable, David Montgomery could be out of action, and the passing game has yet to hit it’s stride in 2022. Cole Kmet has done practically nothing and Darnell Mooney has really disappointed. This could be a “get right” game for the Giants defense. They should rank within the top 10 defenses in Week 4. This is definitely a defense you want to stream this week, especially if they get Leonard Williams back. 

RB Alexander Mattison, Minnesota Vikings

​​Alexander Mattison should be owned in all fantasy formats but if he was for some reason dropped in your league, you need to scoop him up immediately. Dalvin Cook discloacted his shoulder towards the end of Minnesota’s Week 3 outing and although Cook is slated to suit up in Week 4, Mattison is one of the league’s most valuable handcuff running backs. Any time Cooks isn’t able to play, Mattison sees 20+ touches and almost always finishes with double-digit fantasy points. Even with Cook active in Week 3, Mattison turned seven rushes into 28 yards, including a six-yard touchdown run in which he had to break three tackles to barrel into the end zone. Considering Mattison’s dual-threat ability as both a runner and a pass-catcher, this guy needs to be owned in 100% of leagues. 

And that’s a wrap. Thanks for checking out our Week 4 Predictive Adds! Head back next week to see who fantasy owners are flocking towards ahead of Week 5!