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

Week 3 of the NFL season ended with a bang after the Pittsburgh Steelers held on to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30-27. Bucs quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 400-plus yards for the third straight week.

He's been one of the year's fantasy stars, and if you picked him up off the waiver wire after Week 1, then your loyalty should have been rewarded with a hot start unless the rest of your team is not living up to expectations.

If you still need some help, plenty of good players are on the waiver wire in most leagues. Here's a look at our Week 4 fantasy projections for some top Monday pickups in Yahoo contests for quarterback, running back and wide receiver, in addition to three sleepers to target. 

The top pickups are players owned in less than half of leagues projected to do best at their position in Week 4. The top sleepers are under-the-radar, low-owned fantasy players also picked to fare well.

Quarterback

Top Pickup: Cleveland Browns QB Baker Mayfield (rostered in 13 percent of Yahoo Leagues; 5,372 Monday Adds)

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield looked like the real deal last Thursday when he completed 17 of 23 passes for 201 yards while leading his team from a 14-0 deficit into a 21-17 win over the New York Jets.

David Richard/Associated Press

Mayfield is clearly Cleveland's savior as he helped break a winless streak dating back to December 24, 2016. Now he'll make his first career start against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday.

While the Raiders are 0-3, Oakland Coliseum is never an easy place to play due to the team's passionate fanbase. That being said, their pass rush has not produced (league-worst three sacks), and that should help Mayfield establish a rhythm and find his receivers, most notably No. 1 wideout Jarvis Landry.

Expect the former Oklahoma star to have a solid outing.

Projection at Oakland Raiders: 275 passing yards, 2 TD, 10 rushing yards

Top Sleeper: Miami Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill (rostered in 8 percent of Yahoo Leagues; 3,786 Monday Adds)

The Miami Dolphins are 3-0, and that's in part because of quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who has completed 73.0 percent of his passes and thrown for seven touchdowns. He's shown no signs of slowdown after suffering a torn ACL in the 2017 preseason, even rushing for an average of 24.7 yards per game.

He'll get the New England Patriots on Sunday. The Pats are off to a slow start (1-2), but it's entirely too early to discount the AFC champions.

The New England offense could finally wake up and explode Sunday, and if that happens, expect Tannehill to be busy as he tries to pass his team back into contention.

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

But if this game is more competitive, Tannehill may still fare well. The Pats have been shredded by opposing signal-callers in recent weeks: Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles threw for four touchdowns and 377 yards, and Detroit Lions signal-caller Matt Stafford completed 75 percent of his passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns.

Tannehill can certainly become the third straight quarterback to get hot against New England.

Projection at New England Patriots: 225 passing yards, 2 TD, 25 rushing yards

Running Back

Top Pickup: Jacksonville Jaguars RB Corey Grant (rostered in 5 percent of Yahoo Leagues, 29,013 Monday Adds)

The two most popular running back pickups from Monday were both Jacksonville Jaguars, as T.J. Yeldon and Corey Grant were one-two on the list.

These are speculative adds in case running back Leonard Fournette, who has missed two full games with a hamstring injury that forced him from his Week 1 game versus the New York Giants, can't go Sunday against the New York Jets. Fournette is "day to day," per Jags head coach Doug Marrone.

However, the same day-to-day status was given to Yeldon, who is dealing with an ankle injury.

If for some reason both players can't go, Grant is the clear No. 1 option on the depth chart and your top waiver-wire option at running back in Week 4. He's a lightning-quick back who ran 40-yard dash times of 4.25 and 4.27 seconds at his pro day, and he's provided the team with a change of pace from Fournette and Yeldon.

Stephen B. Morton/Associated Press

Grant has been the team's featured back just once in his career, but the results were impressive: 137 yards from scrimmage (on 20 touches) and a touchdown versus the Indianapolis Colts to cap the 2016 season. That may be a tall order against a Jets team that has held up against the run (3.9 yards per carry allowed), but Grant's speed may cause some problems.

Projection vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (if No. 1 back): 15 carries, 60 yards, 3 catches, 30 yards, 1 TD

Top Sleeper: Buffalo Bills RB Chris Ivory (rostered in 6 percent of Yahoo Leagues; 9,485 Adds)

This sleeper pick is contingent upon the status of Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy, who missed his Week 3 contest against the Minnesota Vikings with a rib injury. Bills head coach Sean McDermott called him "day to day" in his Monday presser.

If he's unable to go Sunday versus the Green Bay Packers (or is limited), then backup Chris Ivory should get more run. The veteran was a big reason the Bills pulled off the 27-6 upset Sunday, as he accrued 126 yards from scrimmage.

The Bills are 10-point underdogs against the Packers Sunday, per OddsShark, and Ivory may be busy regardless of the game flow. If the Bills are up or hanging within one score, then it would behoove them to feed Ivory and keep the ball out of Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers' hands.

If the Bills are down big, then Ivory may be used more in the pass game to move the sticks and try to keep pace. 

Projection at Green Bay Packers (if No. 1 back): 50 rushing yards, 1 TD, 30 receiving yards, 3 catches

Wide Receiver

Top Pickup: Cincinnati Bengals WR Tyler Boyd (rostered in 18 percent of Yahoo Leagues; 30,157 Adds)

What's not to like about Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd through three weeks? He's caught 15 passes for 249 yards and two scores (including six-reception weeks in each of his last two games). Quarterback Andy Dalton has targeted him an average of seven times per game, and Boyd has also played on 80.2 percent of offensive snaps.

Mike McCarn/Associated Press

His spot as the No. 2 wide receiver behind A.J. Green is clearly secure, especially with second-year pro John Ross struggling through three weeks (five catches for 27 yards).

The question is whether the production is sustainable. Boyd is on pace for 80 catches, which would dwarf his career high of 58 during his rookie season.

The guess here is Boyd's early pace may play out over 16 games. He has has never had worse than a 66.7 percent catch rate in three seasons, and that number has risen to 71.4 percent this year.

If he can hold that rate while getting more snaps, then he should be good as a solid third fantasy wideout or flex option. As for Sunday, he has a good matchup against an Atlanta Falcons team now missing three defensive starters to injury (safeties Ricardo Allen and Keanu Neal and linebacker Deion Jones).

Projection at Atlanta Falcons: 5 catches, 70 yards, 1 TD

Top Sleeper: Cleveland Browns WR Antonio Callaway (rostered in 33 percent of Yahoo Leagues; 1,109 Adds)

Cleveland Browns rookie wide receiver Antonio Callaway officially assumed a larger role in the offense when Josh Gordon was traded to the New England Patriots. While he hasn't been a big producer as of yet (seven catches, 101 yards, one touchdown through three games), there are a few encouraging signs.

Callaway saw 10 targets in Week 3 versus the New York Jets. Those looks only resulted in 20 yards, but it's encouraging that he at least had the opportunities to make plays.

Four of those targets were also deep shots, so it's not discouraging that Callaway's catch rate was 40 percent.

The Browns aren't shy letting Callaway go long, much like he did when he caught a 47-yard touchdown pass to tie the New Orleans Saints late in Week 2. All he needs to do is catch one or two deep balls to be fantasy viable, and he might get that chance against an Oakland Raiders team that has given up three touchdowns of 34 or more yards so far.

Projection at Oakland Raiders: 4 catches, 70 yards, 1 TD