Week 4 Waiver Wire: 3 Backups Thrown into Action Due to Injury

The injuries are beginning to pave the way for lots of backups who can really help your fantasy team.

Just because you’ve never heard of them doesn’t mean they won’t be putting up the same numbers of the players they have to replace.

Torrey Smith, WR, Baltimore Ravens

After a horrible preseason and two weeks of not being active, Smith sure did take advantage of his opportunity to play with Lee Evans out.

He only caught three passes…but all three were for TDs and he finished with 152 yards in a win over the Rams. Smith has the speed to simply outrun defenders down field and will be a threat to have numbers like this every week.

Problem is, like his teammate Evans, there will be games when the opportunities aren’t there and a big fat goose egg is put up in the box score.

I’d recommend grabbing him now before anybody else does, stashing him on the bench, and monitoring the ebbs and flows of his week-to-week performance over the next month.

Kendall Hunter, RB, San Francisco 49ers

Starter Frank Gore hurt his ankle in the second half of the 49ers victory over the Bengals on Sunday, and his status for Week 4 is questionable.

He continued to play with the injury, but was clearly slowed down and not cutting as sharp as he would like.

The rookie Hunter came off the bench and played spectacularly well, scoring the games only TD. He looked very agile and showed terrific vision.

With the 49ers run game of to such a poor start, even if Gore does play you can expect more touches for Hunter.

He is available in almost every ESPN league and right now he’s worth a spot on your team. If Gore doesn’t play he’s a must-start, and if he does, there is a great chance the injury gets worse…paving the way for Hunter to take over full time for the foreseeable future.

Bernard Scott, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

Scott isn’t forced into action because of injury, but a three-game suspension for Cedric Benson.

He hasn’t seen many touches this season...doesn’t matter.

He’ll get the full load with Benson out. I’m not expecting fantasy greatness, but any player who is going to average around 20 touches a game for the next three consecutive weeks is certainly worth a start.

The Bengals have attempted to concentrate on the run early on and expect that to continue with Scott as the featured back.