Let’s run it a bit earlier this week to see whether or not you all actually pick up some of the folks on this list before Week 4’s Sunday slate. And, judging by our success last week, you should.
Last week, we hit on: Quentin Johnston, Jauan Jennings, Khalil Shakir, Jailen Nailor, Brenton Strange (kinda!), and Darnell Mooney. Hope you stashed ’em! They’ve all got season-long value, now. Follow me on X at @dansby_edits for all my stat-related fantasy threads throughout the week; you would’ve gotten in on Jennings before Week 2.
Here’s the list for Week 4, in no particular order.
Stash ’em
Christian Watson, WR, Green Bay Packers (69.3% rostered)
I know—nearly 70% ownership is not a stash. But people are dropping Watson a lot, and broadly, I’ve noticed.
He may still be highly-owned, but he’s worth a mention here. In several of my leagues, frustrated, impatient Watson owners have kicked him to the curb for guys like Bucky Irving and Jauan Jennings—both featured in my colleague Zach Thompson‘s Week 4 Waiver Wire list.
And, to be clear, the numbers are not good—even the advanced ones. Watson’s catch rate is actually 15% over expected; his expected yards figure is 54, but he has 80 actual receiving yards. He only has 107 air yards, and that’s well-below the league average figure.
Spin the above a different way: Watson’s a field-stretching wideout (average depth of route is a nothing-to-sniff-at 16.0 yards) in a situation where his offense is trying to win by any means with Malik Willis. Watson has needed to a lot of the work himself, and, actually, all of his numbers over expectation are examples of what he can do when you give him a chance with the ball.
He’s a no-brainer add in season-long if someone was flustered enough to cut bait.
Tank Bigsby, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars (7.2% rostered)
Alright, so—last week wasn’t the week! Was it really for any Jaguars offensive player? At least Week 3 Stash Brenton Strange caught a touchdown, I suppose.
Plainly: whatever the Jaguars have been doing in Weeks 2-3 has not been working. Something is wrong. They will be seeking to find creative ways with the personnel they have to make their offense more dynamic. Or, at the very least, more efficient.
Here’s Zach Thompson’s analysis of Bigsby in his Week 2 Waiver Wire column, which think is still just as relevant now as Jacksonville reels:
My favorite of the widely available options, though, is Bigsby, who had a pretty even timeshare with Travis Etienne in the Jaguars’ backfield. Each running back had 12 carries and Bigsby turned his into 73 rushing yards while Etienne had 44 yards and a touchdown.
Bigsby got lots of buzz this preseason for claiming a larger role in the backfield, and that is exactly what happened for at least Week 1. The third-round pick only had 50 carries last year in his rookie season, but had 132 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns. He looks primed for a much larger role this season and should be owned in almost all formats.
I get the sense—just a gut feeling—that Bigsby will be a key part of the Jags trying to find a new identity in the NFL Weeks to come. Great handcuff, too.
Roschon Johnson, RB, Chicago Bears (8.2% rostered)
Yes, this is a D’Andre Swift tweet. No one is more bummed out than I am that Swift has had a rough go in Chicago. You might recall: I called him a league-winner in August. Plenty of time left, but I’m not prideful enough to suggest it’s looking whatsoever promising.
Of his 37 carries this season, only 26 have gone for more than zero yards. Most of the 11 carries with zero-or-fewer yards indeed registered negative yardage.
There’s just something wrong in Chicago. So why do I think Roschon Johnson is whatsoever worth an add? Swift might get hurt if Caleb Williams and the Bears keep using him like this. He’s taken some brutal hits on behind-the-line-of-scrimmage swing passes.
This might be a deep, deep, speculative add if the Bears seek to reinvigorate their running game with a different approach/mindset for D’Andre Swift. But the Bears are the Bears, and I’d bet they’d sooner look to deeper personnel before trying to positively develop marquee talent.
The alternative: a non-zero chance that Roschon Johnson might be next week’s top waiver add.
Xavier Legette, WR, Carolina Panthers / Jonathan Mingo, WR, Carolina Panthers (22.9%, 2.3% rostered, respectively)
As I wrote in my column about ranking Diontae Johnson this week, someone is going to have to emerge behind DJ as a legitimate receiving threat for veteran QB Andy Dalton in Carolina. A lot of us followed Legette through college, have seen his endearing offseason interviews, and have seen him move impressively on the football field so far.
I could see Jonathan Mingo, potentially, becoming the guy behind DJ. Mingo’s physicality is undeniable, and Andy Dalton made a career throwing to guys like A.J. Green, who used their massive frames to often come down with contested balls.
This is a gut play, though. Rookie wideouts are showing out more and more in their first years. Mingo had Bryce Young as his quarterback all through the 2023 campaign, true enough. Mingo had four targets last week; Legette had three.
Legette made the most of his targets last week. I like that to continue. But I begrudge you nothing if you’re rooting for/believing that Mingo, in his second year, will become the second guy.
Ricky Pearsall, WR, San Francisco 49ers (3.4% rostered)
Pure stash play. Could be the case here that Pearsall returns from IR (chest/shoulder) and looks immediately a bit cleaner than Brandon Aiyuk has so far. Teams aren’t going to just let Jauan Jennings run wild on them like he’s actually Nico Collins.
He’d only occupy an IR slot for right now. You don’t really have much to lose. When the Niners passing offense is clicking, everyone eats. And they drafted Pearsall out of Florida with big plans earlier this year.
Blake Corum, RB, Los Angeles Rams (30.4% rostered)
I know—I’m double-dipping, here, as I included Corum on my Week 4 Drop List. But—hear me out!
I’m talking about two different use-cases. For the Drop List, I mention you might consider dropping Corum if you need a roster spot for someone currently startable. By including him on this list, I am not whatsoever saying he is a startable fantasy asset.
If you have a free slot, and someone in your league dropped Corum, I advocate that you snag him. Especially if you own Kyren Williams. Not because I believe to any degree that this is the week Corum out-carries Williams, or that this is the week Williams appears to show wear-and-tear from his obscene usage in last week’s steal of a victory over the Niners.
What we are banking on is that the Rams come out of their Week 6 bye healthy. Maybe they get a win at Chicago this week and go 2-3 before Week 6. With their full offensive roster and an improving defense, they’ll continue to believe they’re a playoff roster. That means they’ll want to monitor Williams’s workload at some point.
There will be three-to-four weeks down the line when Corum gets a heavier workload than Kyren. And he remains one of the finer handcuffs in all of fantasy.
Darnell Mooney, WR, Atlanta Falcons (66.7% rostered)
I wrote about Mooney in some depth for my Week 3 start/sit column about his growing role in the Atlanta offense.
He had eight receptions on eight targets for 66 yards. HC Raheem Morris had Kirk Cousins moving Mooney around the pre-snap offense like Josh Allen has Khalil Shakir doing so (check out my Khalil Shakir is the most valuable wide receiver in the NFL piece, if you’re interested in all my thoughts and stat breakdowns on him).
It’s clear that Mooney is becoming the second option behind Drake London in this offense, even though Kyle Pitts is having a fairly decent year.
If you’re in one of the 33% of leagues in which Mooney is available, he’s a no-brainer add.
Jordan Addison, WR, Minnesota Vikings (75.7% rostered)
Addison is a very reliable receiver when he’s healthy. He is young, so ankle injuries don’t scare me too much for his age. Jailen Nailor was a stash darling from last week, and he was still a top waiver add this week. People are forgetting about Addison—who’s missed almost all practices to begin the season—while Sam Darnold, Justin Jefferson, and Aaron Jones make headlines.
Don’t make that mistake. If someone tossed Addison (and folks did; he’s among the most-dropped players this week, despite his ownership hanging around 75%) in the trash this week, make him your season-long treasure.
DeMario Douglas, WR, New England Patriots (28.9% rostered)
Simple math: Nine targets, seven receptions, 69 yards. One carry for nine yards. Involvement in both phases of the offense.
The Patriots will need to pass in games, and Jacoby Brissett remains a replacement-level quarterback. Drake Maye remains an anomaly with a potentially-stratospheric ceiling.
Ja’Lynn Polk will make some noise this year, but New England fans love Pop Douglas. The coaching staff does, too. He’ll have more performances like this, maybe with more frequency as the year goes along.
Zach Ertz, TE, Washington Commanders (36.4% rostered)
One of the most-added players of the week, but still out there in about 75% of leagues.
I wouldn’t underestimate Jayden Daniels and this Washington offense anymore. It might be the case that Ekeler’s absence this week leads to more volume for Ertz. It could work the other way, too; without Ekeler, linebackers will work with safeties to shade Ertz more.
Another thing I don’t underestimate? Binkies and safety valves for young quarterbacks. Ertz is exactly that. He’s stashable as all get-out.
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