Fantasy Football Week 4: Greg Olsen and Best TE Options to Replace Antonio Gates

With the news that San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates could miss a couple weeks with a foot injury, fantasy football players are searching the waiver wire for a Week 4 replacement. Here are three options to consider if you're a frustrated Gates owner.

Greg Olsen – Carolina Panthers

Greg Olsen caught his first touchdown of the season on Sunday in miserable conditions. He's slowly building a rapport with rookie quarterback Cam Newton and has the potential to be a top-10 tight end over the final 13 games.

He's a free agent in nearly 20 percent of ESPN leagues and is being started in less than a quarter. That means if you aren't fortunate enough to pick him up off the scrapheap, there's a good chance his owner would be willing to trade him.

The Panthers go up against Olsen's old team, the Chicago Bears, in Week 4. Chicago has allowed the third-most points to opposing fantasy tight ends this season. Olsen is on pace to have the best season of his career and will be motivated to show the Bears what they gave up on.

Jermaine Gresham – Cincinnati Bengals

Jermaine Gresham is already the second option in the Bengals passing game behind A.J. Green and could see an increase in targets if Jerome Simpson if forced to miss any time with his ongoing marijuana bust issues.

The second-year tight end is still learning what it takes to become a complete tight end in the NFL. That said, there isn't much talent behind him on the depth chart, so he'll continue to hold a monopoly on the snaps at the position for Cincinnati.

In Week 4, Gresham will go up against a Bills defense that allowed Rob Gronkowski to catch seven passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday. Now, Andy Dalton is no Tom Brady, but Gresham should have a pretty good day in his own right.

Scott Chandler – Buffalo Bills

Speaking of the Bills, where in the world did Scott Chandler come from? He was drafted by the Chargers in the fourth round four years ago and had just one career catch coming into the season. And now, in Buffalo's high-flying offense, he has four touchdowns in three games.

Despite the early success, Chandler is still owned in less than half of ESPN leagues. Like the Bills offense, Chadler's production will eventually slow down (especially his high TD-to-catch ratio), but there is no problem with riding the hot hand.

The good thing about Chandler is you know the Bills are going to throw the ball a lot. His targets will have a wide variation from week to week, but a matchup against Cincinnati on Sunday (25th against opposing tight ends) should produce another good week.