Week 4 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Why Owners Should Avoid WR Kevin Ogletree

Yes, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin is out until after the team's Week 5 bye, but do not think that's a good reason to replace him on your fantasy roster with Kevin Ogletree.

Ogletree is a starter in name only; with both Austin and Dez Bryant healthy, there is little to no reason for him to be on the field. He's been with the team for three seasons now but has never gotten much playing time, and it's not for lack of opportunity.

It's because, simply, he's terrible. Well, terrible might be a strong word, but he's certainly whatever is a few notches below "inconsistent," and just as that won't help the Cowboys win games, it won't help your fantasy team either.

In fact, the majority of Ogletree's contributions to the Cowboys' Week 3 win over the Washington Redskins seemed to only help the cause of losing. Only his final catch, to set up Dallas' game-winning field goal, served to assist his team. He spent most of the game in quarterback Tony Romo's doghouse, as mistake after mistake nearly cost his team the win.

Football Outsiders has a pithy breakdown of Ogletree's Monday night performance that highlights exactly why he has no fantasy football value:

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A one-yard reception on second-and-14, which turned into a lost fumble after a video review; incompletion on first-and-10; intended target on an interception; incompletion on third-and-seven; seven-yard gain on third-and-14; incompletion on third-and-goal (followed by a public tongue-lashing from Tony Romo); and finally the one thing he did right, a 20-yard gain to set up the winning field goal.

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Do not examine this paragraph looking for an upside, nor should you shift the blame to Romo. Ogletree was targeted seven times out of necessity only, and he did nothing with nearly all of them. Yes, he will get a similar number of targets every week that Austin is out, but the odds are that he will fail to make plays far more often than he will gain yardage.

The NFL has become a ridiculously pass-dependent affair through the first three weeks of the 2011 season, and that means that a number of wide receivers have emerged as quality fantasy football options.

Your waiver wire likely has available receivers who are far more consistent and far more talented than Ogletree. You would be much better served by adding one of them. Just as he hurt the Cowboys last night, Ogletree will hurt your fantasy team if you decide to rely on him.