Week 4 QB Waiver Wire Pickups & Adds: The Return of Fitzmagic

We’re on to week four! Are you looking for either a streaming option or possibly a season-long pickup at the quarterback position? Look no further, here are a few solid options for the week four waiver wire:

Ryan Fitzpatrick

Once again, Fitzpatrick finds himself breaching the ranks of fantasy relevance. This week, the Dolphins will host the Seahawks, who have given up the second-most fantasy points to the quarterback position through three weeks and might once again be without a handful of key defensive starters in week four. Here are the final scores in each of Seattle’s first three games: 38-25, 35-30, and 38-31. With Russell Wilson playing on another level right now, against Miami’s fourth-most allowed points to the quarterback position, you can expect another barn-burner on Sunday between the Seahawks and Dolphins. At the moment, consider Fitzpatrick a one-week stream. However, if you’re in a pinch and can make it through the 49ers in week five, the following three weeks are solid matchups (DEN, LAC, LAR).

Jared Goff

Prior to Mahomes and Jackson playing in Monday Night Football, Goff is currently a top-10 fantasy quarterback through three games. Goff has completed 70 percent of his passes for an impressive 9.6 yards-per-attempt, averaging nearly 300 passing yards on 30 attempts in each contest. It’s safe to say through three weeks that this Rams offense looks much more like the 2018 Rams offense than that of last year’s, and Goff has once again become a fantasy-relevant quarterback. This week the Rams will take on the Giants, who might be without starting safety Jabrill Peppers. While the fantasy points against New York may not be eye-popping, looks can be deceiving. In week one, the Giants surrendered over 200 yards and three touchdowns to Roethlisberger. In weeks two and three, the Giants faced Mitch Trubisky and Nick Mullens. Meanwhile, the Giants are getting gashed on the ground. You can fully expect the play-action to be available for the Rams on Sunday, which is where Goff and the Rams thrive. Be prepared with alternative options beyond week four, as two of Goff’s next three matchups include the 49ers and the Bears.

Baker Mayfield

It would have been difficult recommending Baker Mayfield after week one, and frankly it still feels icky, but the positive matchup is there against Dallas. Much like I mentioned earlier with Seattle, the Cowboys have a propensity to find themselves in shootouts. Here are the final scores in each of their first three games: 17-20, 40-39, and 31-38. The Cowboys offense is clicking on all cylinders, and their defense has allowed the third-most fantasy points to the quarterback position. Baker himself is riding a little two-game hot streak himself, having thrown two touchdowns in each of the past two weeks. This game has all the makings of a 30-plus pass attempt game for Baker against a soft pass defense. Don’t pay much for Baker as you’re likely only playing him for one week, as his next four matchups after Dallas are all against teams that rank within the top 10 of least allowed fantasy points to the quarterback.

Joe Burrow

While the Bengals may be 0-2-1, Joe Burrow has quickly won over the hearts of Bengal nation. Prior to Mahomes and Jackson playing in Monday Night Football, Joe Burrow is currently a top-10 fantasy quarterback. Here are his points in the first three weeks in standard four-point passing touchdown leagues: 16.32, 24.54, and 20.38. The beautiful thing for fantasy is the pass attempts, 36, 61, and 44, and the likelihood that the trend will continue with the Bengal’s soft defense and their inability to establish a run game. Consider Burrow as a streamer in week four against Jacksonville, who is currently one of the five worst teams in terms of fantasy points against the quarterback position. Much like Baker, don’t give up much, as you’re likely not playing him in the near future after week four. Weeks five and six are against Baltimore and Indianapolis.

Kirk Cousins

If you can ignore his negative-point outing in week two against Indianapolis, Kirk Cousins has been more or less the same fantasy quarterback he has developed into in Minnesota. In week one, he put up 21.76 points against GB playing from behind, and put up 19.44 against Tennessee in week three playing back-and-forth with the Titans. Week four is against Houston, who is middle of the pack in terms of fantasy points allowed to the quarterback position. However, they’re getting beat on the ground, which is a formula that could create a lot of success for Kirk Cousins and the Vikings’ offense that thrives on the play-action passing game. Now that the Vikings defense will seemingly keep the offense playing catch-up every week, Kirk Cousins will continue to have big games against beatable defenses. While some of the other picks are one-week wonders because of the matchups, there’s a chance you could hang on to Cousins for a bit. After Houston, Minnesota plays Seattle, Atlanta, Green Bay, and Detroit in four of the next five weeks.