MNF Recap + Week 4 Waiver Wire

Adonai Mitchell was starting to lead his team in targets before missing last week; he should be back playing against Chicago. Matthew Berry highlights him as a deeper league waiver wire option.

In PPR leagues, Kamara is targeted over 33% of his routes and has double-digit target share in both games played; Matthew Berry calls him a PPR cheat artist and prefers him significantly over Kendrick Miller in PPR scoring, ranking him third on his week four waiver wire list. Even in non-PPR, Berry still ranks Kamara slightly higher because he believes Kamara will lead the team in touches among running backs, though it's much closer in standard scoring. Saints play the Falcons at home this week, a matchup where throwing is viable against Atlanta's defense.

Braylon Allen is Matthew Berry's number one waiver wire pickup at running back. After Breece Hall left the game with a quad injury (expected to sideline him a couple of weeks), Allen played 100% of the running back snaps. Berry likes the matchup against the Bears, who are giving up almost five yards per carry (fourth most in the NFL). While Ollie Gordon has the longer leash as the primary back, Allen will have the most fantasy impact in the short term. The Jets like Allen as a talented player who gets red zone opportunities, though he's not a big part of the passing game. Berry expects Allen to carve out a role even when Hall returns if he performs well.

Breece Hall suffered a quad injury in Week 3 and is expected to miss a couple of weeks. This opens the door for Braylon Allen to get significant playing time in the short term.

Brian Thomas Jr. faces a brutal stretch of cornerback matchups coming up: DJ Turner this week against Cincinnati, then Kenyon Mitchell or Cooper DeGene in Philadelphia, followed by Houston's elite corners. Matthew Berry uses this as context for why Jacoby Myers is a better waiver wire target than Thomas, as Thomas will be facing top-tier coverage while Myers benefits from the Jaguars' high-volume passing attack.

Matthew Berry expresses confidence in Brock Bowers' return and impact for the Raiders, stating "Bowers gives them another direction" and praising his role in the team's strong performance. Berry frames Bowers' return as a significant addition to an offense that has been "legitimately good," suggesting the tight end's presence enhances the Raiders' offensive versatility and playmaking potential.

Caleb Douglas is banged up, which is expected to increase target share for other Miami receivers (Malik Washington and Chris Bell) in the offense.

Chris Bell is described as the more talented player between the Miami receivers, having recovered from an injury that caused him to fall in the NFL draft; he is continuing to get healthier and should see increased opportunity as Caleb Douglas remains banged up.

Chris Bell is averaging over 18 yards per reception so far this season and is described as the more talented player who would have gone higher in the NFL draft if not for injury; he's now healthy and continuing to get healthier. Matthew Berry notes he may have more long-term upside than Malik Washington, though it depends on whether you need immediate production or longer-term potential.

Loveland has an end zone target in two or three games through Week 3. His best game came in Week 3 with four receptions for 31 yards, but he nearly scored a touchdown that would have changed the narrative. If he had scored the touchdown in Week 1 that Caleb Williams missed, the perception around him would be very different. He is trending in the right direction with increasing targets, receptions, and yards, but remains touchdown-dependent.

Through three games, Colston Loveland has a below 12% target share with just nine targets on 89 routes run. Matthew Berry, who had him as a Ride or Die pick, now calls him his worst call of the season so far. Berry projects him as a touchdown-dependent tight end in the 12-16 range in his upcoming rankings, making him a mid-to-higher-end TE2 rather than a must-start. The positives are his targets and receptions are trending upward, and he nearly scored in Week 3, but the overall production remains disappointing.

Now with the Carolina Panthers, Darren Waller is a viable waiver wire option with Jalen Coker dealing with a quad strain. Last week Waller posted season highs in target share and route participation. The Lions allow 33 fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends this season, and Kenyon Sadiq just went off against them. While lower on Matthew Berry's list than Sadiq or Higbee, Waller is still worth considering.

Devon Achane is out for the year with a torn ACL suffered in Week 3. This opens the backfield for Ollie Gordon to take over as the primary running back for the Dolphins.

Despite the Eagles' loss to the Bears on Monday Night Football, Matthew Berry is not concerned about DeVonta Smith long-term. Berry expects Smith to be fine and the Eagles to bounce back at home against the Rams.

After Monday Night Football, Case Keenum has more passing touchdowns than Drake May through Week 3.

Isaiah Davis will see some playing time for the Jets, especially on third down, after Breece Hall's quad injury. However, Braylon Allen is expected to get the majority of first and second down work and goal line carries, making Allen the better fantasy option.

Despite the Eagles' bad loss to the Bears on Monday Night Football, Matthew Berry is not concerned about Jalen Hurts long-term. Hurts bailed out his fantasy owners with a rushing touchdown in the game. Berry expects the Eagles to bounce back at home against the Rams and notes that the Eagles make a stupid, terrible loss every year but ultimately bounce back.

Jaden Daniels is out and Marcus Mariota is starting for the Commanders. Matthew Berry speculates the team may wait until after the bye week to bring Daniels back, especially if Mariota continues to perform well and the Commanders win their upcoming games against the Colts and Giants.

Jalen Wright is dealing with a foot injury and was a scratch in Week 3. He is day-to-day with the expectation that he will be active. If Wright returns, he could limit Ollie Gordon's touches, as the Dolphins may prefer Wright in the backfield.

Kalief Raymond has emerged as a major part of the Bears offense under Case Keenum, leading the team in receptions and receiving yards through three games with a 23% target share (at least 16% in all three games). He averages over 10 yards per target. The schematic shift with Keenum—moving from Caleb's deep play-action approach to a quick-game offense (nearly 30% increase in passes under 15 yards)—has benefited Raymond as a slot receiver. He came from Detroit with Ben Johnson and understands the system. Moe Hassan notes he's a thing now, and while not a top waiver target, he will be a significant part of the offense in the short term, especially as long as Case Keenum is the quarterback.

Kalief Raymond is tied for the highest utilization score among Chicago wide receivers with a 23% target share on the season; Matthew Berry highlights him as a deeper league waiver wire option.

Keaton Mitchell played 36% snap rate in week three, only four fewer snaps than Omari Hampton, and is averaging over five yards per carry compared to Hampton's under four yards per carry. Mike McDaniel put up wanted posters in the Chargers facility for Mitchell, and Joe Ortiz (former Ravens front office, now Chargers GM) acquired him. Berry believes in Mitchell's talent and McDaniel's play-calling for the run game, sees his role potentially increasing, and ranks him fifth on his week four waiver wire list. Berry notes Mitchell scored on a shovel pass touchdown and can be used in space, though consistency is uncertain.

Keenan Allen, at age 34, posted a season-high 26% target share in week three without Alec Pierce and is a top 20 wide receiver in utilization score (per Dwayne McFarlane's proprietary metric). Matthew Berry ranks him as the number one wide receiver pickup because Pierce will be out for a while and the Colts are a functional offense. Allen's strength remains elite route running and football IQ; though he's lost a step athletically, his veteran craft and ability to sit in zone coverage and create separation at the top of routes compensates. Schedule includes Washington (London game, Commanders allow most fantasy points to WRs), Pittsburgh, Tennessee, and Minnesota.

Keenan Allen at Washington is Matthew Berry's top wide receiver waiver wire add for week four; available in over 50% of leagues across FantasyLife.com platforms.

Sadiq's breakout game came with AD out, which gives slight hesitancy with AD's return; however, Matthew Berry believes the genie won't go back in the bottle. Sadiq was an early round pick, Frank Reich's offense has always featured tight ends, and he was given a rushing touchdown in week one. Berry emphasizes this is the last chance to get Sadiq at a discount—he's available in over 80% of leagues—and positions him as a tier-one tight end waiver add for the rest of the season.

Burden was a key Bears receiver in Monday Night Football with Case Keenum at quarterback. The offense looked very functional under Keenum, and Burden should feel good about his prospects, especially with favorable upcoming matchups: home to the Jets next week, then at Green Bay (not a scary defense), then at the Falcons. Matthew Berry expects Burden to remain a productive part of the offense until Caleb Williams returns.

Mack Hollins has been the better Patriots wide receiver compared to Romeo Dobbs; in the absence of A.J. Brown, he had a 30% target share in week three and a 70% route rate since A.J. Brown went down. Matthew Berry prefers him as a waiver wire option.

Malik Washington has a 27% target share on the season and averages 50 receiving yards per game, but faces a nightmare matchup against Minnesota and Brian Flores' defense, which held Ben Johnson to three points; Washington is used near the line of scrimmage with manufactured touches leveraging his speed, but the overall Miami offense is expected to struggle in this matchup.

Malik Washington has been a top 30 wide receiver in utilization score through the first three weeks; Matthew Berry prefers him over Chris Bell because his slot role is unlikely to go away when Douglas returns. He's a deeper league wide receiver four or so, but his on-field presence in NFL games has value.

Marcus Mariota is playing better statistically than Jaden Daniels, which surprised Matthew Berry. Over his last two seasons, five of his nine starts finished as a top 14 fantasy quarterback. This week he faces Indianapolis, who rank bottom three in pass defense and are allowing almost 22 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks.

Mariota is a veteran leader playing within the game and not trying to do too much, putting the Commanders in good positions. He uses his legs effectively on clutch third downs. With Jaden Daniels out, the Commanders' offense relies on Mariota's arm, and he has healthy weapons in Terry McLaurin and Stephon Diggs, though the running game is limited with Rashad White.

Ollie Gordon is the primary back for the Dolphins after Devon Achane went down with a torn ACL (out for the year). Gordon will have the longest leash and get 100% of running back touches going forward. However, Moe Hassan projects him as a touchdown-dependent, high-end flex play due to the Dolphins' poor offense. Gordon averaged under three yards per touch in Week 3 despite getting 100% of the running back touches and scoring a touchdown. He's a big, physically imposing runner who thrives in gap schemes with pulling linemen, but the Dolphins have a young offensive line. The matchup against the Vikings (giving up 3.1 yards per carry, third fewest) is unfavorable. Jalen Wright (day-to-day with a foot injury) may return, which could limit Gordon's touches.

Parker Washington remains the number one receiver in the Jaguars offense, with Jacoby Myers as a viable number two option and Brian Thomas Jr. as a third option. Matthew Berry notes the Jaguars have three really viable options on the perimeter, which creates both high upside and downside risk for any single receiver.

Pat Friermuth is a deeper waiver wire tight end option against Cleveland. He's been a bigger part of the Steelers offense. The Browns are bottom 10 in yards per game allowed to opposing tight ends this season, making this a favorable matchup for Friermuth.

Sam Darnold is Matthew Berry's top quarterback waiver wire pickup for week four. Available in over 60% of leagues, Darnold ranks third among quarterbacks in yards per pass attempt since the start of last season. He has a nice matchup against the Chargers this week, who are bottom 12 in pass defense. Berry likes the Vikings offense and receivers as well.

Since the start of last season, Darnold ranks third among quarterbacks in yards per pass attempt. He's facing the Chargers this week, who rank bottom 12 in pass defense and are allowing quarterbacks to average 17 fantasy points per game. Matthew Berry recommends streaming Darnold this week, especially given the matchup strength.

Darnold and the Vikings offense have picked up right where they left off from last season without missing Clint Kubiak. The offense is looking good with strong receiver play from Jackson Smith-Njigba. Matthew Berry projects Darnold as a viable low-end QB1 the rest of the way, though notes he's more matchup-dependent than elite quarterbacks since he doesn't run enough.

After Monday Night Football, Case Keenum has more rushing touchdowns than Saquon Barkley through Week 3. Matthew Berry notes this is depressing but is not concerned about Barkley long-term, saying he will be fine.

Terry McLaurin is healthy and is a key weapon in the Commanders offense with Marcus Mariota at quarterback. With the Commanders unable to run the ball effectively, the offense relies heavily on McLaurin and Stephon Diggs in the passing game.

Travis Etienne suffered a hamstring injury and is expected to miss a couple of weeks.

With Parkinson and Ferguson both out for the Rams, Tyler Higbee becomes a viable streaming tight end option. Last week he posted a 22% target share and 77% route participation. The Rams are third in tight end target share overall this season. Higbee, the veteran who knows the system, is positioned as an interesting waiver wire pickup against the Rams this week.