2022 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 4 Picks and Injury Replacements

The Desai Guys continue their Waiver Wire Fantasy Football coverage this week with injury updates and replacements.

Fantasy Football Updates: Week 3 Injuries And Waiver Wire Week 4

David Montgomery, RB – Chicago Bears

• Suffered a leg injury against the Houston Texans and was later determined to be ankle and knee injuries
  • Head coach Matt Eberflus has said Montgomery is listed as day-to-day and could possibly play in Week 4
• Khalil Herbert was incredible in his place against the Texans
  • Tallied 20 carries, 157 rushing yards, and two rushing scores
    • If this doesn’t spell that Herbert should be added to your bench, get another dictionary
• In case everyone has the same thought and you miss out on Herbert, there are some other good options to pick up on the waiver wire: Jamaal Williams, J.D. McKissic, Alexander Mattison, and Mark Ingram II

Mac Jones, QB – New England Patriots

• Jones suffered an injury towards the end of the game against the Ravens
  • Turns out it’s a high-ankle sprain and he’ll miss a few weeks of action.
• Chances are you probably didn’t have Jones as your starting quarterback, but maybe you did in a two-quarterback or Superflex league
• If you need another quarterback, picking up backup Brian Hoyer is not a good option
• Look to other quarterbacks on the waiver wire like Trevor Lawrence, Jared Goff, Marcus Mariota, and Zach Wilson

Dalvin Cook, RB – Minnesota Vikings

• In the third quarter of the game against the Lions, Cook exited with an apparent shoulder injury
  • It turns out it was a dislocated shoulder and he possibly could miss a week or two.
• This is a running trend with Cook as he misses a couple of games every season, but grabbing Alexander Mattison is a good pickup from the waiver wire.
  • He ended finishing the game last week against Detroit with 28 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown
• Mattison is capable of taking the lead role for the Vikings and he is readily available in 63% of ESPN leagues
• In case you’re not high enough on the waiver wire, grab some of the names mentioned earlier like Williams, McKissic, and Ingram II

Michael Thomas, Jarvis Landry, and Tre’Quan Smith, WR – New Orleans Saints

• This is a big one as three starting receivers for the Saints are dealing with injuries suffered in the game against the Carolina Panthers
  • Thomas had a toe injury and was taken out of the game to avoid further injury
    • The injury is not considered severe and was taken out to make sure he can be available for the season
  • Landry suffered an ankle injury and was considered to come back in the game but was downgraded as ‘Out’ later.
    • The extent of the injury is an ankle injury but nothing that will force him to miss significant time.
  • Smith took a big hit in the 4th quarter and was diagnosed with a concussion.
    • Smith will be in the concussion protocol all week and might have to miss the Week 4 game against the Minnesota Vikings in London
• This situation is tricky as the injuries are not severe and also the aspect of playing in an overseas game may lead to some of these guys wanting to play.
  • Still, the injuries may not require surgery at all, but the Saints need to look at the season overall instead of the one game.
• In case any of these guys end up missing the game against the Vikings, Chris Olave and Marquez Callaway hold a lot of value.
  • Olave may not be as available via waiver wire in leagues but Callaway certainly is.
• If you need to grab someone else off the waiver wire look at George Pickens, Josh Palmer, Romeo Doubs, Devin Duvernay, and Isaiah McKenzie.

D’Andre Swift, RB – Detroit Lions

• Dealing with an ankle injury coming into the game, Swift ended up suffering a shoulder injury in the game against the Vikings
  • Swift has been diagnosed with a shoulder sprain (surgery not needed) and will miss a couple of weeks
• Jamaal Williams will be just fine in his starting spot and should be picked up via waiver wire in all leagues if he’s available (rostered in only 44.3% of ESPN leagues)
• Few other names to throw out there besides the ones mentioned before are Jaylen Warren, Brian Robinson, and Rex Burkhead

Trent Williams, LT – San Francisco 49ers

• Williams left the game in the 3rd quarter with a leg injury
  • The further evaluation led to the injury being labeled as a high-ankle injury and he’ll miss 4-6 weeks at least.
• Arguably the best left tackle in the game is a huge loss for the Niners rushing game and passing game as well.
• If you have a San Francisco running back, it may be wise to watch how the game plan goes without Williams playing.
  • Once Williams was out of the game, Denver took advantage as the back-ups could not compare to the talent level of Williams
• If you can find a replacement at running back on the waiver wire, then it might be a good idea because this Niners offense took a serious blow.

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 4 Picks

Waiver Wire Quarterbacks

Jacoby Brissett, Cleveland Browns vs. ATL (ESPN Roster Percentage – 1.5%)

• This offense is actually looking under control with Brissett under center
  • Yes, they are one of 12 teams with under 100 passing attempts but that’s beside the point.
• While he may not throw a lot, Brissett is still careful with the football and has the 10th highest completion percentage through three weeks
  • Has back-to-back games with over 220 passing yards and has thrown a touchdown pass in every game so far
• Facing Atlanta, the Falcons are giving up 27 points per game so far and are giving up the 6th most yards per game through the air
  • Atlanta has also given up the second most passing touchdowns as well

Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. PHI (ESPN Roster Percentage – 50.9%)

• He’s averaged 22 points a game so far so he is the real deal because all of the Chargers injuries were on the offensive side.
• His next four games are against Philadelphia, Houston, Indianapolis, and the Giants.

Waiver Wire Running Backs

Khalil Herbert, Chicago Bears vs. NYG (ESPN Roster Percentage – 25.2%)

• David Montgomery has never played a full season in his career 
• So even if he is in, Herbert is clearly better suited for this offense 
• When Montgomery is out, he sees 83% of the target share when it comes to Bears running backs 
• So even if Montgomery is healthy, Herbert has high FLEX potential which is a good get at this point in the season 

Brian Robinson, Washington Commanders vs. DAL (ESPN Roster Percentage – 36.8%)

• Now Robinson is not eligible to play until Week 5 because he’s on the IR
• We heard the story that during the offseason, Robinson looked to be the better running back compared to the incumbent starter, Antonio Gibson
  • Through 3 weeks of NFL action, Gibson has totaled 211 scrimmage yards and two total touchdowns
• It’s best to jump on him this week, instead of waiting till next week when everyone will be clamoring to pick him up off the waivers
  • Especially if you have an IR spot in your league!

Waiver Wire Wide Receivers

Treylon Burks, Tennessee Titans vs. IND (ESPN Roster Percentage – 58.8%)

• This is the perfect stash player.
• He only saw two targets in the last game but he is constantly on the field for the Titans.
• Ultimately, this just feels like a player that is primed for a breakout and when he does, the waiver wire offers are going to shoot up and you could lose your chance to grab him.

Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts vs. TEN (ESPN Roster Percentage – 7.9%)

• After missing last week, Pierce came back to the starting lineup this past week against the Kansas City Chiefs
• He only saw two targets in Week 1 against the Houston Texans but was more involved against the Chiefs.
  • Pierce was targeted five times and ended up catching three of those balls for 61 receiving yards
• This passing offense needs its playmakers in Michael Pittman Jr. and Pierce and with those guys healthy, we can possibly finally see the Colts get on track.

Waiver Wire Tight Ends

David Njoku, Cleveland Browns vs. ATL (ESPN Roster Percentage – 32.7%)

• Njoku is right now second on the team in all receiving categories
• He’s slowly becoming a more dependable option for Brissett in this passing offense
  • He had a break-out game against Pittsburgh last week, Njoku caught nine receptions, for 89 receiving yards, and one touchdown
• As this offense gets more in a rhythm, expect Njoku to have similar games to the one he just had against the Steelers.
• Faces the Falcons in Week 4 that has a defense that can be exploited through the air.

Jelani Woods, Indianapolis Colts vs. TEN (ESPN Roster Percentage – 0.2%)

• If this past week shows the Colts offense is hitting their stride then this probably means they found their tight end.
• He is definitely a touchdown or bust option but that’s all you can ask from a free agent TE at this point.
• Big risk, big reward with this guy.

Waiver Wire Defenses/Special Teams

Denver Broncos vs. LV (ESPN Roster Percentage – 28.5%)

• The Broncos have been struggling like crazy but it is almost entirely on the offensive side of the ball.
• Their defense is very clearly living up to expectations.
• They’ve scored 5 points or more in every game this season and they’re going against a struggling Raiders offense.

Carolina Panthers vs. ARZ (ESPN Roster Percentage – 16.6%)

• Through the first three games of 2021, Arizona averaged 34.3 points per game
  • Through three weeks of 2022, Arizona is averaging 20.6 points per game
• Playing against a shakier defense can allow Carolina to force some possible turnovers and keep the score low

Waiver Wire Kickers

Younghoe Koo, Atlanta Falcons vs. CLE (ESPN Roster Percentage – 29%)

• I would love to break this down but somehow, the Falcons have a good offense and that’s good news for their kicker.
• He’s scored 10 points or more in 2 of his last 3 games.
• This is the best-case scenario if you’re hurting for a kicker, you have a guy that works with an offense who can get it downfield but struggles to get the job done.

Robbie Gould, San Francisco 49ers vs. LAR (ESPN Roster Percentage – 21.3%)

• Based on what we’ve seen on Monday night, it may be hard to see scoring opportunities for San Francisco
• In a divisional game though, expect the offense to hopefully turn things around
• Last season against the Rams, Gould averaged eight points in two games