Week 4 Waiver Wire Pickups: Available Sleepers in Most Yahoo Leagues

While Week 4 just kicked off on Thursday, it's already been a trying 2024 season in fantasy football.

Injuries to players who were undoubtedly drafted forced managers into making tough lineup decisions as early as Week 1. We've also seen some previously reliable fantasy stars underperform, and a few teams have been markedly better or worse than anyone could have expected.

We've also seen surprises, like the Carolina Panthers playing like a powerhouse with Andy Dalton under center—and holding receiver Davante Adams to four catches and 40 yards in the process.

With byes on deck for Week 5, it's time to put some serious effort into working the waiver wire. The good news is that some enticing options should still be available, even this late in the week.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields had his most impressive performance of 2024 as a passer against a good Los Angeles Chargers defense. He only ran for six yards, but had a rushing touchdown and threw for 245 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

Fields does have a solid scrambling floor—he averaged 42 rushing yards over the first two weeks—which makes him a fine streaming option against the Indianapolis Colts.

The Colts have been a middle-of-the-pack team against opposing quarterbacks in fantasy (15th-most points allowed) but rank 15th in both net yards per pass attempt allowed and yards per carry allowed.

Fields' dual-threat ability may come into play often against Indianapolis. While there's an off chance that Pittsburgh will pull the plug on Fields and insert Russell Wilson at some point, it's probably not happening this week.

"[Head coach Mike] Tomlin says he wants Justin Fields 'singularly focused' on starting as he walks into the building this week," ESPN's Brooke Pryor posted on X.

Managers who need a quarterback for Week 4 should be able to land Fields. The 25-year-old is rostered in only 26 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Look, there's no telling what Kareem Hunt's role with the Kansas City Chiefs will be. The 29-year-old was recently signed to Kansas City's active roster and probably won't see significant playing time right away.

The Chiefs also have rookie Carson Steele and receiving back Samaje Perine at the position. Steele carried 17 times for 72 yards in Week 3, while Perine logged eight carries and three receptions.

However, with Isiah Pacheco likely to miss extensive time with a fibula fracture that required surgery, Hunt could become a big piece of the backfield rotation in the coming weeks. He knows Andy Reid's offense, having previously started 27 games for the Chiefs. He showed last year that he can step in on short notice too.

Hunt re-joined the Cleveland Browns following Nick Chubb's season-ending injury in Week 2. He quickly emerged as a reliable goal-line back. While Hunt only rushed for 411 yards in 2023, he found the end zone nine times.

The Chiefs may use Hunt similarly, and he does carry some point-per-reception (PPR) upside (226 career receptions). Hunt shouldn't be viewed as a weekly starter, but he could provide some flex value as a bye-week fill-in.

Hunt is rostered in only 34 percent of Yahoo leagues.

The arrival of quarterback Kirk Cousins has aided the fantasy stock of third-year receiver Drake London. While London has just 136 receiving yards through three weeks, he's also caught 14 passes and found the end zone twice.

Joining Cousins with the Atlanta Falcons has also helped wideout Darnell Mooney, who had one 1,000-yard season with the Chicago Bears but has underwhelmed over the past two years.

Mooney is performing like a legitimate No. 2 receiver opposite London and has already snagged 12 catches for 169 yards and a touchdown.

This week, Mooney and the Falcons host the rival New Orleans Saints. While New Orleans has a talented defense, it hasn't been a shut-down unit against opposing receivers—the Saints have allowed the 14th-fewest fantasy points to the position.

Mooney will also face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11th-fewest fantasy points allowed) and the Carolina Panthers (14th-most) in Weeks 5 and 6, respectively. That's a stretch that will see receivers like Amon-Ra St. Brown, Rashee Rice, Tyreek Hill and Justin Jefferson on bye.

It's worth grabbing Mooney now, while he's still only rostered in 38 percent of Yahoo leagues.

For some reason, Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz is only rostered in 24 percent of Yahoo leagues. That's criminally low, given his role in Kliff Kingsbury's offense.

It's clear that the 33-year-old Ertz isn't the dynamic playmaker he once was. However, it's also clear that Ertz is an experienced veteran target who has the trust of rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels in clutch situations.

Ertz only had 38 receiving yards during Monday night's score-fest against the Cincinnati Bengals, but he also tallied five receptions. He's caught no fewer than three passes in a game this season and has averaged four receptions per game.

While Ertz's numbers probably won't be eye-popping at any point, he has a strong floor in PPR formats. He should be good for 4-5 fantasy points per week, at an absolute minimum. And while managers should strive for more, that's a lot better than drawing a blank at the position—something Mark Andrews provided in Week 3.

Managers without two reliable tight ends on the roster should target Ertz before the bye-week schedule begins. Ertz will face the Baltimore Ravens and Carolina Panthers in Weeks 6 and 7—a stretch that will see tight ends Travis Kelce, Jake Ferguson and Cole Kmet on bye.

The Ravens and Panthers have allowed the second- and third-most fantasy points, respectively, to opposing tight ends.

*Fantasy scoring and roster information via FantasyPros.