Waiver Wire Watch: Week 4 Targets

Sep 23, 2019

Photo by Peter Aiken / Stringer / Getty

Week 3 of the 2019 may go down in NFL history as the rise of the backup quarterbacks. All across the league backups were playing, and winning. This is great news for fantasy football, as injuries were starting to mount at the position with legends getting injured (Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger) or benched (Eli Manning). As a result this week’s quarterback section is a little beefier than usual. Also, remember to check this article throughout the week as we’ll continue to make updates as we learn more about injuries and other news breaks.

Before we get into the meat of the article, there are a few house-keeping items to clear up. Recommendations are based on a PPR-scoring, four-point passing touchdown, 12-team league, with ownership percentages coming from Yahoo. I try to mention when a player is a better streaming play (short-term/one-week starter) versus a long-term addition. Free-agent acquisition budget (FAAB) suggestions are based on a $100 season-long budget. Lastly, the great John Paulsen will edit this article every week and adjust rankings and prices if necessary. Essentially, you’re getting two minds collaborating on this piece instead of one, so lucky you.

Now, with that out of the way, here are some players to target heading into Week 4.

Bye weeks: Jets, 49ers

Quarterbacks

3. Case Keenum

7. Kyle Allen

Daniel Jones, New York Giants, 14% owned ($12)

Well, the Daniel Jones-era is certainly off to a hot start. The rookie completed 23-of-36 passes for 336 yards with two touchdowns, zero interceptions, a two-point conversion, and two rushing touchdowns. That beefy stat line was good for 34.2 standard fantasy points. He did lose two fumbles, but all-in-all this was an inspiring performance for the young passer and future of the franchise. Jones’ upcoming schedule is a bit hit-and-miss matchup-wise, but he gets Golden Tate back soon and looks ready for the spotlight.

Jacoby Brissett, Indianapolis Colts, 19% owned ($10)

Brissett completed his first 16 passes against the Falcons en route to a 310-yard, two-touchdown day. He has multiple touchdown passes in each of his first three games, and he’s entering a favorable portion of his schedule. His next three matchups are all against vulnerable secondaries (Raiders, Chiefs, Texans), with two of those being in Indianapolis. He’s looking more comfortable piloting Frank Reich’s offense, and has low-end QB1 upside the rest of the way.

Case Keenum, Washington Redskins, 15% owned ($2)

Keenum has yet to play as of the original writing of this column (but it will be updated post-Monday Night Football). To be honest, though, his performance Monday night really has no bearing on why he’s here. Keenum averaged 300.5 passing yards and 2.5 passing touchdowns per game in his first two outings, and faces a Giants defense in Week 4 that has been about as sturdy as a wet piece of paper thus far in 2019. Keenum is a great streaming option in Week 4 if your passer is struggling or hurt.

Gardner Minshew, Jacksonville Jaguars, 8% owned ($2)

Minshew isn’t lighting up the scoreboard for the Jaguars (or fantasy managers), but he’s putting up consistent numbers. He’s thrown for 200-plus yards in every start, with five touchdowns and just one interception on the season. Minshew is a decent starting option, but there are more appealing (and long-term) options on the wire in most leagues.

Mason Rudolph, Pittsburgh Steelers, 13% owned ($1)

Rudolph threw two touchdowns, but rarely pushed the ball downfield, with most of his completions coming at or around the line of scrimmage. If the Steelers coaches are going to call a game that conservatively, and Rudolph is going to follow their lead, his fantasy upside is extremely limited.

Teddy Bridgewater, New Orleans Saints, 6% owned ($1)

Bridgewater looked like a capable starter in a hostile Seattle environment, managing the game well-enough for the Saints to walk away with a win. He completed 19-of-27 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns, with 63% of his targets going to Alvin Kamara/Michael Thomas. Bridgewater’s fantasy ceiling isn’t that high, but he could have spot-start or 2QB value.

Kyle Allen, Carolina Panthers, 0% owned ($1)

Allen looked impressive starting for the injured Cam Newton, completing 19-of-26 passes for 261 yards and four touchdowns. This stat line comes with a caveat, though, as it was against the Cardinals secondary, a unit that has been thrashed in three straight games to start the season. If Allen is forced into starting duty next week, he gets another favorable matchup against the Houston Texans. Update: Cam Newton has been ruled out for Week 4, so Allen will draw at least one more start, maybe more.