Fantasy Football Week 4 Waiver Wire: De'Von Achane Headlines Must-Add Pickups
The first month of the 2023 NFL season is now nearly over. It's becoming readily apparent which players are going to be strong fantasy football contributors and which aren't living up to the hype.
If you were burned by draft picks who didn't pan out or injuries have ravaged your roster, don't fret. This is the perfect week to hit the waiver wire and begin turning things around.
There are several players with star potential still up for grabs in the free-agent pool. These players may have come out of the gate slow or injured, but they have since put together breakout performances that have them set them up for more success going forward.
You don't want to miss out on the following five players when it's time to make your waiver claims ahead of Week 4. All suggestions are rostered in 50 percent or less of Yahoo! leagues.
Fantasy points and rankings are based on FantasyPros' PPR data.
De'Von Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins (37 Percent Rostered)
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After being a healthy scratch for the season opener and hardly seeing the field in Week 2, Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane finally showed off the game-breaking skills he brings to the table against the Denver Broncos on Sunday. He had a rookie-franchise-record 203 rushing yards on only 18 carries and added another 30 yards on four receptions.
Achane racked up four touchdowns during the Dolphins' blowout 70-20 win over the hapless Broncos and amassed an eye-popping 51.3 fantasy points. That mark not only paced the running back position—narrowly edging out teammate Raheem Mostert, who had 45.2 points himself—but was the top fantasy output of any offensive player in Week 3.
While Achane is currently rostered in just over a third of leagues, it's unlikely many of those managers started him after he tallied only 1.9 points in Week 2. Those percentages figure to skyrocket, as the Texas A&M product has become the clear-cut top waiver wire target heading into Week 4.
It would be unreasonable to expect Achane to maintain this level of production moving forward, but his potential in Miami's explosive offense is through the roof. Backup Jeff Wilson Jr. will remain on IR for at least another week, and Salvon Ahmed—the third-stringer who was initially promoted to the backup job following Wilson's injury—may have lost a good chunk of his playing time following Achane's breakout day.
Miami will take on the Buffalo Bills next week, a defense that presents a much tougher challenge than the one Denver offered in Week 3. Still, Achane has done enough to warrant a spot on just about every roster in any fantasy format and is a high-ceiling flex play at a minimum in Week 4.
Ezekiel Elliott, RB, New England Patriots (43 Percent Rostered)
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DraftKings DFS Value: $5,100
Ezekiel Elliott's tenure with the New England Patriots got off to a rocky start, but the eighth-year running back has finally begun to show that he still has something left in the tank. The former Dallas Cowboys star just had his best game of the season against a tough New York Jets defense, finishing with 16 carries for 80 yards and one catch for seven yards.
While Elliott still hasn't found paydirt in a Patriots uniform, it won't be long before he's putting six points on the board if he maintains the type of usage he saw Sunday. The 28-year-old logged a season-high 38 percent of the offensive plays in Week 3, and he's starting to touch the ball often when does get on the field.
Game script may also dictate how much the Patriots feed Elliott, but he could get more involved with Rhamondre Stevenson struggling. The starter has mustered only 134 yards on 46 carries over the first three games, a paltry 2.9 yards-per-carry average that is well below the five yards per tote he posted in 2022.
After Stevenson out-touched Elliott by a 36-17 margin over the first two weeks, Elliott had only three fewer touches than his backfield counterpart against the Jets despite being on the field for 20 fewer offensive plays.
Take advantage of the mistake some managers made when they released Elliott following his slow start and pick him up ahead of a Week 4 meeting with the Cowboys. Elliott will have a chance to shine in a revenge game against his former team, which is giving up more than 130 yards per game on the ground thus far this season.
Roschon Johnson, RB, Chicago Bears (48 Percent Rostered)
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DraftKings DFS Value: $4,900
The Chicago Bears are a mess amidst an 0-3 start, but there are some bright spots on this roster. One of those is rookie running back Roschon Johnson, who has fared well during the first three games of his young career.
The Texas product had 20 yards and a touchdown on five totes and chipped in another 35 yards on six catches in his first career game, which helped him seize the No. 2 role behind Khalil Herbert in Week 2. While he didn't get as many touches in that matchup, he did convert his four carries into 32 yards while adding another 10 yards on a pair of receptions.
Although the Bears got blown out by the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3, Johnson still managed to notch 38 yards on eight rushes and snagged both his targets for 11 yards. His snap share continued to climb in this contest, rising from 39 percent of the offensive plays in the opener to 42 percent in Week 2 to 45 percent in Week 3.
While Johnson isn't posting huge numbers yet, he has the opportunity to shine moving forward. He's earning the trust of the Bears' coaching staff and has fared well enough for the team to completely phase out D'Onta Foreman—a healthy scratch in each of the last two weeks—from the backfield rotation.
Teams that have the bench space should get Johnson on their roster now. It's only a matter of time before he breaks out and becomes a highly coveted waiver-wire pickup.
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Tank Dell, WR, Houston Texans (28 Percent Rostered)
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DraftKings DFS Value: $4,600
The Houston Texans unearthed a legitimate playmaker during the 2023 draft in third-round pick Tank Dell. The rookie wideout started his career with two relatively impressive performances—he tallied 10 receptions for 106 yards and a score in that span—and then had a gem of a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3.
Dell was one of the top performers for Houston's upset 37-17 victory over Jacksonville, as he caught five passes for 145 yards and a touchdown. While he saw only seven targets in the contest—down from the career-high 10 looks he got in Week 2—he averaged a whopping 29 yards per reception against the Jaguars.
With Dell now finding the end zone in back-to-back games and emerging as a bona fide weapon for the pass-happy Texans offense, it's time to get him on your fantasy roster. Houston is throwing the ball on 63.77 percent of its offensive plays this year—a mark surpassed by only five teams heading into Week 4—and Dell is tied with veterans Robert Woods and Nico Collins for the most receptions on the team with 15.
The rookie should be in line for more big games in the coming weeks.
Donald Parham Jr., TE, Los Angeles Chargers (1 Percent Rostered)
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DraftKings DFS Value: $2,800
Given how tough it can be to find serviceable tight ends in fantasy outside of the fully rostered elite players, a high-upside backup like Donald Parham Jr. could be worth a speculative waiver claim.
Parham has been a tantalizing weapon for the Los Angeles Chargers since he joined the club three years ago. The 6'8", 237-pounder has already caught 10 touchdowns in his first 36 games with the Chargers despite playing only 871 total snaps.
The 26-year-old's role has increased in 2023—he's playing a career-high 50 percent of the offensive snaps after seeing the field for only 33 percent last year—and he's making the most of that expanded opportunity. While quarterback Justin Herbert isn't looking for Parham between the 20s, he's making it a priority to target the massive tight end in the red area. They've already connected on three touchdowns this year, including a pair against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 3.
While Parham is a touchdown-dependent fantasy option at the moment, he's scoring enough to make him a worthwhile dart throw if your regular starter is out on bye or injured. He's also a Gerald Everett absence away from becoming a far more consistent contributor, making him a great pickup in deeper leagues or for managers who are desperate for tight end help.
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