Week 4 fantasy football waiver wire must-adds

Three weeks into the NFL season and there are plenty of key players out with significant injuries, leaving many fantasy owners with important roster spots to fill.

Here are the top players who should be targeted on the waiver wire for Week 4:

1. Sam Darnold, QB, Minnesota Vikings
(rostered in 16.4% of ESPN leagues)

Darnold may have played his way into the conversation of top-10 fantasy QBs. With 268 yards and two touchdowns against the 49ers defense and 181 yards and four touchdowns against the Texans last week, Darnold has accumulated 43.1 fantasy points against two legit Super Bowl contenders in back-to-back weeks.

For players with injured stars like Jordan Love or Tua Tagovailoa, or even players with underperforming QBs like Kirk Cousins, Trevor Lawrence, Will Levis, DeShaun Watson, adding Darnold might be a good way to turn their season around.

2. Andrei Iosivas, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
(rostered in 7.1% of ESPN leagues)

On a team with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, who could’ve guessed that Iosivas would be leading the Bengals in touchdowns through three weeks. The 24-year-old has quickly become a go-to target for quarterback Joe Burrow in the red zone, which could pay dividends for fantasy players.

With a combined seven catches, 59 yards, three touchdowns and 30.9 fantasy points the last two weeks, Iosivas may be worth adding and stashing on your bench while he’s still available, or he might be a worthwhile play as a WR2 or a flex.

3. Allen Lazard, WR, New York Jets
(rostered in 34.2% of ESPN leagues)

With Garrett Wilson commanding most of the attention from opposing defenses, it’s freed up Lazard to put up some strong numbers, and his chemistry with QB Aaron Rodgers from their time together in Green Bay is becoming increasingly apparent.

Lazard put up 26.9 fantasy points in Week 1 (six receptions, 89 yards, two TDs) and 13.8 points last week (three receptions, 48 yards, one TD), and he could be an underrated add for a team needing a solid WR2 or flex option.

4. Zach Ertz, TE, Washington Commanders (rostered in 19.5% of ESPN leagues)

With injuries to some of the top tight ends in the league including George Kittle, Sam LaPorta, Evan Engram and David Njoku, picking up Ertz while he’s still available in 80% of most leagues might not be a bad idea.

He has 13 targets, 12 receptions and 128 yards through three games, and he’s quickly becoming a go-to target for rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. Ertz has been around the 10-fantasy-point mark each of the last two weeks, and he should be a steady fantasy contributor going forward.

5. Emmanuel Wilson, RB, Green Bay Packers
(rostered in 2% of ESPN leagues)

The Packers have ran the ball more than they typically would have the last two weeks due to Love’s injury, and Wilson has been the beneficiary of that decision. 

He had a career-high 12 carries and 50 yards against Tennessee last season (16.5 fantasy points), and he should start consistently seeing 10-12 carries per game if the Packers want to keep Josh Jacobs fresh for the whole season. Wilson is by no means an RB1 or RB2, but he could be worth adding for players needing an insurance policy for Christian McCaffrey or Joe Mixon, or as a flex play for teams down a receiver or two.