Picture this: it’s Friday or Saturday, and you’re poring over your roster, looking for that secret weapon to unleash in the upcoming games. This is the moment when fantasy legends are made. We’ll show you how to spot the players with increasing snap shares and a knack for making every touch count. These are the hidden treasures on the weekend waiver wire, players poised to make a splash when given the opportunity.
But what exactly are we hunting for in our weekend waiver stashes? It’s not just about picking any player available; it’s about finding the right player at the right time. That might mean snagging someone who’s recently moved up the depth chart due to an injury or suspension, or perhaps a player who’s lurking in the shadows as the ultimate handcuff to a star player. Sometimes it’s just players that have been hyper-efficient getting more snaps and targets.
Just imagine if you had added De’Von Achane on Saturday prior to the Week 3 Kick-Off. That is what we are looking for here. Let’s see if we have identified some players that could turn into fantasy gold before the weekend is over.
This column refers to players rostered in under 50% of Yahoo, ESPN, and Sleeper Leagues.
Weekend Waiver Wire for Week 4
Quarterbacks
CJ Stroud, Houston Texans
Stroud has passed for over 240 yards in every game this season. In Week 2 he passed for 384 yards and 2 touchdowns. He followed that up in Week 3 with 280 yards and 2 touchdowns. There are only 4 really tough defenses on the schedule for the rest of the season. CJ will also get the Titans twice in the fantasy playoffs.
43% rostered on Yahoo
29 % rostered on ESPN
53% rostered on Sleeper
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Stafford has passed for a lot of yards but not a lot of touchdowns so far this season. The first two games Stafford passed for over 300 yards in each game. In Week 3 he had 269 yards and a touchdown. The touchdowns should be coming. The next three games are all against bottom 10 defenses against the pass. Colts in Week 4, Eagles in Week 5 and Cardinals in Week 6. The Rams have a nice young group of wide receivers and Cooper Kupp should be coming back in this span of games.
48% rostered on Yahoo
33% rostered on ESPN
46% rostered on Sleeper
Running Backs
Rico Dowdle, Dallas Cowboys
Dowdle is the clear backup to Tony Pollard in Dallas. He has had less than 20% of the snaps in every game. If anything is to happen Pollard, Dowdle will take over the role. He is averaging 4 yards per carry right now on his small sample size and has been utilized in the passing game. Dowdle has 4 receptions for 42 yards and a touchdown on the season. At the very least put a watch on him.
9% rostered on Yahoo
5% on ESPN
13% on Sleeper
Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans
Spears had 56% of the running back snaps in Week 3. He did not produce much at all, but he outsnapped Derrick Henry. The next few games the Titans have a very tough schedule against running backs. This appears to be a spot where Spears could become the starter and get some volume. He is a very good addition if you have a bench slot for a handcuff.
23% rostered on Yahoo
19% on ESPN
34% on Sleeper
NOTE: Since Adam Shefter tweeted about Ravens running back Keaton Mitchell he has been one of the top additions on Yahoo. He is not a bad stash and pray type add if you have lots of space on your bench. Mitchell is only 13% rostered on Yahoo.
Wide Receivers
Marvin Mims Jr., Denver Broncos
This is a player I had in this article last week. Right now, Mims is playing roughly 24% of the snaps weekly. With his limited playing time, Mims leads the Broncos in receiving yards with 195. His totals are 9 targets, 7 receptions, 195 yards, and a touchdown on the season. He has a 9.5% target share but 26% of the air yards. Talk about hyper-efficient. If you get points for the individual player on return yards, Mims has a total of 211 yards and a touchdown on returns as well. He is very fast with a 4.38 time in the 40-yard dash. I would add him where possible to my bench.
39% rostered on Yahoo
16% on ESPN
50% on Sleeper
Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts
In week 3 Downs saw 12 targets which he turned into 8 receptions and 57 yards for the Colts. He has seen 24 targets this season. That is a 21% target share and second on the team. His longest catch so far has been 12 yards. Downs may be best suited as a fantasy stash in PPR leagues as the season moves forward.
10% rostered on Yahoo
11% on ESPN
28% on Sleeper
Calvin Austin III, Pittsburgh Steelers
Austin had 6 targets in Week 3 which he turned into 2 receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown. He is on the field a lot though playing 75% of the snaps the past two weeks. Calvin is also doing something with his touches. With Diontae Johnson on injured reserve, Austin should have at least 2 more weeks to show how productive he can be in the Steelers offense. Lightly rostered, efficient with his touches are the types of players we want to find for a weekend stash. HE checks all the boxes.
3% rostered on Yahoo
4% on ESPN
8% on Sleeper
Tight Ends
Donald Parham, Los Angeles Chargers
Do you know who leads all tight ends in touchdowns this season? It is Donald Parham with 3 touchdowns. He seems to only be used in the end zone but he is used there. He had 2 targets for 2 receptions 4 yards and 2 touchdowns in Week 3. Also, Gerald Everett appears to have an illness and didn’t participate in practice on Wednesday and Thursday. There could be a good opportunity for Parham this week.
11% rostered on Yahoo
4% on ESPN
13% rostered on Sleeper
Logan Thomas, Washington Commanders
I wrote about Thomas in my DFS article Money Makers and Heart Breakers and to be honest I didn’t realize then how under-rostered he is in season-long. The Commanders get to play the Eagles in Week 4. The Eagles give up an average of 6 receptions, 62 yards, and 1 touchdown weekly to tight ends. It is the friendliest defense to tight ends this season. Thomas plays the Travis Kelce role in this offense. It appears he is out of concussion protocol and is ready to go, plug and play in Week 4. The Commanders have a very easy pas schedule for the next 5 weeks as well.
4% rostered on Yahoo
5% on ESPN
8% rostered on Sleeper
Week 4 Fantasy Football Rankings: Quarterback | Running Back | Wide Receiver | Tight End | Half-PPR by Position | Flex Rankings | Positional Ranks w/ K & DST | Dynasty | Superflex Dynasty