PodcastFrom Fantasy Football Today
FFT Express Beat the Waiver Wire! MUST-STASH Players Before Week 4 | 2026 Fantasy Football (10/01 Fantasy Football Podcast)
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
14 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Oct 2, 2026
Published
Fri, October 2, 2026
9
Player insights
9
Players mentioned
Topics
Cooper KuppDarren WallerGeno SmithJacoby BrissettJames ConnerJaylen WrightKeaton MitchellNoah FantTyreek Hill
Player analysis
Player insights
Cooper Kupp
PositiveSleeper14:13
Dave Richard earmarks Cooper Kupp as a potential beneficiary of Seattle's struggling run game. With the team needing secondary options behind JSN, Kupp could emerge as a source of roughly 12 PPR points per game. He is available in nearly 70% of CBS leagues.
Insight pageDarren Waller
NegativeUsage16:44
Darren Waller is available in 54% of CBS leagues and is considered a short-term startable option for week four. However, Dave Richard warns that he must be held through a bye week, making him a risky stash if he underwhelms against Detroit.
Insight pageGeno Smith
NegativeValue5:46
If Jacoby Brissett is unavailable, Dave Richard suggests Geno Smith as a viable alternative due to a string of interesting matchups against Cleveland, New England, and Miami from weeks five through seven. Smith may benefit from pass-heavy game scripts.
Insight pageJacoby Brissett
PositiveProjection5:18
Dave Richard identifies Jacoby Brissett as his favorite quarterback waiver wire pickup for week five, citing a favorable matchup against the Detroit secondary. Brissett is expected to be in 'gunslinger mode' and is available in 58% of CBS leagues.
Insight pageJames Conner
PositiveValue8:39
Dave Richard identifies James Conner as potentially the best IR stash available. He speculates that once healthy, Conner could be traded from the Cardinals to another team, increasing his fantasy value.
Insight pageJaylen Wright
NegativeSleeper7:19
Dave Richard highlights Jalen Wright as a preferred stash over Ollie Gordon among Dolphins running backs. Wright is available in 50% of CBS leagues and is considered a free, low-risk add to see how his role develops.
Insight pageKeaton Mitchell
PositiveSleeper2:23
Dave Richard recommends adding Keaton Mitchell in as many leagues as possible, noting his explosive ability in both the run and pass game. With the Chargers offense struggling, Richard suggests Mitchell could see increased involvement to generate chunk plays. He is available in 56% of CBS leagues and offers potential for 10 PPR points.
Insight pageNoah Fant
PositiveUsage17:28
Noah Fant has been seeing decent target volume and finding the end zone for the Saints. Dave Richard views him as a good short-area target for Tyler Shuck, particularly with the Saints' pass-heavy offensive approach.
Insight pageTyreek Hill
PositiveSleeper15:32
Dave Richard suggests stashing Tyreek Hill, noting that he is currently 20% rostered. Richard speculates that Hill could sign with a new team and become a relevant fantasy factor later in the season.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
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1:26Get started today. Let's beat the waiver wire right now on Fantasy Football Today.
1:30Yeah, here we go. Getting ready for week four, but also getting ready for week five.
1:35If you know what I mean. I mean exactly what I said.
1:39Dave, let's beat the waiver wire. Who's the number one pickup to get?
1:43I am grabbing Keaton Mitchell in as many leagues as I can.
1:46I have not liked what I've seen from the Chargers offense.
1:50Why would I want somebody from the Chargers offense?
1:52Because Keaton Mitchell is actually explosive. They can use him in the run game.
1:57They can use him in the pass game. Omar and Hampton is really...
2:01I had a conversation for like five seconds with J.J.
2:04Zachariasen about this. Omar and Hampton is reminding me of Caleb Johnson.
2:07And if somebody reminds you of Caleb Johnson, that's really not a good thing.
2:12So I wonder if the Chargers continue to involve Keaton Mitchell a little bit more.
2:16Just to give them a little bit more of a chance to get some yardage and chunk plays and all that good stuff.
2:23He's available in 56% of CBS leagues. Go see if he's out there.
2:27Put him on your bench. It's a running back who might get you 10 PPR points.
2:32That's actually good to get if you don't have to pay something in trade to get him.
2:37So he is my absolute favorite. But of course, we'll go position by position.
2:42We can start with any position you want. But a quick reminder, week five starts the buys.
2:47So if you've got a stud player on Carolina, you've got a stud player on the Chiefs, you're going to need to replace those guys.
2:55So Chuba Hubbard, Kenneth Walker III. I'm not saying that Keaton Mitchell is the best replacement for him.
3:00But if you look at your bench and it's naked of running backs, then maybe Keaton Mitchell is somebody that you'll go
3:07and pick up and use in week five. All right, let's do some quarterbacks then.
3:11If I have Mahomes and Bryce Young, what am I doing?
3:15Or just in general, beat the waiver wire with quarterbacks.
3:18I think you should get Jacoby Brissett. He's rostered in 42% of CBS leagues.
3:22That means he's available in 58%. Look at me with the big brain.
3:26And he plays Detroit in week five. And we know that that line secondary has been problematic.
3:31Their pass rush is... It's okay. It's actually starting to be a little bit better.
3:36And I'm curious to see how they do against Carolina.
3:39But Brissett should be in gunslinger mode in week five.
3:42He's my favorite quarterback to get. If you can't get him, it's not great.
3:46It's Geno Smith, who actually has three interesting matchups.
3:49Cleveland in week five. Patriots in week six. And then the Dolphins in week seven.
3:54I don't think it's right to come up and say that the Dolphins in week seven is it.
3:59But with quarterbacks starting to go on by, and if you can't get Brissett, maybe Geno's as good as it gets.
4:05Because otherwise, it's Jalen Daniels against Dallas in week five.
4:09And maybe that defense got a little better with the Joey Porter Jr.
4:12Trade. We'll see. I just don't... I can't see myself saying, oh, I can't wait to start Jalen Daniels.
4:18So Geno Smith, who will probably be in some pass-heavy game scripts, might be able to put up some good numbers.
4:25Yes, even against the Cleveland. Even against the Patriots.
4:27Yeah, there's also Jameis Winston, if he can show a little bit of life, this week getting Washington in week five.
4:34Running back, anything other than Keaton Mitchell? These are just guys to stash and see what happens.
4:39But Jalen Wright is still out there in 50% of CBS leagues.
4:43And we spent so much time on Tuesday's Fantasy Football Today episode talking about the Dolphins running backs.
4:48And I think it was a consensus that we all like Jalen Wright better than Ollie Gordon.
4:53So he's still out there in half of CBS Sports leagues.
4:57That's interesting. And it's one thing if I've got to go and I've got to spend 10% of my fab on a guy.
5:04It's another thing if he's just sitting on the waiver wire and he's free.
5:08Same thing that I said about Keaton Mitchell earlier in the show.
5:12Jalen Wright, you can pick him up and just see what happens.
5:15Same exact thought process with Kendrick Miller, who's 29% rostered already in CBS.
5:19And I'm going to keep saying this every single Thursday with you, Adam.
5:23James Conner, 12% rostered. Maybe the best IR sash out there.
5:27Once he's healthy in Arizona, he might not stay in Arizona.
5:30And James Conner could be somebody who goes from injured reserve to the Cardinals bench, has a quick cup of coffee on
5:37the Cardinals bench, and then gets traded somewhere else in the NFL.
5:41And keep an eye out on shallower leagues for Zach Charbonnet and Josh Jacobs.
5:45Jacobs, 91% rostered. Charbonnet, 73% rostered. I am going to get questions from people who are feeling roster crunches going, should I drop Josh Jacobs?
5:52And whenever you've got a player that's like a brand name that you know other people in your league would clamor for,
5:59if you want to drop that guy, maybe you have to drop that guy.
6:03Do it on Sunday morning if you can help it.
6:06Because then at least you have a chance to get him back off waivers when it runs on Tuesday.
6:12Okay, wide receivers, Dave. Let's take a quick break and then give us the wide receivers we need to pick up to
6:19beat the waiver wire, to beat the rush. Right now, coming up next on Fantasy Football Today Express.
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7:33SimpliSafe. Ahead of crime in real time. Back here with our wide receiver talk.
7:37What do we got? Keenan Allen and Khalif Raymond are still out there in a decent chunk of leagues, Adam.
7:4359% rostered for Allen, 54% for Khalif Raymond. So still about 40% of CBS leagues, they're there.
7:49These are, I think they're startable in full PPR as soon as this week.
7:53And if their role evolves, I know that sounds crazy in Chicago, but it's been a crazy start for Chicago.
7:59And Raymond has been great. Keenan Allen looked really good last week.
8:03These guys could end up being contributors rest of season.
8:06If they're already rostered, the next two guys, and these guys are out there in about 60% of leagues too.
8:12Adonai Mitchell with the Jets. Not sure if he's going to play this week, so maybe no rush to pick him up.
8:19Same thing with Caleb Douglas. You have to watch the injury report with both of those guys.
8:24But I think that there's some long-term appeal with them once they're back on the field for their respective teams.
8:30After that, these are more stash plays slash desperation wide receivers.
8:33But Trey Harris with the Chargers is 11% rostered.
8:36Quentin Johnson just looks so bad. Trey Harris wasn't amazing either in week number three.
8:41But maybe Trey Harris starts getting more opportunities. Mack Hollins with the Patriots.
8:45That's a short-term band-aid, but he might be the best whiteout that Drake may trust.
8:49They've got Buffalo in week four, so maybe if you're desperate there.
8:53Cooper Cup is another name that I've earmarked, Adam, because we know the Seahawks run game hasn't been great.
8:59So Moore's going to fall on Sam Darnold's shoulders.
9:01JSN's going to do the heavy lift. Someone else has to step up for Seattle.
9:06And I wonder if Cooper Cup could be that guy.
9:0927% rostered. That means he's out there in almost 70% of CBS leagues.
9:13Could be a decent source of a dozen PPR points.
9:16That's not that bad. And then one more name.
9:19Actually, I'm going to give you three more names.
9:22Mike Washington with the Dolphins. He's playing. 26% roster.
9:24He's available in about 75% of leagues. He might be good for 10 PPR points.
9:29He was last week. And then two guys to stash.
9:32Yes, another Dolphin. It's Chris Bell. And yes, it's another former Dolphin, Tyreek Hill.
9:36Their roster ship is up to 20% each. I wonder if Tyreek Hill ends up signing somewhere soon and ends up being a factor in fantasy after all.
9:45Okay, so you give a bunch of names that are widely available other than the first two guys.
9:50After the Adonai Mitchell range, right? Yeah, sure. Who's my favorite of the group?
9:55Yeah, yeah. How badly do I need a wide receiver this week versus how badly do I want to take a chance?
10:01Stash. It's Tyreek. Okay. And tight ends. Waller's still out there in 54% of CBS leagues.
10:06He's got Detroit in week four and then a bye.
10:09So if he's really good against the Lions, he'll hold him through the bye.
10:13If he underwhelms against the Lions, you're cutting his butt and you're finding another tight end for week number five.
10:20AJ Barner is in the exact same boat that I talked about for Cooper Cup.
10:24He's available in 78% of CBS leagues. And then here are two interesting tight ends.
10:29I think you've got to kind of watch what goes on leading up to their respective games and then after their respective games.
10:36But these are just stash guys. TJ Hawkinson against the Dolphins.
10:39If there's no Justin Jefferson and there's no Josh Oliver, that's the other tight end in Minnesota.
10:44TJ Hawkinson could be number two in targets for the Vikings.
10:48And he's available in 71% of leagues. Noah Fant doesn't get a lot of full playing time for the Saints, but he's been getting some decent target volume.
10:56He's been finding the end zone. He's got Atlanta in week four.
11:00He's got Minnesota in week five. Good short area target for Tyler Shuck.
11:04This is a Saints team that looks like it's going to throw the ball a lot.
11:09And Noah Fant's going to be somebody who's a good short area target for Shuck.
11:13I think I'd rather just stash Terrence Ferguson and see what happens there.
11:17I wouldn't. Because once Nakua and Devontae Adams are back, I don't know what Ferguson's role is.
11:23What's the point of stashing Darren Waller then? I mean...
11:26Well, we're actually probably starting Darren Waller. Well, maybe.
11:28But he got all eight of his targets without Jalen Coker yet last week.
11:33Coker was limited in practice on Thursday. I still...
11:35I know I get the appeal, but then you have to hold him through the bye.
11:40We're just talking about a stash. Okay. If you...
11:43I still think he's startable in week four. If we're talking long-term stash, then maybe you're onto something with Waller.
11:49Okay. Let's talk about DSTs, Dave. And who do we like in week five?
11:53Who plays Miami in week five? Let me get out my chart.
11:57I'm faking it because I already know it's the Cincinnati Bengals.
12:00And they're available in 60% of CBS Sports Leagues.
12:03Please go get them. Get them now. They're an improved defense from last year.
12:07Even though they got stopped by Jalen Warren last week and they lost that game against Pittsburgh, they should do a great
12:14job against Miami at home in week number five.
12:17The Jets DST is interesting. They've got Cleveland in week five, Patriots in week six, Miami in week seven.
12:238% rostered. They've had a couple of good games, so maybe there's something there.
12:27And then after that... 80% available, right? Yeah. No, they're 8% rostered.
12:31Oh, 8% rostered. They are 92% available. All right.
12:33And then here's a curveball. The Colts had a pretty good game last week against Houston.
12:38If they have another decent game this week, and I don't know if they really will against Washington, but they've got Pittsburgh
12:45in week five and then the Titans in week six.
12:48And I don't mind those matchups for Indy. And I like their personnel.
12:52So if you can't get your hands on the Bengals, if someone beat you to it, and you can't stomach taking the
12:59Jets, I think the Colts are a good play.
13:02And they might be able to last you a couple of weeks.
13:05Yeah, I think people might wonder, should I get the Cowboys?
13:09Because they're facing the Bucs on Thursday night. It's true.
13:12That's not a bad one either. Honestly, a defense that's been really good so far is the Raiders.
13:17And they're 21% rostered, and they get the Patriots next week.
13:21Yep. So you can think about them too. All right.
13:24Thanks for watching and listening, everybody. That's Dave Richard, decked out in White Sox gear, fired up for baseball.
13:29Sox to her! Woo! We'll talk to you next time on Fantasy Football Today Express.
