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Week 4 Waiver Wire Pickups: Is Tre Tucker Worth Your Time?

Week 3 was brutal for injuries. If that left your roster with questions, we're here to help you find the answers.

There's also a streaming defense to consider, and underperforming players that you can consider dropping.

These guys are generally available in at least 70% of ESPN leagues and ranked in order of priority, by position.

Your bid should vary by format and situation. Need help at RB? Prioritize that position. All set there? Then you probably don’t need to chase the top guys.

Quarterbacks

Geno Smith, Raiders

Blind Bid Recommendation: 3-4%

Smith rebounded from an ugly Week 3 to post 289 yards and 3 TDs against the Commanders. He has now been usable in two of three games, with a matchup vs. the Chargers the lone exception. 

Smith’s spot-start appeal continues this week against Chicago. Through three weeks, the Bears have allowed the second-highest completion rate to enemy passers (75.2%). Only three teams have allowed more fantasy points to QBs.

Smith opens the week as a fringe top-12 option in our Week 4 QB rankings.

Matthew Stafford, Rams

Blind Bid Recommendation: 3-4%

Remember the back concerns for Stafford? Well, through three games, he sits:

• second in Pro Football Focus passing grade
• second in PFF’s big time throw rate
• seventh in yards per attempt
• 13th in adjusted completion rate

He has hit two passing TDs in back-to-back games and in four of his past five, going back to 2024. A healthy Puka Nacua and Davante Adams supply streamer appeal this week against a Colts defense that’ll be without slot CB Kenny Moore.

Running Backs

Tyjae Spears, Titans

Blind Bid Recommendation: 10-15%

Spears remains on the mend from a preseason high ankle sprain. The good news is that he’s eligible to return from IR as soon as Week 5.

We haven’t seen much of an update on his status. Beat writer Nick Suss of The Tennessean wrote Monday that “in recent weeks, Spears has been spotted without his walking boot or scooter.”

It’s not much, but it certainly sounds like the contract-year back is trending toward a return.

Recall that in the preseason, there was buzz on Spears becoming a larger piece of the backfield puzzle.

Don’t plan to use Spears upon his return. Consider him a handcuff to stash with a shot to siphon enough work to become a lineup option even if Tony Pollard stays healthy.

Woody Marks, Texans

Blind Bid Recommendation: 6-8%

Marks’ role increased in Sunday’s close loss to Jacksonville. He essentially split snaps evenly with Nick Chubb.

Marks probably won’t completely overtake Chubb as a 208-pound fourth-round rookie. But there’s room for a larger role, especially if Chubb’s decline continues. The veteran's first 34 carries have turned up only six missed tackles forced, 2.12 yards after contact per attempt, and 4.1 yards per carry. 

Also note: Joe Mixon remains without a timetable for return. There’s a chance he misses all of 2025, which would only add to Marks' season-long value.

Ollie Gordon, Dolphins

Blind Bid Recommendation: 6-8%

Gordon has taken firm control of Miami’s No. 2 RB role. Jaylen Wright was active for the first time last week but didn’t play a snap. Instead, Gordon played 13 snaps, including three in short-yardage and two of Miami’s three goal-line situations. 

Those opportunities led to Gordon’s first TD, from 2 yards out. Gordon is listed as weighing 38 more pounds than starter De’Von Achane. Using him as a between-the-tackles grinder makes sense and keeps Achane from taking extra punishment. 

Because of Achane’s 82% snap share (fourth among RBs), Gordon doesn't sport much weekly value. But the handcuff upside is obvious

Jeremy McNichols and Chris Rodriguez, Commanders

Blind Bid Recommendation: 5-8%

McNichols supplied one of the top Week 3 highlights, a 60-yard Derrick Henry-style TD.

That certainly helped his case for future carries. He’s already headed for a valuable passing-down role, based on Week 3 results. McNichols played 86% of the long down and distance snaps; 100% of the 2-minute snaps (per Fantasy Life).

He adds value in PPR setups, though McNichols' career receiving production has been modest -- as was the receiving production for Washington's 2024 backfield.

Rodriguez drew the start in Week 3. In fact, he carried the ball on the first four plays. In total, he tied for the backfield lead in snaps (39%) while leading the group in carries (35%). Jacory Croskey-Merritt mixed in for a 39% snap share and a 26% carry share.

Rodriguez presents no receiving upside, but there's a path to 10+ carries in an open backfield. 

Wide Receivers 

Tre Tucker, Raiders

Blind Bid Recommendation: 10-15%

Tre Tucker is coming off a surprising WR1 overall performance in Week 3, which is going to drive up his price on the open market. But Tucker is playing a massive role, topping a 90% snap rate in all three of his games. That usage makes Tucker fantasy-relevant, especially in a Raiders offense that has lost two straight games by double digits.

Tucker has commanded 20 targets, which equals Justin Jefferson. Tucker’s 211 receiving yards rank 16th, and he’s tied for the league's most receiving TDs (4). 

As productive as he’s been, Tucker still trails Jakobi Meyers in first-read rate, 27.9% to 25%, and Meyers has the better target rate (22.6% to 18.4%). 

Feel free to throw out a respectable bid on Tucker, but don’t go overboard chasing last week’s blow-up game. 

Luther Burden III, Bears

Blind Bid Recommendation: 8-10%

After scoring 1.2 PPR points in his first two games, Burden exploded for 18.3 points in Chicago’s easy victory over Dallas. That blowup game is going to attract considerable attention on the waiver wire, but be a little cautious.

Dallas is allowing a league-high 47.9 PPR points to opposing WRs. The Cowboys can’t stop anybody at this point, and Burden still played a limited snap share, logging just 29% of Chicago’s snaps. 

Burden is worth a stash, but he has not played more than 18 snaps in a game yet. He remains behind Olamide Zaccheaus as the Bear’s No. 4 WR. Only throw out a bid on Burden if you can afford to be patient.

Jalen Coker, Panthers

Blind Bid Recommendation: 5-8%

Out since August with a quad injury, Jalen Coker is eligible to come off IR as early as Week 5. Last season, Coker led Carolina’s WRs, averaging 14.9 yards per catch and 5.5 yards after catch per reception. That downfield ability is sorely missing in Carolina this year.

Coker can line up inside or on the perimeter. In 2024, 61% of his snaps came inside. When he returns, Coker could push Hunter Renfrow for slot reps or simply start ahead of Xavier Legette, who missed Week 4 and has been ineffective. 

Coker won’t play this week, making him a good under-the-radar, proactive waiver target. Once he’s in the lineup, Coker’s playmaking ability could make him a weekly flex option with WR3 upside. 

Kavontae Turpin, Cowboys

Blind Bid Recommendation: 5-8%

CeeDee Lamb will miss 3-4 games with a high-ankle sprain. This season, only 28.3% of Lamb’s routes have come from the slot. Meanwhile, Turpin’s 82.4% slot rate leads the team.

Jalen Tolbert will take over on the perimeter, with Turpin’s role mostly unchanged. 

But what will change is Turpin’s usage. Lamb 28.2% target share leads the team. All three of the Cowboys’ WRs and TE Jake Ferguson have a shot at target boosts. 

Turpin leads Dallas in yards per catch (16.1), route rate (91.2%), and QB rating when targeted (116.2). He has quietly posted top-48 fantasy numbers through three games. A boost in targets would put Turpin in the weekly WR3/flex conversation.

Tight Ends

Isaiah Likely, Ravens

Blind Bid Recommendation: 6-8%

Just as Likely got close to returning, Mark Andrews had a big rebound game against the Lions. 

Still, Likely practiced last week and is expected to return for Week 4. Last season, the Ravens utilized two tight end sets on 31% of their snaps. That ranked fifth-highest in the league.

Their 0.43 expected points added per play when using "12" personnel led the league by a wide margin. The Bengals ranked second at 0.12 EPA/play. 

Likely will still need to prove he can be usable without an injury to Andrews. But he at least presents big handcuff upside in case Andrews goes down.

Brenton Strange, Jaguars

Blind Bid Recommendation: 6-8%

Strange leads Jacksonville in receptions (13) and receiving yards (137). Both of those totals put Strange inside the top 10 among NFL TEs through three games. 

PFF grades Strange (69.7 receiving grade) as the Jaguars’ top pass-catcher. He has 3+ grabs in all three of Jacksonville’s contests and has topped 50 receiving yards twice. 

Strange enters Week 4 as a fringe fantasy TE1. That makes him a strong waiver target for the many fantasy managers forced to utilize a weekly streaming approach.

He's the pickup over Likely if you need a more immediate option. Likely's the bench stash for long-term ceiling.

Deep Options

Emari Demercado, Cardinals

Blind Bid Recommendation: 4-6%

Unfortunately, James Conner’s 2025 season is over. That puts Trey Benson in line to take over starting duties, but Demercado should be plenty involved -- especially as a receiver. 

Demercado actually played ahead of Benson last year. He was an effective outlet receiver, catching 16 passes for 104 yards and supplying a 4-59-1 rushing performance in Week 9.

Demercado could carve out a third-down role again. He'd likely need a Benson injury to make him fantasy relevant, though.  

Hassan Haskins, Chargers

Blind Bid Recommendation: 3-5%

Najee Harris (Achilles') is out for the year. Harris logged a 34% snap share in Week 2. After Harris was injured, Omarion Hampton played 79% of snaps, but it was Haskins who worked behind him. 

Expect Hampton to dominate touches moving forward. Haskins brings the size (6'2, 228) just like Hampton and Harris. He has also caught 14 of 15 targets for his career, is in his second year with the Chargers, and spent four years with HC Jim Harbaugh at Michigan.

The team is also elevating Kimani Vidal from the practice squad. If Hampton were to go down, we'd likely see some kind of work split between Vidal and Haskins.

Tahj Brooks, Bengals

Blind Bid Recommendation: 3-5%

Samaje Perine was hampered in Week 3 by a thumb injury. That allowed Brooks to see his first NFL action. Chase Brown will remain Cincinnati’s workhorse, but Perine contributes on third downs and in 2-minute situations.

Even a healthy Perine likely wouldn't take the backfield lead in case of a Brown injury. That makes Brooks stashable at the handcuff level if you've got the room to stash him.

Sterling Shepard, Buccaneers 

Blind Bid Recommendation: 3-5%

Mike Evans is going to miss multiple games with a hamstring injury. The Bucs are hoping to get Chris Godwin back to help fill that void. However, Sterling Shepard will remain an important cog in Tampa’s passing attack. 

Shepard has exceeded a 60% snap share in each of the Buccaneers’ first three games. With Evans absent, Shepard will maintain a role even if Godwin plays a full allotment of snaps. 

The Bucs move their receivers all over the field. Shepard ran 47% of his routes from the slot last season, but that increased to 57.7% after Godwin got injured.

Shepard is already -- quietly -- averaging 8.8 PPR points per game. 

Luke McCaffrey, Commanders

Blind Bid Recommendation: 3-5%

McCaffrey played a season-high 21 snaps in Week 3, mostly from the slot. He also caught all three of his targets for 56 yards and his first NFL TD. 

Terry McLaurin left Week 3’s game with a quad injury. If McLaurin misses time, Jaylin Lane would likely play on the premier, with McCaffrey taking over the slot. 

But McCaffrey’s role has expanded every week. Even if McLaurin is fine, McCaffrey warrants a look in deeper leagues as an ascending WR. 

Top Streaming Defense for Week 4

New England Patriots vs. Carolina Panthers

Carolina racked up garbage-time production in Week 2 but otherwise has been an anemic offense. The Panthers have not reached 150 passing yards in either of their other two outings.

This week, Carolina travels to New England to take on a Patriots’ defense that ranks No. 2 against the run. New England has also accumulated 9 sacks and 3 turnovers. Their strengths on the defense line up perfectly with Carolina’s offense. 

New England enters Week 4 as the No. 6 fantasy defense and look poised to have another strong showing against an offense that ranks 24th in total yards. 

Drop Candidates

Russell Wilson, QB, Giants

Wilson will ride the bench after the Giants decided it’s Jaxson Dart time.

Marvin Mims, WR, Broncos

Mims slots a distant third among Denver WRs in routes, running on just 56% of Bo Nix dropbacks so far. That trails Courtland Sutton (93.5%) and Troy Franklin (81.3%), even without a meaningful challenge from the TEs or other wideouts. It's the same issue that plagued Mims the past two years. He's not worth clinging to until that changes.

Jerome Ford or Dylan Sampson, RB, Browns

Quinshon Judkins took over the Browns backfield in Week 3. That leaves Ford and Sampson as mere handcuff types. Ford has actually played more snaps than Sampson every game this season and remained solidly involved as a receiver the past two weeks. But Sampson beat him 20-7 in Week 1 touches before Judkins arrived.

Our best guess is that Sampson would present more upside (and utility) than Ford if Judkins were to go down. The lack of clarity, though, makes both potentially expendable if you need the spot.

Ray Davis, Bills

Davis played only 7% of the snaps in last Thursday's narrow win over Miami, trailing Ty Johnson 15-4 in total snaps. We obviously don't know exactly how the work would be split if James Cook were to go down, but it certainly doesn't look like Davis would control the backfield.

Jayden Higgins, Texans

Keep him stashed in dynasty. But so far the Round 2 rookie has totaled only five targets in a broken passing game. He finished a distant fourth in routes in Week 3.

Next Up

Video: It's Tre Tucker vs. Luther Burden on Week 4 Waivers

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Kevin English, Senior Analyst

Kevin brings 15+ years of experience as a fantasy analyst and mid-stakes competitor across various formats (redraft, best ball, dynasty, DFS). He finished 1st in FantasyPros Draft Accuracy competition in 2024. Kevin's work has been featured in The Mercury News, NBC Sports/Rotoworld, and FantasyPros.