Week 4 Waiver Claims

Quarterback #1: Jared Goff

Is it cheating that for my two waiver-wire write-ups on Jared Goff, I haven’t provided a single bit of analysis & have chosen simply to repeatedly ask the question – “why is last year’s leader in passing attempts rostered in less than half of ESPN leagues?” … I don’t think so…

Quarterback #2: Justin Herbert

It’s hard not to be excited about Herbert after he completed 35 of 49 passes in his second start & again showed a willingness to use his legs as a rusher (3 carries at 5.0 YPC). He’s in an offense that is quite frankly loaded with talent & is already incorporating zone-read playcalls to utilize his athleticism as a rusher. This has all of the makings of fantasy magic (despite the occasional lows). The best part? When the season is on the line, Week 14, Herbert faces the Atlanta Falcons. Buy-in now if you still have the chance.

Quarterback #3: Tua Tagovailoa

It’s getting to be that time of year… The waiver wire is starting to quickly dry up & it’s time to start thinking ahead with your pickups. For those in Superflex or 2QB leagues, Tua is probably the last available avenue to a (potential) permanent QB2 solution, outside of working a trade. If you’re hurting at your QB2 spot, now is the time to stash Tua away & hope for the best.

Running Back #1: Myles Gaskin

Not only does Gaskin lead Miami in receptions through 3 games, but he’s taken on a workhorse role as a rusher as well. Miami gave him 22 carries on Thursday to Jordan Howard’s & Matt Breida’s 3 & 3 – despite the fact that Gaskin only averaged 3.0 yards per-carry on the night. If that’s not commitment, idk what is…

Running Back #2: Chase Edmonds

Chase Edmonds isn’t seeing a ton of rushing volume right now (12 carries to Kenyan Drake’s 54), but he’s quietly been Arizona’s preferred receiving option out of the backfield – with 8 receptions on 11 targets to Drake’s 5 receptions on 5 targets. Drake also hasn’t lit the world on fire as a rusher (4.0 YPC) & there could be legitimate (although speculative) concerns that he might not be fully healthy after spending time in a walking boot late in the offseason. If Edmonds can steal just a few more carries, his role could grow enough to the point where he also provides matchup-based standalone value (perhaps this week in a cake matchup against Carolina?) And if Drake ever goes down, we already know what Edmonds can do in a 3-down role (3-TD game). That combination of league-winning upside & potential standalone value has me valuing Edmonds as a priority add for RB-needy teams in leagues where he’s somehow still available.

Running Back #3: Brian Hill

It’s basically Myles Gaskin & the handcuffs this week. Every other RB with a pulse is pretty much rostered in at least 50% of leagues at this point. So let’s take a look at Brian Hill – who’s gaining steam in Atlanta’s backfield. Similar to Chase Edmonds, Hill is operating as his team’s RB2 on the ground, and has pushed the No. 3 back out of the picture almost entirely. Most importantly, like Edmonds, Hill’s quietly taken over the receiving role, outproducing Todd Gurley as a receiver in all 3 games (5/41 total for Hill compared to 3/3 total for Gurley). The gap between him & Gurley as rushers also might not be as big as people think – Hill has rushed for 437 yards on his last 100 rushing attempts while Gurley has rushed for 344 on his last 100… so there’s a universe out there where Hill flat-out takes the job at some point. The more likely scenario? Hill turns this into a rushing committee while owning the receiving work & ceding the goal-line touches. At the very least, Hill appears to be a clear high-upside handcuff who would command a workhorse role if Gurley were to ever miss time.

Running Back #4: Carlos Hyde

It was between Hyde & AP for my last RB spot, so you know the pickings are getting slim there already… I’ll take the chance on Hyde’s upside in what is one of the league’s hottest offenses over what seems like an 11-point ceiling for AP. Chris Carson’s latest injury is the result of some serious bush-league play by Cowboys defensive tackle Trysten Hill, but it’s unfortunately the latest in a long line of injuries for Carson – who hasn’t played a full season since his senior year of high-school… Maybe Chris Carson is cursed, maybe he walked under a ladder while breaking a mirror on Friday the 13^th, or accidentally ran over a black cat, idk. But the poor dude can’t catch a break. If he has any setbacks with his latest knee sprain, Hyde could potentially have a RB1 weekly ceiling in that offense.

Wide Receiver #1: Tee Higgins

A rookie WR is my top claim for the 3^rd straight week, which either confirms my theory that they were being unjustly faded due to overblown concerns about a COVID-shortened offseason, or shows that I’m just going out of my way to confirm my own biases… probably the latter. Regardless, I’m sticking with ‘em. They’re all No. 2 WR’s in their respective offenses (2B’s at worst) & have second-half of the year potential that just can’t be matched by some of the lower-ceiling veterans available. Higgins is my top WR claim this week due to his rapid ascension above AJ Green in both snap-share & target pecking order, coupled with the insane passing volume in this offense (an average of 47 attempts per-game through 3 weeks). Higgins is already worthy of flex-consideration & he might just be getting started…

Wide Receiver #2: Justin Jefferson

Jefferson has done something no other rookie WR has done this year – completely TAKE OVER a game. His 7/175/1 game is proof of a ceiling that the other available rookies (Shenault & Aiyuk, specifically) have yet to show. Still, keeps your expectations in check for JJ – and don’t blow your entire FAAB budget on him. Despite his breakout game, Kirk Cousins still only threw the ball 27 times for 251 yards, making this still very much a low-octane passing offense. Adam Thielen & Dalvin Cook were also 2^nd & 3^rd on the team behind JJ – with just 29 & 18 receiving yards… Yikes. There’s still probably only going to be one relevant WR for this team on a weekly basis & we should consider ourselves lucky if the offense transforms into anything beyond that.

Wide Receiver #3: Brandon Aiyuk

I’m bumping Aiyuk up over Viska in my waiver priority this week. Both have the same attractive quality to me – a defined role as a rusher. We’ve already seen Viska handle a 5-carry game & Aiyuk himself was given 3 carries this past week (which he took for 31 yards & a rushing TD). The difference? Aiyuk has already shown a higher receiving ceiling (5/70 last week while Viska hasn’t topped 40 yards receiving), not to mention, he’s in an offense that was top-5 in both yardage & points scored last year.

Wide Receiver #4: Laviska Shenault Jr.

Even though he underwhelmed on TNF, I still think Viska needs to be rostered in more than 50% of leagues. It is concerning that he hasn’t topped 37 receiving yards in any of the 3 games, but DJ Chark’s return should actually help open things up for Viska over the middle, and you have to believe this team is going to continue to find ways to manufacture touches for a guy who pops off the screen every time the ball is in his hands – especially when they have a full week to gameplan.

Tight End #1: Dalton Schultz

SO. MUCH. VOLUME. Dak Prescott has thrown for 450+ yards in consecutive games & looks to have shaken off the rust he exhibited Week 1. If 4/48 is considered a “down” week for Schultz then it really might be wheels up for him this season. He’s got to be the priority add & is deserving of a roster spot even in 10-team leagues.

Tight End #2: Eric Ebron

Maybe… just maybe? It could be the end of the season & we still might be asking ourselves the question, but maybe just maybe Eric Ebron can have relevance in Pittsburgh. He no doubt benefitted from Diontae Johnson’s departure (due to a concussion) mid-game, but he has improved statistically in 3 straight games (from 1 reception to 3 to 5), and we should give him the benefit of the doubt the first few games with a new team. In what’s an above-average passing offense, Ebron could settle in as a usable TE2.

Tight End #3: Logan Thomas