Every week, I try to find players who could be sitting on the waiver wire and are worth picking up for this week based on their matchups. Here’s what I have for week four:
QB:
Andy Dalton, Carolina Panthers
He threw for 319 yards and 3 TDs last week and will face the Bengals, his former team, this week. He looked good, the offense looked good, and the Bengals defense looked terrible last week. They allowed 38 points to rookie QB Jayden Daniels and the Commanders. You put all of those things together and it seems like this is a good week to play Dalton.
Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers
Fields had his best fantasy game of the season last week against a solid Chargers defense and now gets to face a Colts defense that ranks 31st in the NFL in yards allowed. This is the same Colts defense that made Caleb Williams and the Bears look good and fantasy-viable. Fields could be in for a big day, which also means Pickens and Freiermuth could be too.
RB:
Justice Hill, Baltimore Ravens
If you play in a deep league or you are hurting at RB, Hill is an interesting option this week. This game against the Bills is expected to be high-scoring, and the Bills have been elite against the pass this season. It’s the run that they have struggled against, so the combination of Henry and Hill could be in for a big day. Hill is also the pass-catching back in this offense, and in a big offensive game like this one could be, he could eat.
WR:
Demario Douglas, New England Patriots
The Patriots offense is bad, so other than Stevenson and maybe Hunter Henry, you likely aren’t using many of their players most weeks. Still, I can’t ignore the 9 targets that Douglas saw in week three and that he caught 7 of them for 69 yards. He saw more than triple the targets of any other WR on the team. He faces the 49ers this week, who rank 24th in fantasy against WRs, and game flow dictates that the Pats will be playing from behind and needing to throw.
Michael Wilson, Arizona Cardinals
This isn’t just matchup-dependent for Wilson. As good as his matchup is, taking on the Commanders, who rank last in fantasy against WRs, Wilson was also targeted 9 times last week, catching 8 of them for 64 yards. His 8 receptions led the team, and his yardage total tied Marvin Harrison Jr. for the team lead. In what should be the highest-scoring game of the week, you want as much exposure as possible to the Cardinals/Commanders game as you can get.
TE:
Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals
Even with the return of Tee Higgins last week, Gesicki still had a solid fantasy day with four catches and 47 yards. The TE position has been so hit or miss this season that playing the matchup looks to be the way to go for most people. This week, Gesicki faces the Panthers, who rank 30th in fantasy against the position.
Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers
I mentioned in my Fields write-up that I also liked Pickens and Muth this week. After the game Cole Kmet had against the Colts last week, it’s hard not to love Muth this week. The Colts rank 25th against the TE position in fantasy, and Muth has been consistent this season, catching 4 passes in every game.