Week 4 is upon us, and injuries to key players through the first three weeks of the 2020 NFL season have left many fantasy managers desperate for a warm body to fill out their decimated lineups.
With attrition comes opportunities for young stars to break out, including a slew of 2020 first- and second-round wideouts. Justin Jefferson (round 1, pick 22), Tee Higgins (round 2, pick 33), Brandon Aiyuk (round 1, pick 25) and Chase Claypool (round 2, pick 49) will all be hot waiver wire adds this week.
Below you will find players who are all rostered in fewer than 50% of leagues that should be worth targeting.
Players are ranked by Yahoo rostership percentages within their respective positions, and all fantasy points are calculated in half PPR scoring.
Quarterbacks
Ryan Fitzpatrick, Miami Dolphins (7% rostered)
Quarterbacks have been spared by the injury bug for the most part, but for those looking to stream at the position, a case could be made to add Fitzpatrick. He was near-perfect against the Jaguars last Thursday and completed 18 of 20 attempts for 160 yards and two touchdowns. He also had seven carries for 38 yards and a rushing touchdown. It’s unlikely the 37-year-old repeats that performance, but he does have a plush Week 4 matchup against the Seahawks, whose porous secondary may lose former Jets star Jamal Adams after the All-Pro safety suffered a groin strain in Week 3.
Running backs
Myles Gaskin, Miami Dolphins (47% rostered)
Gaskin is emerging as the top option in the Miami backfield ahead of Matt Breida and Jordan Howard, who vultured a touchdown in Thursday’s win over the Jaguars. You hate to see it. In the game, Gaskin saw 27 touches for 95 total scrimmage yards which far eclipsed Breida and Howard’s six combined touches. He is an interesting flex this week against the Seahawks permeable run defense.
Jeff Wilson Jr., San Francisco 49ers (23%)
Wilson saw an increased role in Week 3 in light of staggering injuries to his teammates, including Raheem Mostert (MCL) and now Jerick McKinnon (ribs). He rushed 12 times for 13 yards and caught three of targets for 54 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Much of that workload came after McKinnon went down, so if he misses time, Wilson would be next in line to take over in the backfield.
Carlos Hyde, Seattle Seahawks (19%)
Hyde hasn’t impressed thus far, though he did score in Week 1. That said, his value could see a significant uptick if star running back Chris Carson misses any time. Carson appears to have evaded any serious injury at this time and there is “a chance” he could be ready to play this week. If he sits, Hyde would be a solid start against an unimpressive Miami run defense.
Rex Burkhead, New England Patriots (12%)
Burkhead finished as RB2 in Week 3 and tallied six rushes for 49 yards, seven catches on nine targets for 49 yards and a whopping three touchdowns. It’s difficult to say if his role will continue once James White returns, but for now, it looks like he is the Patriots’ top option in a complicated committee.
![Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson and Miami Dolphins running back Myles Gaskin, fantasy football, week 4 waiver wire targets, nfl 2020](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/justin-jefferson-myles-gaskin-2020-nfl-week-4-waiver-wire-fantasy-football.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=662)
Wide receivers
Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings (32% rostered)
Jefferson had a breakout performance in Week 3 and finished as the No. 2 wide receiver in fantasy. The 2020 first-round pick reeled in seven catches on nine targets for 175 yards and a touchdown and was a bright spot amid the Vikings’ crushing loss to the Titans. He has a good schedule coming up against the exploitable secondaries of the Texans, Seahawks and Falcons and could emerge as a high-upside flex play in the right matchup.
Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers (28%)
Aiyuk caught five of eight targets for 70 yards, adding three rushes for 31 yards and a touchdown. His workload could take a hit with George Kittle and Deebo Samuel nearing returns, but he is still worth a speculative add in light of the numerous 49ers injuries.
Chase Claypool, Pittsburgh Steelers (14%)
Claypool was a dud in Week 3 and caught one pass on four targets for 24 yards on the heels of his Week 2 coming out party. He led the Steelers in snaps on Sunday and may see more opportunities moving forward with Diontae Johnson in the concussion protocol. He is a high-upside stash for now in the Steelers’ pass-heavy offense.
Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals (5%)
Higgins finished just shy of the WR1 numbers in his breakout performance in Week 3. He caught five of nine targets for 40 yards and two touchdowns and it appears he has taken over the WR3 role in this offense ahead of John Ross, who was a healthy scratch for this game. He is widely available and worth an add in deeper leagues, offering similar upside to Jefferson and Claypool.
Tight ends
Dalton Schultz, Dallas Cowboys (32% rostered)
Schultz has delivered solid TE2 numbers for two weeks with Blake Jarwin out for the season with a torn ACL. He finished with just seven fantasy points in Week 3 on the heels of a massive, 10-target game in Week 2. He should be a hot waiver add in Week 4 with high-end TE2/low-end TE1 upside.
Eric Ebron, Pittsburgh Steelers (27%)
Ebron had a fantastic Week 3 and finished as a top-three tight end after two anemic performances with his new team. He reeled in five of seven passes for 52 yards and a touchdown and could also benefit from Diontae Johnson’s absence should he not progress out of the concussion protocol. He has similar boom-or-bust potential to Schultz and should be rostered in most formats.
Mo Alie-Cox, Indianapolis Colts (10%)
Jack Doyle returned to the field in Week 3, but it was Alie-Cox who finished with the stronger statline. He caught three of three targets for 50 yards and a touchdown — good enough for a TE5 finish — and could see an uptick in work with Parris Campbell (knee) and Michael Pittman Jr. (leg) out.