Fantasy Football Week 4 Rankings: Targets For This Week's Injured Stars

A lot goes into crafting a championship-caliber fantasy roster, and navigating injuries is part of the process. Managers who didn't draft enough depth at key positions—quarterback, running back and wide receiver—undoubtedly find themselves playing the waiver wire at some point.

Heading into Week 4, there are some injury concerns for some of the league's brightest stars. Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey, for example, returned to practice on Friday. However, he missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday with a quad injury.

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones could miss significant time with a high ankle sprain—an injury that would cause some to consider surgery, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

New Orleans Saints wideout Michael Thomas is out with a foot injury. Detroit Lions running back D'Andre Swift is likely out with a shoulder injury, while Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is out with an ankle ailment.

Here, we'll dive into some of the top waiver-wire targets for the week for managers to either play or have on standby. We'll also break down the top players for each key position based on point-per-reception (PPR) scoring.

Quarterback

Lions QB Jared Goff (Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 25: Detroit Lions Quarterback Jared Goff (16) looks on before the NFL game between the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings on September 25th, 2022, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN. (Photo by Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

1. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

2. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles

3. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

4. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

5. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

6. Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings

7. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

8. Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos

9. Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

10. Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders

11. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions

12. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

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Wire Target: Jared Goff, Detroit Lions

Here's a rare occurrence. Detroit Lions signal-caller Jared Goff makes our top rankings and may also be available on the waiver wire. He's currently rostered in only 52 percent of Yahoo leagues and 39 percent of ESPN leagues.

While Goff may not have St. Brown, he has some other quality targets in T.J. Hockenson, DJ Chark Jr. and receiving back Jamaal Williams. He'll also face a middling Seattle Seahawks pass defense.

Seattle ranks 17th in fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks through the first three weeks.

So far in 2022, Goff has averaged 249 passing yards and two touchdowns while tossing just two interceptions on the season. He has a solid floor and is a great pickup either as a spot starter or a rest-of-season streamer.

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Other potentially available quarterbacks worth considering include:

Marcus Mariota, Atlanta Falcons

Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers

Brian Hoyer, New England Patriots

Running Back

Falcons RB Tyler Allgeier (Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 27: Tyler Allgeier #25 of the Atlanta Falcons reacts after scoring a touchdown during the first half of the preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on August 27, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

1. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants

2. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

3. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers

4. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns

5. Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers

6. Leonard Fournette, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

7. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers

8. Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers

9. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans

10. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

11. Jamaal Williams, Detroit Lions

12. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings

13. Khalil Herbert, Chicago Bears

14. Cordarrelle Patterson, Atlanta Falcons

15. Jeff Wilson Jr., San Francisco 49ers

16. James Conner, Arizona Cardinals

17. Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles

18. Dameon Pierce, Houston Texans

19. Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys

20. Antonio Gibson, Washington Commanders

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Wire Target: Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons

Another injury situation we're following is that of Atlanta Falcons running back Cordarrelle Patterson. He's dealing with a knee injury and "rested" during both Wednesday's and Thursday's practices.

"Though it is not uncommon for teams to rest their veteran running backs, resting them for two practices in a row—particularly a non-padded practice—is noteworthy," Ashton Edmunds of the team's official website wrote.

Falcons rookie Tyler Allgeier is a handcuff worth scooping up ahead of Sunday's matchup with the Cleveland Browns. The BYU product has seen some work (16 carries, one reception) over the past couple of weeks and is likely to handle the bulk of the backfield work if Patterson cannot go or is severely limited.

Allgeier is rostered in only 14 percent of Yahoo leagues and 17 percent of ESPN leagues. Even if Patterson does play, his managers might want to consider picking up Allgeier as future insurance if they have the ability to stash him.

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Other potentially available running backs worth considering include:

Eno Benjamin, Arizona Cardinals

Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers

Craig Reynolds, Detroit Lions

James Cook, Buffalo Bills

Wide Receiver

Packers WR Romeo Doubs (David Berding/Getty Images)

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 11: Romeo Doubs #87 of the Green Bay Packers runs with the ball against the Minnesota Vikings in the third quarter of the game at U.S. Bank Stadium on September 11, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings defeated the Packers 23-7. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

1. Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills

2. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams

3. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

4. Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders

5. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles

6. Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers

7. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

8. Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts

9. Christian Kirk, Jacksonville Jaguars

10. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys

11. Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos

12. Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns

13. Drake London, Atlanta Falcons

14. Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers

15. Diontae Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers

16. Brandon Cooks, Houston Texans

17. Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints

18. Marquise Brown, Arizona Cardinals

19. Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders

20. DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks

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Wire Target: Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers are getting solid production out of one rookie receiver, but it isn't highly touted second-round pick Christian Watson. Instead, it has been rookie fourth-round pick Romeo Doubs who has emerged as a go-to option.

The Nevada product is coming off an eight-catch, 73-yard outing that also included a touchdown. He's had at least two receptions in every game this season, and he has Aaron Rodgers at the other end of his passes.

On the opposite side of the field will be the New England Patriots, who do present a daunting matchup. New England ranks eighth in passing yards allowed and has allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points to opposing receivers this season. That's obviously not ideal, but Doubs should have a solid floor in PPR leagues.

Doubs has averaged over four receptions per game and is definitely worth picking up for the long term. He's rostered in 66 percent of Yahoo leagues but only 32 percent of ESPN leagues.

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Other potentially available receivers worth considering include:

Treylon Burks, Tennessee Titans

Russell Gage, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Michael Gallup, Dallas Cowboys

Josh Reynolds, Los Angeles Chargers

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*Fantasy roster information and points against via FantasyPros.