Fantasy football Week 4 waiver wire: Players you should target this week

As the season gets deeper — even though we’re only through three weeks — it’s tougher to find capable impact players on the waiver wire. But there’s still a few who could really make a difference for the rest of the season — and there’s always a chance for a surprise performance to pop up later in the season. So with that said, here’s a few waiver wire targets as we head into Week 4.

Calvin Ridley, WR, Atlanta Falcons

Rostered - Yahoo: 44% | ESPN: 40.8%

Hopefully you got on the Ridley train before Week 3, but a lot of people didn’t He’s still available in more than half of fantasy leagues on both Yahoo and ESPN. The three touchdown game Ridley just had was great and while that’s not something he’s going to do weekly, there’s some staying power with the presence in the Falcons offense.

Ridley is tied for second on the team in targets (15), but what he’s done with those is so much better. He has the edge on Sanu in receptions (11 to 10), yards (210 to 73), and average depth of target (14 to 6.4). Sanu appears to have a handle on the snap count advantage, but Ridley looks like he’s turning into the true No. 2 option in the passing game. As a receiver across from Julio Jones on a team that might be in some shootouts, Ridley is a must own if you’re in a league where he’s still available.

Tyler Boyd, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

Rostered - Yahoo: 17% | ESPN: 23.7%

The No. 2 option on the Bengals’ offense isn’t as sexy, but Tyler Boyd has been incredibly productive through three weeks. Boyd is second on the team in targets (21) and leads the team in receiving yards (249). Boyd isn’t exactly a deep threat, but he does lead the team in aDOT (12.0).

Right now Boyd is WR16 by PPR scoring and he’s barely owned in fantasy. The Bengals offense has been clicking since Bill Lazor took over as offensive coordinator and the Bengals have a pretty favorable schedule of secondaries over the next couple weeks with the likes of Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, and Tampa Bay among the teams faced before Cincinnati’s bye.

Geronimo Allison, WR, Green Bay Packers

Rostered - Yahoo: 34% | ESPN: 34.2%

It’s rare that a player on so many waiver wire add columns after Week 1 is still available after Week 3, but that’s where we are with Geronimo Allison. Allison hasn’t had fewer than 64 receiving yards in Green Bay’s first three games and even when he only got a season-low four targets this past week, he turned it into 76 yards and a touchdown.

Allison is only the Packers’ third receiver, but Green Bay is using 11 personnel (three wide receivers) on nearly 80 percent of their offensive snaps this season — Allison has been on the field for 75.2 percent of Green Bay’s offensive snaps. He’s the deep threat for an Aaron Rodgers offense, which is never a bad place to invest.

Buck Allen, RB, Baltimore Ravens

Rostered - Yahoo: 27% | ESPN: 39.3%

Skip ahead if you’re someone who invested in Alex Collins this season (*raises hand*). For some reason, the Ravens are fascinated by giving the ball to Allen near the goal line this season. Only Carlos Hyde, Todd Gurley, and Adrian Peterson have more carries inside the 5-yard line, which has resulted in two touchdowns.

Having Allen on your roster is banking on the Ravens continuing to get near the end zone and use Allen in this role, but there’s nothing to suggest that role is going to disappear anytime soon, even if there’s still a better back on the roster.

Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens

Rostered - Yahoo: 1% | ESPN: 1.1%

If you need a streamer at tight end or are in a super deep league, Andrews might not be a bad place to look.The Ravens will play the Steelers this week, a team that has been killed by the tight end so far this season. Andrews’s 9.9 intended air yards is ninth among tight ends with at least eight targets. Andrews is also second on the team in yards per reception (13.4). He only played 38 percent of the snaps this past week when he caught two passes for 59 yards, but he’s clearly the pass catching tight end on the roster and his role could grow.