Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: With Saquon Barkley Sidelined, Wayne Gallman An Option At Running Back
Matt Citak
(CBS Local/CBS Boston)- Week 3 was yet another wild one in the NFL.
Due to numerous injuries and benchings, eight new quarterbacks started under center this past Sunday. Five of the eight emerged victorious, but more surprisingly, a few of them looked legitimately good.
While we don't want to get ahead of ourselves after one game, there were certain performances in Week 3 that are impossible to ignore. These are the players you're going to want to pursue for your fantasy team this week.
Some of these names are repeats from last week. With that said, here are the top waiver wire adds for Week 4.
QB Daniel Jones, New York Giants- Boy did Danny Dimes have a special NFL debut. In his first career regular season start, the no. 6 overall pick completed 23 of 36 passes for 336 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. The rookie also added 28 yards rushing along with two scores on the ground, providing an element to the Giants' quarterback play that the team has never had. The jury is still out on the Buccaneers' defense, but regardless of the opponent, Jones' play in Week 3 has given Giants fans a reason for hope. The loss of Saquon Barkley for the immediate future will hurt, but Jones looks more than ready to put New York's offense on his back.
QB Gardner Minshew, Jacksonville Jaguars- Many people brushed of Minshew's performance in Week One after he took over for the injured Nick Foles and completed 88% of his passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns. But now after 2.5 games of solid play, it's time to start paying attention to the sixth-round rookie out of Washington State. Minshew has an impressive completion percentage of 73.9% to go along with 692 passing yards, five touchdowns and only one interception. He isn't going to light up defenses for 400 yards and five touchdowns, but Minshew looks more than capable of running an NFL offense. For those in two-QB leagues, Minshew is certainly worth your consideration.
RB Darrel Williams, Kansas City Chiefs- While Darwin Thompson received all of the preseason fantasy hype, it was Williams that received most of the touches on Sunday following some injuries to Chiefs running backs. Damien Williams missed Week 3 with a knee injury while LeSean McCoy left early due to an ankle injury. Darrel Williams stepped in and took nine carries for 62 yards (6.9-yard avg.) while catching all five targets for another 47 yards. With Patrick Mahomes under center, the Chiefs offense is just as electric as last year. Whoever is receiving the carries in this offense offers great fantasy value, and for Week 4, it appears as if Williams could be in line to get most of the touches out of the backfield.
RB Wayne Gallman, New York Giants- As encouraging as Daniel Jones' first start was, the Giants suffered a massive blow on Sunday with the injury to all-world running back Saquon Barkley. It sounds like it'll be at least a few games before Barkley is able to return to the field, which means Gallman will take over as the team's lead back. The third-year back didn't do much after taking over for Barkley in Week 3, gaining 13 yards on five carries. But with New York looking rejuvenated with Jones leading the offense, Gallman could offer some low-end RB2 value over the next few weeks. You don't get many opportunities to add a back looking at a possible 15-20 touches per game, so go add Gallman and don't think twice about it.
RB Alexander Mattison, Minnesota Vikings- Dalvin Cook has looked amazing this year, leading the league in rushing three weeks into the season. However, in his first two NFL seasons, Cook was able to stay on the field for a total of just 15 games. If you have Cook on your team, Mattison should already be occupying a spot on your bench. Even if you don't have Cook, Mattison is worth a look. The rookie third-round pick has taken 25 rush attempts for 132 yards (5.3-yard avg.) and a score in limited action, and would immediately become the top waiver wire add if something were to happen to Cook. This is one add you want to be ahead of the curve on, especially if you've been riding Cook's excellence to victory over the first three weeks.
WR Mecole Hardman, Kansas City Chiefs- The general feeling around the league after Kansas City spent a second-round pick on Hardman in April's draft was that they did it as insurance on Tyreek Hill and his legal troubles. While Hill has been able to stay out of trouble, he hasn't been able to avoid the injury bug, which opened up the door for Hardman. On Sunday, the rookie receiver did his best Hill impersonation, catching two passes for 97 yards and a touchdown, including an 83-yard touchdown in which he simply outran the Ravens defenders. While he's certainly a bit of a boom-or-bust fantasy play, Hardman has shown the ability to take any ordinary pass all the way to the end zone. In the Chiefs' high-powered offense, Hardman will continue to offer solid fantasy value until Hill returns.
WR D.J. Chark, Jacksonville Jaguars- Dede Westbrook was getting all of the fantasy hype leading up to Week 1, but following Minshew's takeover of the Jaguars offense, it is Chark that has become the receiver to own in Jacksonville. The second-year receiver has now caught touchdowns in each of the first three games of the season, totaling 277 yards on 15 receptions. It is clear that Chark and Minshew have developed great chemistry, and with the Jaguars having an easy schedule over the next few weeks, Chark should continue to produce. If he's somehow still available on the waiver wire, go ahead and grab Chark while you still can.
WR Diontae Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers- It didn't take long for the Steelers to give up on the Donte Moncrief experiment. Moncrief was inactive for Week 3, which gave Johnson the opportunity to step into the starting lineup. The rookie third-round receiver made Mike Tomlin look smart for this decision as he caught three passes for 52 yards and a touchdown against the 49ers Sunday. Mason Rudolph is far from a reliable starting quarterback, but with the Steelers likely playing from behind a lot for the rest of the season, Johnson should see plenty of chances to light up the scoreboard. I wouldn't start him quite yet, but after Sunday's performance and Pittsburgh's shift towards a youth movement, I would add and stash Johnson for now before he really blows up.
TE Will Dissly, Seattle Seahawks- I mentioned Dissly as the top tight end add last week, and all he did was then catch six passes for 62 yards and a score. The touchdown did come on the very last play of a game that was already decided, but garbage time points still count for fantasy purposes. His seven targets Sunday ranked second behind only Tyler Lockett (14) and shows that the second-year tight end has carved out a role for himself in Seattle's offense. The Seahawks face off against Arizona in Week 4, who have allowed 20+ fantasy points to opposing tight ends in each of their first three games. Dissly will easily crack the top-10 for Week 4.
TE Chris Herndon, New York Jets- Herndon won't make his return to the field until Week 6 thanks to a four-game suspension in addition to New York's early bye week. But by the time he does get on the field, there is a good chance that Sam Darnold will also be ready to get back under center. The two developed a strong chemistry during their rookie campaigns in 2018, connecting for 39 receptions and four touchdowns. Waiting two weeks to be able to start him may be too much for some fantasy owners, but if you're still looking for a tight end and you have the extra roster spot, Herndon is worth the early add.
Matt Citak is a contributing writer for CBS Local. Follow him on Twitter here for all things fantasy football, New York Giants and more.