Week 4 Waiver Wire: Fantasy Football's Top Pickups and Breakout Candidates

We're three weeks in, and things are starting to get interesting in the NFL. 

By now, players who were supposed to be having huge seasons are beginning to seriously worry their fantasy owners if they have gone nearly a quarter of the season without producing (we're looking at you, Jordan Reed), while other owners have lost some of their starters to injury. 

That's why it's imperative to search the free agents in your league each week. You never know which difference-maker is waiting to be added to your roster.

Your roster may be in good shape heading into Week 4. But you may have an injured player on your hands, or perhaps you just want to continue tinkering with your lineup. There are a few players who emerged in Week 3 as breakout pickups on this week's waivers. 

Players were considered potential waiver-wire options if they were owned in under 60 percent of Yahoo Fantasy leagues as of Sunday.

Player	Team	Week 4 Opponent	Percent Owned (as of Sunday)
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
Ryan Tannehill	MIA	@ CIN	44%
Alex Smith	KC	@ PIT	22%
Cameron Artis-Payne	CAR	@ ATL	19%
Jay Ajayi	MIA	@ CIN	37%
Victor Cruz	NYG	@ MIN	51%
Steve Smith	BAL	vs. OAK	39%
Kyle Rudolph	MIN	vs. NYG	41%
Jack Doyle	IND	@ JAC	10%

Players to Watch

Cameron Artis-Payne, RB, Carolina Panthers

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

Second-year running back Cameron Artis-Payne got the start in the backfield for the Carolina Panthers on Sunday with Jonathan Stewart out.

And though head coach Ron Rivera indicated that Artis-Payne and Fozzy Whittaker would share carries in the Panthers' backfield, the former ended up with 12 carries to Whittaker's five, with twice as much yardage (47 to 22). Neither had a touchdown. 

Obviously, 12 carries for 47 yards is not even RB2 or flex territory, so you shouldn't necessarily rush to add Artis-Payne to your roster with the intent of starting him in Week 4 unless you're desperate at running back. 

But the rusher showed enough against the Minnesota Vikings to warrant stashing him on your roster and possibly playing him in Week 4 if the signs point to him receiving more of the load, especially in standard leagues. However, in points-per-reception leagues, Whittaker may be a better bet, as he sees more passing targets.

Artis-Payne got off to a strong start against the Vikings, as Steve Reed of the Associated Press pointed out:

It's definitely keep an eye on Artis-Payne in your leagues heading into Week 4. 

Victor Cruz, WR, New York Giants

What more does Victor Cruz have to do to prove to fantasy owners he can be trusted?

Owners are understandably wary of the wideout after he missed so many months; that's reflected in the fact Cruz is only owned in 51 percent of leagues as of Sunday. 

But Cruz is doing so well in his comeback year he's surprising even himself, as ESPN's Ed Werder reported:

Cruz's season got off to a good start in Week 1, when the Giants took on the Dallas Cowboys. He connected with quarterback Eli Manning for four receptions, 34 yards and a touchdown.

In Week 2, Cruz didn't find the end zone, but he did amass nearly 100 yards. However, he lost a fumble, which wouldn't help fantasy owners put trust in him to get the job done for them as a WR2 or flex option.

But against Washington on Sunday, Cruz evened out with a nice three-catch, 70-yard performance.

That's not going to rack up the points in a PPR league, but in standard leagues, Cruz is absolutely worth a look as you start to see players going on bye weeks. 

Jack Doyle, TE, Indianapolis Colts

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

If you follow anyone who is part of Indianapolis Colts Twitter, you've surely already seen a ton of love for tight end Jack Doyle. 

Doyle is our deep-dive waiver-wire pickup of the week; only owned in 10 percent of leagues, he's a risky choice when many owners don't even keep a second tight end on their rosters. 

But if you need a flex option for Week 4 and none of your wide receivers or running backs are getting the job done—or if your starting tight end was, say, Delanie Walker and is out with an injury—Doyle is getting a lot of hype.

Colts writer Phillip B. Wilson had a simple strategy for the team on Sunday: just get the ball to Doyle: 

Some fantasy owners raised their eyebrows when Doyle burst onto the scene in Week 1 with a three-reception, two-touchdown performance against the Detroit Lions. Any time two-thirds of a player's receptions go for scores, he is someone who should probably be on your fantasy radar.

If Doyle keeps it up, he'll continue to steal targets from Dwayne Allen, who is owned in 85 percent of leagues.

Might be time to make a switch, fantasy owners.

Scoring stats and ownership stats via Yahoo and current as of Sunday, Sept. 25.