Week 4 Fantasy Football Running Back Waiver Adds: Add Bucky Irving Yesterday

Welcome to Week 4’s fantasy football running back waiver wire breakdown! We thankfully escaped Week 3 without any big injuries, so there is no obvious candidate for the top of this list. However, there are still plenty of exciting players, including multiple players you may already have on your roster if you have been reading this article each week. Let’s get started!

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Week 4 Fantasy Football Running Back Waiver Adds

Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (33.9% Rostered)

Irving headlined this article after his Week 1 performance. Somehow, the rookie fourth-rounder is still available in nearly two-thirds of leagues. That should hopefully change this week, as he not only continued to be more efficient than Rachaad White but also out-carried the veteran for the first time, nine attempts to six. For the season, Irving now has 154 yards on 25 attempts to White’s 66 on 31 attempts — his role should only continue to grow. 

Irving is a must-roster (and has been since Week 1), but don’t plug him into your lineups just yet. So far this season, he has played just a quarter of the Buccaners’ passing-play snaps and zero of their 12 snaps inside the 10-yard line. Todd Bowles said today that he has earned more snaps, but his snap share has a ways to go before he can be trusted as a weekly play. 

Cam Akers, Houston Texans (40.5% Rostered)

With Dameon Pierce and Joe Mixon both sidelined by injury, Akers was the Texans’ lead back on Sunday. He only posted a 43% snap share as Houston was playing from behind for much of the game, but finished with nine carries while no other Texans back had more than one. Akers also saw three targets, catching one for a touchdown.

If Pierce and Mixon remain out for Week 4, Akers should take the lead role in Houston’s backfield again. He will likely find easier sledding against the Jaguars than he did in Minnesota, making him a solid RB2 play. However, don’t put too much effort into adding Akers, as both Mixon and Pierce have a shot to play as soon as next Sunday. In fact, Pierce may be the sneakier add, as he seems to be ahead of Mixon in recovery and was playing ahead of Akers prior to his injury.

Braelon Allen, New York Jets (32% Rostered)

Allen is similar to his fellow rookie Irving in that this is not his first appearance on this list. However, Allen’s situation is not the same as Bucky’s. Breece Hall is not Rachaad White, one of the least efficient backs in the league. With the talent he is flashing, Allen is arguably the most valuable handcuff in the NFL, but he’s not going to have standalone value in most formats. He should be rostered in more leagues, but don’t add him expecting immediate production. 

Rico Dowdle, Dallas Cowboys (39.7% Rostered)

If you’re looking for another widely available player who should be a better play than Allen in Week 4, Dowdle is your man. He has been trending up in the Cowboys’ backfield since the season began. Although his snap share has remained very steady between 43% and 46%, his RB rush share has gone from 42% and 41% in the first two weeks to 62% in Week 3. His role in the receiving game has also expanded, as he went from running fewer routes than Ezekiel Elliott in Week 2 to twice as many in Week 3.

Dowdle hasn’t been hugely efficient, but he has been better than the alternatives, leading the Cowboys in both yards vs. expected and success rate. This backfield will remain crowded, but he should maintain the lead role, especially as Zeke seems to be being phased out. That makes him a flex option in good matchups for the Cowboys … like they have in Week 4 against the Giants.

Roschon Johnson, Chicago Bears (1.4% Rostered)

After being a healthy scratch for both of the first two weeks, Johnson stepped into a sizable passing-down role in Week 3 with Travis Homer on IR with a finger injury. The sophomore caught four of five targets for 32 yards and also carried the ball eight times for 30 yards. 

With D’Andre Swift continuing to perform like the worst running back in the league, there’s room for someone else to carve out a role in this Chicago backfield. I had hoped (and still do) it would be Khalil Herbert, but it seems that he is trapped in a short-yardage/goal-line role for now. With Homer out and Swift hugely ineffective, Roschon has a chance to expand his passing-down role into enough volume to be fantasy-viable in deep leagues. 

Cordarrelle Patterson, Pittsburgh Steelers (0.9% Rostered) 

Both Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris are banged up coming out of the Steelers’ Week 3 game. Warren exited early with a knee injury, while Harris was spotted in a sling after the game. If both are unavailable for Week 4, it will be C-Patt’s time to shine. The 33-year-old former wide receiver and kick return GOAT has had stretches of fantasy relevance in the past and could do so again if given the lead role on this run-heavy Steelers offense. 

Emanuel Wilson, Green Bay Packers (2.5% Rostered)

With rookie MarShawn Lloyd on IR, Wilson is locked-in as the Packers’ RB2 behind Josh Jacobs. He actually outperformed Jacobs on Sunday, taking advantage of Green Bay’s big lead to rack up 85 combined yards and a receiving touchdown on 14 touches. 

Going forward, we obviously can’t expect Wilson to out-produce Jacobs while both are healthy. But we know that Matt LaFleur loves a committee, so he could see enough work to be desperation flex-viable in deep leagues. At the very least, Wilson has shown that he is capable of making the most of his opportunities and would be a weekly start if Jacobs misses time.

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