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Last-Minute Waiver Wire Dart Throws & Replacements: Week 4 (2022)

Last-Minute Waiver Wire Dart Throws & Replacements: Week 4 (2022)

Fantasy football can be an extremely fun game to play. It can also be highly frustrating at times. Nothing is more annoying than needing to make a last-minute waiver wire move because someone in your starting lineup is out for the week.

Sadly, there isn’t much you can do about it. However, I’m going to try to help.

Every week I will have six players you can grab off the waiver wire at the last minute and throw into your lineup. Some will succeed, while others will fail. Unfortunately, that’s how the game of fantasy football is played.

All the players in this article are rostered in under 35% of ESPN leagues.

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Ryan Tannehill (QB – TEN) vs. Indianapolis Colts (15.5% Rostered)

The Titans haven’t gotten off to a strong start this season, with a 1-2 record. However, Tannehill has played well for fantasy players. He scored only 0.9 fantasy points in Week 2 against an elite Buffalo Bills defense and got pulled because of the blowout. Yet, the veteran quarterback has averaged 19.1 fantasy points per game in the other two games this season, scoring at least 18.8 fantasy points in both contests. Furthermore, Tannehill plays his best when facing the divisional rival Colts. In the two matchups against Indianapolis last season, the veteran averaged three passing touchdowns and 21.3 fantasy points per contest.

Furthermore, he has scored at least two total touchdowns in four of five career matchups against the Colts as a Titan. Meanwhile, the Colts have surrendered an average of 17.2 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season, slightly above the league average. They have also given up five passing touchdowns and an average of 245.7 passing yards per game to quarterbacks. Removing the awful matchup against the Bills, Tannehill has the 12th highest fantasy point per game average among quarterbacks this year. So if you need a last-minute replacement for Jameis Winston, Tannehill is your guy.

Dontrell Hilliard (RB – TEN) vs. Indianapolis Colts (9.9% Rostered)

Tennessee’s offense flows through Derrick Henry. After back-to-back quiet performances to start the year, the veteran running back scored 22.8 half-point PPR fantasy points last week against the Las Vegas Raiders. However, Henry’s only weakness is his lack of skills in the passing game. Hilliard fills that role for the Titans. In Week 1, he scored 20.4 half-point PPR fantasy points against the New York Giants. Hilliard had 61 receiving yards and found the end zone twice in that game.

While his ceiling is limited, Hilliard is a solid last-minute replacement option in deeper leagues. The Colts have held running backs to 17.3 half-point PPR fantasy points per game, giving up only 2.5 rushing yards per attempt this season. However, they have struggled to slow down pass-catching running backs. Indianapolis has given up an average of 5.3 receptions for 40.7 receiving yards and 6.7 half-point PPR fantasy points per game to running back in the passing game this season. If the Titans struggle to move the ball on the ground, Hilliard could have an uptick in work this week.

Craig Reynolds (RB – DET) vs. Seattle Seahawks (6.8% Rostered)

Unfortunately for the Lions and fantasy players, D’Andre Swift will miss this week’s game because of a shoulder injury. With their bye week coming in Week 6, all reports suggest the Lions will rest the star running back down until their Week 7 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys. While that is disappointing for Swift and fantasy players, it opens up the door for Reynolds. The Hard Knocks fan favorite has played sparingly this season because of Jamaal Williams.

However, Reynolds has played well when given the ball, averaging 0.52 half-point PPR fantasy points per touch on his 11 touches this season. More importantly, he will see more work this week with Swift out of the lineup. Williams will take over as the lead back, but expect Reynolds to slide into Williams’ role as the RB2 guy. Despite Swift’s outstanding play this season, Williams averaged 12.5 touches and 11 half-point PPR fantasy points per game over the first two weeks. Meanwhile, Reynolds scored 12.2 half-point PPR fantasy points in his lone meaningful start last season. Hopefully, the young running back finds his way into the end zone on Sunday.

Isaiah McKenzie (WR – BUF) vs. Baltimore Ravens (19% Rostered)

I’m surprised McKenzie’s rostered percentage isn’t higher, given all of his preseason hype. Furthermore, the veteran is the WR35 for the year in half-point PPR scoring, averaging 10.4 fantasy points per game. He is second on the team with four receiving touchdowns despite averaging only five targets per game. However, McKenzie saw an uptick in work last week, with Gabriel Davis dealing with an ankle injury. The veteran caught seven of his nine targets for 76 yards and a touchdown while scoring 17.7 half-point PPR fantasy points, a season-high.

While he will play again this week, Davis tweaked his ankle injury in practice and won’t be 100% for the matchup against the Ravens. Thus, opening up more targets and a bigger role for McKenzie. More importantly, Baltimore has struggled to defend the pass this season. They have surrendered 46.7 half-point PPR fantasy points per game to wide receivers, the most in the NFL. Furthermore, the Ravens have given up five touchdowns to wide receivers this season, the fourth-most in the league. With the great matchup and Davis at less than 100%, McKenzie is the ideal last-minute replacement for Michael Thomas.

Alec Pierce (WR – IND) vs. Tennessee Titans (7.7% Rostered)

Sometimes you need to dig deep when looking for replacement options on the wavier wire. Yet, if you dig deep enough, you will find a diamond in the rough. This week that diamond is Pierce. The rookie’s career didn’t get off to a great start, scoring zero fantasy points in Week 1 before missing Week 2 with a concussion. However, he showed promise last week against the Kansas City Chiefs. Pierce caught three of his five targets for 61 yards and scored 7.6 half-point PPR fantasy points in the win.

More importantly, the rookie was third on the team in targets last week, finishing behind Michael Pittman and Nyheim Hines. However, he did that despite playing fewer snaps than Parris Campbell, who had only two targets in the game. Meanwhile, the Titans have been awful at stopping wide receivers this year. They have given up an average of two touchdowns and 40.1 half-point PPR fantasy points per game to the position. Furthermore, wide receivers have totaled 31 receptions for 457 receiving yards, five touchdowns, and 45.5 half-point PPR fantasy points against the Titans over the past two weeks. So, consider the rookie if you need a last-minute dart throw wide receiver.

Robert Tonyan (TE – GB) vs. New England Patriots (20.4% Rostered)

When looking for a last-minute tight end replacement, you want to look for players who have earned their quarterback’s trust. Tonyan clearly has Aaron Rodgers‘ trust, given Green Bay’s young wide receiver core. After starting the season slowly, the veteran tight end found his footing last week. Tonyan saw seven targets and scored 7.2 half-point PPR fantasy points over the first two weeks of the year before seeing seven targets and scoring 6.7 fantasy points last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. More importantly, the veteran was second on the team in targets last week, finishing ahead of Allen Lazard and Aaron Jones.

Meanwhile, the Patriots have struggled to stop tight ends this season, giving up 15.6 half-point PPR fantasy points per game to the position. Yes, they faced Mark Andrews last week, and he is arguably the best tight end in football. However, the Patriots surrendered 10.2 half-point PPR fantasy points to Pat Freiermuth in Week 2. Furthermore, they have ceded 2.4 half-point PPR fantasy points per reception to tight ends not named Andrews this season. If Rodgers gives Tonyan another seven targets on Sunday, the veteran likely ends the week as a low-end TE1.

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If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant – which allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team and by how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.

Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.

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