The carnage at wide receiver continued to pile up in Week 3 with Mike Evans injuring his ribs. Evans hasn't been ruled out yet, but we aren't projecting him to play in Week 4 as of Tuesday afternoon. Sam goes for Justin Jefferson, who is battling an ankle injury. Evans and Jefferson join Puka Nacua, A.J. Brown, and Alec Pierce as wide receivers we drafted in the first seven rounds who we don't expect to be available this week. You might think that would make anyone else drafted early a near must-start. Not exactly. We're also suggesting sitting Emeka Egbuka, Malik Nabers, and Brian Thomas.
Egbuka has scored double-digit Fantasy points every week, but it hasn't been easy, and he's topped out at 12.3 PPR Fantasy points. The Tampa Bay offense has not been on schedule, Baker Mayfield has not been accurate, and the offensive line hasn't done him any favors. Now, Mayfield is expected to miss multiple weeks with a dislocated thumb and undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels will make his first start. I am actually excited to see Daniels on the field, but that's more about his rushing upside. I would expect fewer pass attempts with Daniels under center and it wouldn't be surprising if the rookie is even less accurate than Mayfield has been.
Nabers and Thomas have been even worse and are easier sits. Thomas may be the number three wide receiver in Jacksonville and may be talked about as droppable if things don't turn around in the next few weeks. Nabers still doesn't look 100% like himself and Jameis Winston looks nothing like the quarterback he used to be. No one will drop Nabers any time soon, and I wouldn't suggest it, but it isn't easy to see a path back to where he is a must-start receiver any time soon.
With all of this happening at the position, we are going to have to be a bit more creative, particularly at the wide receiver position. Thankfully, there are a couple of names on the waiver wire that should be able to help you out. More on that below.
Here is the rest of the Week 4 WR preview:
Week 4 WR Preview
Numbers to Know
- 9.36 -- Zay Flowers is still averaging an insane 9.36 yards per route run. Hopefully, we get to see him play a full game for the first time in Week 4.
- 43.5% -- Drake London led all receivers with a 43.5% target share in Week 3. With Michael Penix back, London is a WR1 again.
- 11.2 -- Rashee Rice is averaging a career-best 11.2 yards per target and has seen his target share go up every week of the season.
- 27.1% -- Malik Washington's 27.1% target share ranks ninth amongst receivers this season.
- 137 -- Devaughn Vele leads all receivers with 137 routes run this year. Chris Olave is second with 132. Start them both.
- 3.76 -- Amongst receivers with at least 15 targets, Quentin Johnston's 3.76 yards per target ranks next to last, ahead of only Ryan Flournoy.
- 416 -- Matthew Golden has seen 416 targeted air yards this season, which ranks third at receiver.
- 6 -- Christian Watson already has six red zone targets this season; only Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Amon-Ra St. Brown have more.
- 42.3 -- Jameson Williams is averaging 42.3 yards per game, his lowest mark since 2023. There could be a big game coming, but the first three weeks have been discouraging.
Waiver Wire Targets
 
MIA
Miami
• #6
Age: 25 • Experience: 3 yrs.
Malik Washington has an elite 27.1% target share and an ADOT over 12. Now, with De'Von Achane out, he is expected to get more snaps in the backfield and more easy button screen targets. This is maybe the worst pass offense in the NFL, but Washington's role is good enough that he should be a decent WR3 most weeks. Against Minnesota, expect the Dolphins to look to screens to mitigate the pass rush, and several of them should go Washington's way.
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TEN
Tennessee
• #4
Age: 25 • Experience: 5 yrs.
Robinson is right at the cutoff for the waiver wire and should be rostered in more leagues. He led the Titans with 11 targets last week and turned them into 18.7 PPR Fantasy points. I would start him over Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas this week, amongst others.
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CHI
Chicago
• #14
Age: 32 • Experience: 10 yrs.
We keep hoping Raymond will go away so the younger guys can break out, and Raymond keeps producing. He has scored at least nine points every week and currently ranks as WR12 in total PPR points. There's no reason to think he won't be one of the top two Bears in target share in Week 4 and that makes him worthy of a start in full PPR leagues that start three receivers.
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NYJ
N.Y. Jets
• #15
Age: 23 • Experience: 3 yrs.
Mitchell missed Week 3 with a finger injury, and I am afraid he is more likely to be dropped than added this week because of that. Don't drop a guy who had 12 targets in his last game, especially when his QB is throwing the ball as accurately as Geno Smith is right now.
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DFS Plays
 
SEA
Seattle
• #11
Age: 24 • Experience: 4 yrs.
Everyone has Smith-Njigba as the number one wide receiver this week, but I want to emphasize how big the game is. I have him projected for three more points than any other receiver on the main slate and it's worth noting that I am projecting him 13 points below his current season average. Save money somewhere else, play JSN.
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Nico Collins
WR
HOU
Houston
• #12
Age: 27 • Experience: 6 yrs.
We expect Nico Collins to return in Week 4, but the questionable card on his player page should keep his roster rate lower than it should be in DFS. The Cowboys secondary is a major concern right now and Collins had 10 targets when he played in Week 1. The Texans are already in desperation mode, so they should get the ball to their best offensive player as often as possible.
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Heath's Projections
My full set of Week 4 Fantasy football projections for every position is now available here. Find out which of my favorite plays are projected to score higher than consensus rankings and which don't live up to their draft hype, at least in Week 4. Projected stats for all starting wide receivers are updated throughout the week, so make sure you check back in later in the week for changes.
