Week 4 Waiver Wire Fantasy Projections for Top Pickups and Sleeper Targets

Winning in fantasy football takes more than just a strong draft. Managing weekly roster lineups, navigating injuries, and preparing for bye weeks are a massive part of the in-season equation.

Byes are still a week away, but injuries have already had a major impact on the 2026 fantasy landscape. Just this past week, we saw the likes of Baker Mayfield, Justin Jefferson, Breece Hall, Travis Etienne and De'Von Achane exit with injuries.

Achane is out for the season with a torn ACL.

Fortunately, managers should be able to find a few viable fill-ins on the waiver wire this week. Here, you'll find a look at the top options and some projections for their Week 4 matchups.

All picks and analysis are based on point-per-reception (PPR) scoring.

Bryce Young, QB, Carolina Panthers

AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki

Quarterbacks like Geno Smith, Kirk Cousins, and Marcus Mariota may be more readily available in some leagues. However, Carolina Panthers signal-caller Bryce Young is still only rostered in 57 percent of fantasy leagues and is a must-add this week.

Young was fantastic through the first two weeks. While he struggled against the Cleveland Browns in Week 3, he's still up to a league-high 939 passing yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions. He also has a tremendous matchup against the Detroit Lions in Week 4.

The visiting Lions have been great offensively and far from great defensively. They rank third in scoring offense and have surrendered the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season.

Expect Young to throw early and often as Carolina looks to keep pace on the scoreboard. Given the state of Detroit's defense, that gives him top-five scoring potential in fantasy.

Projection: 329 passing yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT, 12 rushing yards

Braelon Allen, RB, New York Jets

AP Photo/George Walker IV

With Achane out for the season, Miami Dolphins backup Ollie Gordon II has some solid long-term value and is worth picking up ahead of bye weeks. However, he's in an underwhelming offense and will face a great Minnesota Vikings defense on the road this week.

Managers looking for a Week 4 start should target New York Jets backup Braelon Allen.

Hall is considered week-to-week with a quad injury, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. This means we should see a lot of Allen against the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

Allen has just 72 scrimmage yards on the season, but he has logged four receptions and a touchdown. He's also rostered in only 19 percent of leagues. The Bears, meanwhile, rank a modest 16th in fantasy points allowed to opposing RBs.

Projection: 67 rushing yards, 3 receptions, 18 receiving yards, 1 TD

Keenan Allen, WR, Indianapolis Colts

AP Photo/Jeff Roberson

With Alec Pierce on injured reserve, Keenan Allen has vaulted into a more prominent role with the Indianapolis Colts. He caught six passes for 63 yards and a touchdown in the Week 3 win over the Houston Texans. He should have a solid PPR floor for as long as Pierce remains sidelined.

Allen also has an enticing Week 4 matchup with the Washington Commanders on Sunday morning—yes, the Colts and Commanders play at 9:30 a.m. ET in London, so be sure to have those lineups set.

No team has surrendered more fantasy points to opposing wide receivers than Washington this season. Now, that's partially the product of facing wideouts DeVonta Smith, CeeDee Lamb, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba over the first three weeks. However, Allen still has a great amount of upside in what should be a back-and-forth offensive battle.

Allen is rostered in just 21 percent of fantasy leagues .

Projection: 7 receptions, 79 yards, 1 TD

Kenyon Sadiq, TE, New York Jets

AP Photo/Paul Sancya

Did we mention that the Lions' defense hasn't been very good this season? It had a really tough time corralling Jets tight end Kenyon Sadiq on Sunday, and the rookie finished with seven catches, 105 yards, and a touchdown.

Sadiq will face a much stiffer challenge this week, as the Bears defense has been quite strong over the past two weeks. It has surrendered the sixth-fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends, though it's worth noting that Chicago hasn't faced any premier players at the position yet.

While Sadiq probably won't replicate his Week 3 production, he should be targeted early and often following his breakthrough performance in Detroit. He's rostered in only 34 percent of fantasy leagues.

Projection: 5 receptions, 63 yards

*Fantasy roster and scoring information from FantasyPros