We asked our writers to name their top waiver wire targets at running back and wide receiver entering Week 4 of the 2018 fantasy football season. Here’s what they said.
All players are owned in 30% or less of Yahoo leagues.
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Who’s your top running back pickup of the week?
Javorius Allen (BAL)
What if I told you there’s a widely-available running back on a high-scoring offense who leads his team in snaps and has four touchdowns through three games? Sounds too good to be true, right? It is, because that man is Buck Allen. And while Allen’s 2.0 yards per carry rank dead last (min. 15 carries), and his 5.4 yards per reception isn’t much better, he continues to get decent volume and goal line work. I’m not dying to get him onto my roster, but it’s slim pickings this week.
Scott Cedar – @scedar015
Parlaying 102 yards into four touchdowns is entirely unsustainable for Javorius Allen, who has pounded in a rushing score every game despite averaging 2.0 yards per carry with no double-digit run. Yet he continues to split the reps with Alex Collins while drawing 17 targets and red-zone reps. Also, this week is light on waiver-wire options. He could help as a plug-in flex play once bye weeks start piling up.
Andrew Gould – @andrewgould4
Allen is seeing heavy use in the red zone and passing game for Baltimore. His early-season scoring binge is unsustainable, but he is also due for some correction in the efficiency department after producing just 32 yards on 16 carries this season. The Ravens are moving the ball well and this will lead to plenty of opportunities for touches despite the presence of Alex Collins.
Justin Mackey
Ty Montgomery (GB)
I will preface this by saying I would probably only pick up Montgomery in PPR leagues, but I think his involvement in Green Bay’s passing game is worth noting. He caught six passes for 48 yards, adding an additional 16 yards on the ground. The Packers’ receivers failed to make big plays Sunday against Washington, but Montgomery had his best fantasy performance of the season, catching more passes out of the backfield. Green Bay’s running game is now a three-headed monster with Aaron Jones back from suspension, but Montgomery is worth rostering in deeper PPR leagues. His 10 touches led all backs in Green Bay this week, and if Randall Cobb continues to be a non-factor, I could see Montgomery becoming the No. 3 option for Aaron Rodgers behind Davante Adams and Geronimo Allison.
Jon Munshaw – @jon_munshaw
Now that Aaron Jones is back, Mike McCarthy may be reverting to a frustrating committee backfield in Green Bay. In the Packers’ Week 3 loss in Washington, Jones generated 47 yards on seven touches, while Jamaal Williams accumulated 45 yards on his seven touches. Montgomery led the way with 10 touches, including six receptions as the Packers were in comeback mode. Montgomery is likely to remain a weekly factor in the passing game, so he may be the best target for owners in PPR formats.
Jody Smith – @JodySmithNFL
Jalen Richard (OAK)
Oakland looks to be a bad team, which means they will be trailing a lot. This means that Jalen Richard’s value increases. In two games that they decided to employ Richard, he got 15 receptions and scored double-digit fantasy points. He is emerging as Oakland’s Chris Thompson. And he hasn’t even had the game where he goes off. It will happen.
Ronald Jones (TB)
The second-round pick had an admittedly terrible preseason, but with Peyton Barber rushing for only 124 yards on 43 carries and catching one of his four targets for seven yards over the first three games (games in which his team has averaged 34 points per game) the Buccaneers surely have to give Jones a chance at some point. He’s not a priority add and I wouldn’t use FAAB or a waiver spot on him, but I’m stashing him in most places as a purely speculative add.
Ryan Melosi – @RTMelos
Who’s your top wide receiver pickup of the week?
Tyler Boyd (CIN)
Boyd has been the clear number two in Cincinnati, playing 80% of the snaps and trailing only A.J. Green in targets. After a slow start, he’s exploded over the last two games, turning 16 targets into 12 catches, 223 yards, and two scores. The breakout comes at a great time. Green may be sidelined in Week 4, which would leave Boyd as the Bengals’ top option against a Falcons defense that just got torched by New Orleans and has lost both of its starting safeties for the year.
Scott Cedar – @scedar015
I am very surprised that Boyd wasn’t picked up more often during the last waiver wire period, but he certainly will be now after back-to-back strong performances. He hauled in six passes for 132 yards and a touchdown, a week after scoring a touchdown and putting up 91 yards. He continues to push second-year receiver John Ross for playing time and has cemented himself as Andy Dalton’s No. 2 option. With A.J. Green on and off the field against the Panthers, Boyd played 78 percent of the team’s offensive snaps, compared to 48 percent for Ross – a week after Boyd played 17 percent more snaps than him.
Jon Munshaw – @jon_munshaw
Calvin Ridley (44 percent), Geronimo Allison (34 percent), and Antonio Callaway (33 percent) don’t qualify, but there’s still one more chance to snag Tyler Boyd. For the second straight week, the Cincinnati wideout reached the end zone on one of his six catches. He registered 223 yards on 16 targets during those breakout games. It’s safe to say he’s far better than John Ross, who has 27 yards on 13 targets. A.J. Green left Sunday’s game early with a groin early, so Boyd could propel into a must-start at Atlanta if his superstar teammate can’t play. It might be worth riding the hot hand in Week 4 regardless.
Andrew Gould – @andrewgould4
Boyd has emerged over the past two weeks as the clear WR2 for the Bengals. He saw seven targets and one rush attempt in the Bengals’ loss to Carolina on his way to 137 total yards and one touchdown. Boyd could be in line for even more work if A.J. Green’s groin injury limits him in the coming weeks.
Justin Mackey
Cole Beasley (DAL)
Tyler Boyd is the correct answer, but digging a little deeper, the Dallas passing game is a disaster, so no shame in wanting to avoid it altogether. Beasley led the Cowboys’ wideouts with five targets in Week 3 and should see a decent number of attempts in Week 4 against a Detroit secondary that has been exploited so far in 2018.
Jody Smith – @JodySmithNFL
Antonio Callaway (CLE)
At the moment, he is only 33% owned in Yahoo leagues, so we’re cheating a bit. Still, Callaway is worth a mention considering he narrowly misses the cut and remains available in a large majority of leagues. With Mayfield at the helm, Callaway is going to be Cleveland’s Will Fuller. He’s uberfast, versatile, and is on the field a lot. He had double-digit targets in the game that the Browns won. He wasn’t all that productive but target share is key. And since he didn’t light it up, he will be a cheaper add than other possible candidates. Look for this wayward rookie to shine now that he has a decent quarterback throwing him the ball.
Christian Kirk (ARI)
Pick up Boyd if you can because he’s the clear best option here, but with him being listed over and over I’ll give another option. Christian Kirk (3% owned) saw eight targets against the Bears, catching seven of them for 90 yards. He saw three targets on Josh Rosen’s two possessions. With Rosen expected to start and Larry Fitzgerald banged up it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see Kirk emerge as the team’s most reliable wideout. The offense still looks lost under Mike McCoy, but in deeper leagues he’s worth a look.
Ryan Melosi – @RTMelos
So there you have it, the top WRs and RBs our writers are targeting on the waiver wire the week. Have any other questions? Let us know @FantasyPros.
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