Fantasy Football
Ken DaubeJim McCormick 6y

Joe Flacco among top fantasy football last-minute pickups for Week 4

Fantasy, Fantasy NFL

Each week of the NFL campaign we sift through the deeper options at each position with an eye on identifying streaming fantasy commodities with valuable matchups to consider.

Now that bye weeks are upon us, along with the inevitable injuries that occur each week, you might require replacement options if you are dealing with depth issues. We have some choice names to consider for those seeking widely available options at each position.

Quarterback

Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins (69.6 percent available)

My selections this week are made from the pool of players rostered in 20 percent or fewer of ESPN leagues. Through the first three weeks of the season, Tannehill has not only led the Miami Dolphins to a 3-0 start, he's done it while scoring the 13th-most fantasy points at the quarterback position, including posting more than 25 points during Week 3. Tannehill's receiving options on the surface aren't scary, but head coach Adam Gase is creating mismatches that have led to the Dolphins being fourth in the league in terms of passing plays of 30 yards or more.

Playing against the New England Patriots is a blessing for this streaming option. Not only have the Pats allowed almost 11 yards per completion, Tannehill has been successful during his recent matchups against them. In fact, he's averaged 345 passing yards in his past four games against New England, and thrown for at least 300 yards in each game. With Cam Newton and Alex Smith on bye, Tannehill is a great replacement option. -- Daube

Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens (84.9 percent available)

Reputations are hard to shake. The Baltimore offense has been poor for several seasons, but the Ravens have averaged a stellar 32 points per game during their past eight regular-season games. The projected total for this game in Pittsburgh has been pushed up to a robust 51 points after opening at 48.5 per the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, suggesting this could become an offensive duel as opposed to the archetype brutal AFC North battle. My nomination at quarterback for the second straight week, Flacco is positioned as a strong streaming option against a Steelers defense that has allowed a generous 29.2 fantasy points per game to opposing signal-callers this season, third most in the league. -- McCormick

Running Back

Nyheim Hines, Indianapolis Colts (86.6 percent available)

There's not much deep on the waiver wire at running back, but Hines is worth a one-week flier because of his receiving capabilities. Hines was used as the primary two-minute-drill back against the Philadelphia Eagles and finished the game with five catches. The Texans are on the schedule next and have allowed six or more targets to opposing running backs in two of their three games. They've also allowed five of the 23 total running back targets to become receptions of 10 yards or more. With a decent target number, Hines could easily post a double-digit fantasy total. -- Daube

LeGarrette Blount, Detroit Lions (84.0 percent available)

For those in a desperate spot at tailback, Blount has netted at least nine touches in consecutive games and as last week's 18-touch showing revealed, a positive game script with the Lions leading can mean a heavy workload for the veteran bruiser. The Cowboys have been solid against the run to date, so there is defined risk in deploying an early-down bruiser like Blount. For those in PPR formats looking for a higher floor, Darren Sproles could return to the Eagles lineup and serve a meaningful role in the screen game given the team's lack of playmakers in space. -- McCormick

Wide Receiver

Antonio Callaway, Cleveland Browns (69.4 percent available)

While it sure felt like Baker Mayfield was locked in to Jarvis Landry last Thursday night, Callaway received five targets in just more than the half of play that Mayfield was on the field. That'd project to nine targets over a full game, which is the type of number you see elite receivers get. Callaway doesn't need nine targets to be worth starting, six would suffice. And with Mayfield running the show, it's a pretty good bet he sees them, especially against the Oakland Raiders, who have allowed opposing quarterbacks to attain 8.65 net yards per passing attempt, a number that is third worst in the league. -- Daube

Christian Kirk, Arizona Cardinals (88.8 percent available)

Kirk is tied for the team lead among receivers in routes per game and with a clean 80-percent catch rate through three weeks, his usage and production patterns are trending upward. Getting shares of Kirk against a Seattle secondary allowing the 12th-most fantasy points to receivers this season could prove rewarding. For those willing to chase an atypically high ceiling at the flex, albeit with a lower floor than Kirk's, the Miami Dolphins' Jakeem Grant has been electric with the ball in his hands and the Dolphins could be forced to accelerate their slow offensive pace as road dogs in Foxborough. -- McCormick

Tight End

Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles (88.9 percent available)

It would be easy to downgrade Goedert's upside due to the presence of star tight end Zach Ertz. Doing so would be irresponsible. Carson Wentz returned to run the Philadelphia Eagles offense this past Sunday, throwing 37 total passes. With Goedert being the second option at tight end, you typically wouldn't expect the 7-73-1 line he posted, nor would most expect those numbers might be repeatable. But here's why they are: 21 of Wentz' 37 pass attempts went to tight ends. Further consider that Wentz hasn't been able to fully practice with Goedert and there's plenty of room for optimism. -- Daube

Benjamin Watson, New Orleans Saints (65.3 percent available)

Fourth on the Saints with 29.7 routes run per game -- a rate that ranks eighth among tight ends -- Watson's fantasy stock is further buoyed by the fact Drew Brees has targeted him on a healthy 17 percent of his routes this season. Watson leads all tight ends with 6.3 red-zone routes per game and is one of 11 tight ends to average at least one red-zone target per game on the young season. Given the shallow nature of the position, Watson is an impressive streaming candidate against a Giants defense that has allowed the third-most fantasy points to tight ends since the start of last season. -- McCormick

D/ST

Detroit Lions (88.5 percent available)

If there's one thing to take away from Sunday night's dominant win over the Patriots, it's that coach Matt Patricia employed Bill Belichick's longstanding strategy of taking away the other team's best weapon. The Lions accomplished that by consistently double-teaming Rob Gronkowski and limited him to just four catches. This week, they will travel to Dallas, and if there's anything super apparent about the Cowboys this year, it's that they have only one true weapon, Ezekiel Elliott. Look for Patricia to utilize the above-average quickness of his linebackers to limit Elliott, thus making the Lions a solid streaming option. -- Daube

Cleveland Browns (46.1 percent available)

Streaming the Browns' defense on the road might seem foolish, but this 2018 group appears ascendant based on several key advanced metrics -- this after facing the Steelers and Saints already this season. Cleveland is seventh in pressure rate (31.5 percent of opposing dropbacks), eighth in sack rate, have allowed the fourth-lowest passer rating and seventh-fewest points per drive. Then we look to the matchup, with the Raiders sporting the fifth-highest interception rate while ranking 23rd in points per drive. -- McCormick

Individual defensive players (IDP)

Defensive line

Margus Hunt, Indianapolis Colts (84.1 percent available)

At some point, we must recognize the fact Hunt is third among defensive linemen in fantasy production using ESPN's IDP scoring key. That point can be now; Hunt has at least three tackles in each outing and three sacks already on the season. The Texans' patchwork offensive line has allowed Deshaun Watson to be pressured on 40 percent of dropbacks this season, the highest rate in the NFL. -- McCormick

Linebacker

Avery Williamson, New York Jets (73.3 percent available)

On the field for nearly every defensive snap in an aggressive blitz-happy role for the Jets, Williamson could be very busy corralling the Jacksonville ball-carriers this Sunday. A comparably productive and widely available option would be Cory Littleton of the Rams, who has been productive in Alec Ogletree's place. -- McCormick

Defensive back

Kenny Vaccaro, Tennessee Titans (89.3 percent available)

The Titans' leader in defensive snaps and third on the roster in total tackles, Vaccaro can serve as a pseudo-linebacker in run support and should prove busy policing the passing lanes against an up-tempo Philadelphia offense. -- McCormick

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