Week 4 Waiver-Wire Pickups: Available Sleepers in Most Yahoo Leagues

The biggest fantasy players after a whirlwind NFL Week 3 were not necessarily the names you'd expect. 

Sure, New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara led all running backs in point-per-reception leagues with 44.7 points. But would you have bet the shirt off your back that behind him at No. 2 would be the New England Patriots' Rex Burkhead, he of three touchdowns, with 34.8 points?

There were other unheralded heroes Sunday. Former San Francisco 49ers undrafted free agent Jeff Wilson Jr. is rostered in less than a quarter of all leagues, but he was the ninth-best running back on Sunday with 18.9 points. 

Among tight ends, the Indianapolis Colts' Mo Alie-Cox is rostered in just 10 percent of Yahoo leagues, but he was the sixth-best at the position in Week 3 with 14 points.

Right ahead of him, with 16 points, was the Green Bay Packers' Robert Tonyan, who might be the deepest fantasy sleeper of all time to finish in the top five in a position group: He's rostered in just 1 percent of leagues. 

Let's take a closer look at three of the names you should look out for when you submit your waiver claims this week. 

Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings (Rostered: 32 percent)

The Minnesota Vikings may not play in Week 4 as the team suspends in-person activities because of COVID-19 concerns after members of the Tennessee Titans, whom they hosted Sunday, tested positive for the virus. 

However, if Vikings wideout Justin Jefferson is available in your league, play the long game and submit a claim for him.

The first-round rookie out of LSU has to be the worst-kept secret in fantasy football. After Week 3, he's rostered in just 32 percent of Yahoo leagues, but that number will almost certainly swell after the Week 4 waiver wire transactions clear. 

The Vikings kept Jefferson somewhat hidden during the first two weeks of the season, when he was targeted just three times each against the Green Bay Packers in Week 1 and the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2.

But there was no denying his star power on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. On nine targets, Jefferson hauled in seven receptions for 175 yards and a touchdown.

That score was off a 71-yard deep shot, and Jefferson fought through almost falling down after bringing in the ball and then juking two defenders before he sidled into the end zone.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, Jefferson was the first Vikings rookie with 100 receiving yards in a half since Randy Moss on Nov. 26, 1998, against the Cowboys.

The Vikings may have suffered their third loss on the season Sunday, but Jefferson is a bright spot for their future. 

Jeff Wilson Jr., RB, San Francisco 49ers (Rostered: 23 percent)

After Jerick McKinnon went down with a rib injury on Sunday, 49ers running back Jeff Wilson took the baton to great success.

He had only 15 yards on 12 carries, but he found the end zone both on the ground and through the air, where he tallied 54 yards on three receptions.

The 49ers have already been plagued by injuries in this short season, despite the dominance of their 36-9 victory over the Giants in Week 3. The running back position has been hit particularly hard, as the status of Raheem Mostert's MCL for Week 4 is unknown. 

Wilson, who signed with the team as an undrafted free agent in 2018, had no passing targets in Week 2. But Kyle Shanahan's love for pass-catching running backs is unbridled, and at least while McKinnon and/or Mostert are out, Wilson has flex value. He's likely to be involved in the running and passing games and get work near the goal line.

If you have injuries on your bench, Wilson is a great short-term play. He's projected to get 10.8 points in PPR leagues in Week 4. 

Rex Burkhead, RB, New England Patriots (Rostered: 11 percent)

Stew Milne/Associated Press

Ah, Patriots running backs. They score 27 points when they're on your bench (if they're even rostered in your league at all), and they score zero when you start them (sometimes because Bill Belichick has benched them, for various reasons). 

Very few fantasy managers had Rex Burkhead on their rosters in Week 3; a miniscule amount started him. But the Nebraska product had a monster day, scoring three touchdowns: two rushing (six carries, 49 yards) and one receiving (seven receptions, 49 yards). 

Top back James White has missed two games in a row for personal reasons, and the Patriots' backfield-by-committee approach is well established. Burkhead isn't a sure thing by any means, but what player is in fantasy? 

It's more than likely you have flex player injuries on your bench, as Chris Carson, Cam Akers, Saquon Barkley, Duke Johnson, Phillip Lindsay, Christian McCaffrey, Marlon Mack and Justin Jackson are just some of those players. 

Burkhead may only be a viable play for a week or two, but there is plenty of work to go around in the Patriots backfield. He's projected to get 9.1 points in PPR leagues in Week 4 at Kansas City.  

Player rostered data for Yahoo leagues and point projections via FantasyPros.