Fantasy Football Week 4: Waiver-Wire Pickups, Rankings and Stat Projections

The 2019 NFL season is definitely off to a wild start—particularly for fantasy football enthusiasts.

Injuries have been a big part of the equation. We've watched players such as Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees, Quincy Enunwa and David Njoku go down already. Washington Redskins tight end Jordan Reed has also been ruled out for Monday night's game with a concussion.

On Sunday, New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley suffered an ankle injury and was on crutches during the game.

There have been plenty of surprising and disappointing performances from healthy players too. Jacksonville Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette, for example, has produced 179 yards rushing and 94 yards receiving but hasn't found the end zone through three weeks.

Teammate DJ Chark Jr., meanwhile, has hit pay dirt in every game this season—he has 15 receptions for 277 yards and three scores.

Finding fantasy players you can rely on has been difficult in 2019. Here, we'll take a look at the top players at each position who should be reliable in Week 4. We'll also examine some top waiver-wire targets—for those players you're not willing to trust.

Week 4 Player Rankings and Stat Projections

Quarterbacks

1. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys: 360 yards passing, 3 TDs, 40 yards rushing

2. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens: 290 yards passing, 2 TDs, 70 yards rushing

3. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks: 315 yards passing, 2 TDs, 30 yards rushing

4. Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans: 300 yards passing, 2 TDs, 30 yards rushing

5. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs: 310 yards passing, 2 TDs

6. Philip Rivers, Los Angeles Chargers: 310 yards passing, 2 TDs

7. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons: 295 yards passing, 2 TDs

8. Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals: 290 yards passing, 2 TDs

9. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers: 290 yards passing, 2 TDs

10. Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams: 285 yards passing, 2 TDs

Waiver-Wire Target: Jacoby Brissett, Indianapolis Colts

Losing Andrew Luck to retirement hurt the Indianapolis Colts. There's no denying that. However, it hasn't derailed their season.

Indianapolis lost in overtime in Week 1 but hasn't lost since. A big reason for that has been the steady play of quarterback Jacoby Brissett.

The 26-year-old hasn't lit up the stat sheet the way Luck often did, but he's been extremely reliable.

"That's exactly how he's been since the minute 12 retired," wideout Chester Rogers said, per Zak Keefer of The Athletic. "He's had this."

So far, Brissett has passed for 646 yards with seven touchdowns and just one interception. He had 310 yards and two scores against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3. 

Next week, the Colts will host the Oakland Raiders, who held Kirk Cousins to 174 yards on Sunday but allowed an average of 342.5 passing yards coming into Week 3. They'll also be making the lengthy trip from the Bay Area to the midwest, which makes Brissett's next matchup even more favorable.

Brissett is currently available in 81 percent of Yahoo leagues, according to FantasyPros.

Running Backs

1. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys: 150 yards rushing, 70 yards receiving, 2 TDs

2. Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers: 110 yards rushing, 110 yards receiving, 2 TDs

3. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints: 120 yards rushing, 90 yards receiving, 1 TD

4. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers: 100 yards rushing, 80 yards receiving, 1 TD

5. Chris Carson, Seattle Seahawks: 100 yards rushing, 70 yards receiving, 1 TD

6. Mark Ingram, Baltimore Ravens: 110 yards rushing, 30 yards receiving, 1 TD

7. Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams: 120 yards rushing, 20 yards receiving, 1 TD

8. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns: 100 yards rushing, 10 yards receiving, 1 TD

9. Marlon Mack, Indianapolis Colts: 90 yards rushing, 20 yards receiving, 1 TD

10. Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals: 85 yards rushing, 25 yards receiving, 1 TD

Waiver-Wire Target: Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys

Michael Ainsworth/Associated Press

The Dallas Cowboys aren't going to run over opponents every week like they did the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. However, Week 3 gave a solid indication that they can and should be working rookie Tony Pollard into the running back rotation.

It's hard to justify taking a standout like Ezekiel Elliott off the field, but if Dallas wants to keep him fresh for a playoff running, it should.

This was the approach against Miami. Elliott had 19 carries for 125 yards. Pollard spelled him often and racked up 128 combined rushing and receiving yards and a touchdown.

Pollard isn't likely to top the 100-yard mark every single week, but he should be in store for more production than the 23 rushing yards he averaged coming into Week 3.

Expect the 22-year-old to see 10-plus touches per game moving forward and be a viable flex option. He'll also maintain value as a handcuff for Elliott.

According to FantasyPros, Pollard is available in 82 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Wide Receivers

1. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers: 160 yards receiving, 1 TD

2. Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers: 155 yards receiving, 1 TD

3. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons, 150 yards receiving, 1 TD

4. DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans: 145 yards receiving, 1 TD

5. Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys: 140 yards receiving, 1 TD

6. Marquise Brown, Baltimore Ravens: 130 yards receiving, 1 TD

7. Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints: 120 yards receiving, 1 TD

8. Odell Beckham Jr., Cleveland Browns: 110 yards receiving, 1 TD

9. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers: 160 yards receiving

10. Kenny Golladay, Detroit Lions: 155 yards receiving

Waiver-Wire Target: Mecole Hardman, Kansas City Chiefs

When the Kansas City Chiefs used a second-round pick on wideout Mecole Hardman, many folks viewed it as insurance for Tyreek Hill, who was being investigated for possible child abuse at the time. Now, Hill is out with a shoulder injury, and Hardman is beginning to take off.

Hardman caught two passes for 97 yards and a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3. One of those receptions was an incredible 83-yard catch-and-run, and the 21-year-old may not have even been at top speed.

As long as Hill remains out, Hardman is going to have value as a big-play threat. This makes the second straight week in which he's found the end zone—he had four catches for 61 yards and a score in Week 2—and he is likely to only improve as he continues adjusting to NFL defenses.

Hardman is currently available in 52 percent of Yahoo leagues, according to FantasyPros.

Tight Ends

1. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens: 110 yards receiving, 1 TD

2. Evan Engram, New York Giants: 90 yards receiving, 1 TD

3. Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles: 85 yards receiving, 1 TD

4. T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions: 85 yards receiving, 1 TD

5. Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans: 80 yards receiving, 1 TD

6. Eric Ebron, Indianapolis Colts: 75 yards receiving, 1 TD

7. Vance McDonald, Pittsburgh Steelers: 70 yards receiving, 1 TD

8. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs: 130 yards receiving

9. Darren Waller, Oakland Raiders: 110 yards receiving

10. Austin Hooper, Atlanta Falcons: 105 yards receiving

Waiver-Wire Target: Jordan Akins, Houston Texans

Tight end Jordan Akins had his coming-out party in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Central Florida product caught three passes for 73 yards and two touchdowns.

Could Akins' performance be an aberration? Of course. He only had three catches for 42 yards over the first two weeks. However, Deshaun Watson appeared to have chemistry with his tight ends against L.A.

Akins and Darren Fells combined for 122 yards and three touchdowns on eight receptions. If this sort of quarterback-tight end chemistry is to continue, then Akins will be a viable fantasy option.

Is Akins a bit of a risk? Sure. But he's worth a flier and he's available in almost all Yahoo leagues, according to FantasyPros.

Kickers

1. Will Lutz, New Orleans Saints: 4 FG, 2 XP

2. Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens: 3 FG, 3 XP

3. Stephen Gostkowski, New England Patriots: 3 FG, 3 XP

4. Zane Gonzalez, Arizona Cardinals: 3 FG, 2 XP

5. Randy Bullock, Cincinnati Bengals, 3 FG, 2 XP

6. Josh Lambo, Jacksonville Jaguars: 3 FG, 2 XP

7. Brett Maher, Dallas Cowboys: 2 FG, 5 XP

8. Greg Zuerlein, Los Angeles Rams: 2 FG, 4 XP

9. Jason Myers, Seattle Seahawks: 2 FG, 4 XP

10. Austin Seibert, Cleveland Browns: 3 FG, 1 XP