Fantasy Football Saturday Mailbag for Week 4 (Fantasy Football)
Good morning, FootClan, and welcome to Week 4 of The Fantasy Footballers’ Saturday Morning Mailbag! As always, I am here to select a few of your questions from The Fantasy Footballers’ Discord server and answer some of the hot topics that didn’t quite make it to that week’s edition of The Footcast. The Ballers’ Discord is home to the biggest and best online fantasy football community in the world, and is your go-to if you are looking to talk about all things fantasy football. Head over today and get involved with thousands of members across dozens of dedicated channels for start/sit questions, trade advice, and waiver wire insights, as well as exclusive areas that are only available to members of the FootClan.
Turns out, even if it’s spelled in a completely different way, this was a bad week to have a surname pronounced “Achane.” As a Dolphins fan with De’Von on his roster in League of Record, it pained me to see Miami’s lead rusher go down early on in the Fins’ latest defeat – but when a door closes, a window opens…only there are two of them, they are both really small, and when you finally squeeze through one of them you are stuck three stories up with no way of getting down. In case that wasn’t completely obvious, I am not a fan of the impending committee of Jaylen Wright and Ollie Gordon that are about to take over the Miami backfield, but I did revel in watching league mates spend a lot of FAAB on them when this week’s waivers ran!
Achane and Etienne are joined by Breece Hall and DeVonta Smith on the OUT list for at least one week, but with Puka Nacua looking set to make his return, as well as Nico Smith, it’s not all doom and gloom! As always, we have lots to get through…so let’s dive right in!
Question #1 – Season-long Strategy (Breakout Rookie WR Edition)
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Hey Boys! After three weeks, who is your pick for “Breakout Rookie WR” in the second half of the season? – Freckle Foot
Answer: In what has become somewhat of a yearly tradition, the hype surrounding the latest additions to the National Football League following the annual Draft slowly begins to gain momentum over the summer months, before rising exponentially during pre-season and reaching its peak right as we hit the end of August…and 2026 was no different.
This year’s event in Pittsburgh saw no fewer than seventeen WRs selected in the first three rounds, with five of those picks coming on the opening night. Unsurprisingly perhaps, the names called out by Commissioner Goodell on day one were amongst the first to be taken in fantasy drafts – with Omar Cooper the only first-round draft pick not to have a WR ADP inside the top 50 (I mean, he was taken by the New York Jets…so are we really to blame for that?).
While late-round fliers appear to be paying off handsomely for fantasy managers (I’m looking at you, Denzel Boston!), some of the more heavily-touted prospects are struggling to acclimate to their new homes in the pro ranks *cough* Makai Lemon *cough*. Regardless, it is early days, so we can’t be too certain about these young talents…but it’s fun to speculate. The obvious candidate here is a WR that not even his own organization considered to be the best pass-catcher left on the board back in April – Mr. Denzel Boston. Boston was selected by Cleveland with the seventh overall pick in Round 2…a full fifteen picks after the Browns’ highest drafted wideout in the Draft: KC Concepcion. Through three weeks, the former Washington Huskie sits as the overall WR14 for fantasy, well ahead of his teammate Concepcion, despite seeing a notably smaller share in total team targets – 19% versus 24%, respectively of looks from He Who Shall Not Be Named. This Cleveland passing offense is – somewhat surprisingly – ticking along rather smoothly, sitting as a top-10 unit in both Y/A (7.7) and Completion Rate (69.8%). Will it continue…who knows; Harold Fannin has started to emerge in the last fortnight to pilfer additional targets, and despite some efficient play, QB Deshaun Watson has been sacked eleven times so far on the year; if these trends continue, it may not be such a happy ending to the year for the man with undoubtedly the worst contract in professional sports. How about the rest of these names? Honestly, the guy who – in my opinion – has the greatest chance of a second-half of season breakout hasn’t even taken an NFL snap yet…the New Orleans Saints’ Jordyn Tyson. The former Sun Devil was the second WR off the board in this year’s draft, taken with the eighth overall pick, and the longer he is sidelined with the hamstring injury he sustained in pre-season…the better value he is going to be heading into the fantasy playoffs. Fantasy Hitman favorite Tyler Shough is playing out of his mind right now in Kellen Moore’s lightning-fast offense. Tyson was drafted to be great, and as soon as he is healthy, he will play as a 1B to Chis Olave’s 1A. With the ability to play all over the field, Tyson could be a league winner for fantasy managers come December…go get him on the cheap now. Puka Puka, Pokeballers! Would you trade away Jaylen Waddle for an RB if you have decent WR depth? If so, who would you try to target? I currently have Nico Collins, Zay Flowers, Ja’Marr Chase, Matthew Golden, and Denzel Boston. – It’s Pukachu! Answer: I think you already know the answer to this one, It’s Pukachu, and you are looking for some validation…so I am going to oblige and fully give it to you. Through three weeks, Jaylen Waddle sits as the overall WR34 for fantasy…not bad, but not the return you were looking for after investing a fourth-round draft pick with the thoughts of the former Dolphin potentially being a WR1/2 for your roster. Waddle himself is not the problem; it’s a Broncos offense that is only averaging 201 yards and a single TD through the air each week…yet still sitting 2-1 on the year. The Penguin may be seeing the lion’s share of team targets with 24%, but when that pie is more like a Hostess Apple as opposed to one of those 10-inch beauties from the deli counter…he is still going to be starving. His 8.0 FPPG are well below every other receiver on your roster, and even though I have voiced my concern over Denzel Boston’s season-long outlook, Waddle is no more than your WR4…arguably your WR5 behind Matthew Golden, so I would have no hesitation in trading him away for a solid RB2 who may also be currently underperforming; but who could you target? We can split this list into “guys who are significantly underperforming compared to their draft spot” and “guys who are significantly overperforming compared to their draft spot”…with both offering potential for a bargain. Let’s start with the underperformers. We are talking Chase Brown, Omarion Hampton and – somewhat unbelievably – the current RB32…Saquon Barkley. All three of these backs were drafted inside the top 10 at the position, but through three weeks, only Chase Brown (RB19) sits inside the top 20, with Hampton (RB22) and Barkley (RB32) likely causing their managers some major concerns…and that is where we pounce. The problem each of these RBs face isn’t lack of production; it is finding the end zone, with the trio combining for only three TDs so far this year (and two of those are Hampton’s). Andy, Mike, and Jason talk about positive regression all the time, the idea that things will return to the norm eventually…and that is my hope for these three, and why I am targeting them at pennies on the dollar where I can. Our other list of targets is those with much less draft capital that are significantly outperforming early season projections. I know what you are going to say: “Why would anyone sell an overperforming player on the cheap?” and I hear you, but when things are going too well, managers can get a little bit hot under the collar and look to cash out on their penny-stock lottery ticket before it potentially all goes wrong – and two players I would set my sights on here are the Carolina Panthers’ Chuba Hubbard and Jacksonville’s Bhayshul Tuten. Currently sitting atop the NFC South, the major question surrounding the men from Charlotte is, “Are the Panthers actually good this year?” and my answer is…good enough. Bryce Young currently leads the league in passing yards, and despite only 184 yards and a solitary TD on the ground, Chuba Hubbard is the overall RB9 for fantasy, thanks largely to the handful of targets and 25+ yards he averages as a pass-catcher out of the backfield. Carolina’s rush defense is the worst in the league, but that stat is heavily skewed by the Week 1 shellacking Chicago put on them to the tune of 59 points; in their other two games, they blew out the Falcons and ran the now 3-1 Cleveland Browns close in a 21-18 defeat. With Jonathon Brooks on IR, Hubbard is the only ticket in town and should see a three-down workload for a while. Turning to Tuten, some naysayers still see this Jacksonville backfield as a timeshare, despite the sophomore back seeing over 60% of RB touches and essentially all the meaningful red zone work. Chances are, if your league mates had The Fantasy Footballers Ultimate Draft Kit, they won’t sell Bhayshul on the cheap…but if they still haven’t fully bought into his potential and are in need of a wideout, then dangling Denver’s WR1 in front of their face could just seal the deal. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Howdy Ballers! Would y’all trade D’Andre Swift for Omarion Hampton straight up? – Josh Stallion Answer: First of all, that’s King D’Andre Swift…thank you very much. And secondly, absolutely not! Through three weeks, the King of Consistency is the overall RB6 for fantasy, ahead of Christian McCaffrey, James Cook, and Kyren Williams, to name just a few (be still my beating heart). Swift is averaging twenty-one opportunities per game as part of Ben Johnson’s record-chasing offense, turning those combined rushing attempts and targets into over 100 yards from scrimmage and a score on average each week. Even with Kyle Monangai seeing double-digit carries, and the odd look from Caleb Williams (interestingly, there were none in Week 3 from Case Keenum) – this feels like it may just finally be the season where we see the perennial RB2 finish inside the top-12 at the position for the first time in his seven-year NFL career. Oh yeah, this was a trade question and not a D’Andre Swift love letter. Whereas it seems everything is going right for the Bears RB1, the same can’t quite be said for Omarion Hampton over in Los Angeles, with the consensus top-10 draft pick at the position barely laying claim to an RB2 spot following the Chargers’ 0-3 start to the season. How come every time I hear Hampton’s name this year, all I can hear is my fellow Scotsman Ewan McGregor screaming into the flames…“you were the chosen one!”, as fantasy managers watch his value slowly burn like Anakin Skywalker on the volcanic planet of Mustafar (shoutout to my Star Wars nerds). It has been rough for the former first-round pick so far in his sophomore year, with Hampton being held to under 50 yards rushing in two of his three starts so far this season. The former Tar Heel is still seeing plenty of rushing work, with his 50 carries in the opening three weeks ranking 11th at the position…he just isn’t managing to do much with the ball once it is in his hands – his 3.9 Y/A barely cracking the top 30; however, the real issue is Hampton’s involvement (or lack of) in the Chargers’ passing game. The 22nd overall pick saw five or more targets in four of his eight starts in his rookie year, through three weeks – he hasn’t seen 5 targets combined. What was supposed to be a season where we saw Hampton turn into the Bolts’ very own De’Von Achane under the tutelage of Mike McDaniels has seen the once promising rookie cede opportunities to – and frankly be outplayed by – fourth-year back Keaton Mitchell. I’m not saying that Hampton cannot turn it around and finish the year as an RB1…but why trade for a boat when you already have…a boat (or should that be GOAT?). Keep a hold of King Swift; he will be back in the end zone once Caleb Williams makes his return in a week or two. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Sup Ballers! How do I convince the commissioner of my league to open up more IR spots with all the player injuries we’ve had this season? – MrWhatTheF Answer: I think you’ve technically got two different questions here, MrWTF, both if and when your league should add some additional IR slots. This year has so far undoubtedly been a nightmare for player injuries, and if you drafted De’Von Achane, Puka Nacua, Nico Collins, or Travis Etienne Jr., you are probably feeling it more than most. That said…do we really need more than one IR slot, or are we just getting greedy and not wanting to have to make strategic decisions relating to potential player absences? My main League of Record has a single IR slot, and right now, I’m using it to hold Jordyn Tyson…trust me, as a manager who has both Achane and Nico on his roster, this has pained me as I have to suck it up and burn a bench spot for Collins until his hopeful return this weekend, but I understand the risks and rewards of my actions. Regardless of what you decide to do, the decision must be unanimous by your league, and when to add any additional slots must also be fully agreed on by every manager. I think we’ve passed the point where you can do it this season – I know I would be pretty miffed if I’d already dropped a De’Zhaun Stribling or Alec Pierce only for them to be picked up and stashed by another manager. It may be tough right now, but at least it’s fair – propose it during the off-season and make those changes for 2027! Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images Yes Ballers! Knowing the current situation of Christian Watson, would you trade him away straight up for Matthew Golden? – natedawg205 Answer: Oh look, another BOAT question, although this time we’re going from the 25-meter yacht to…well, a 20-meter one. The Ballers have waxed lyrical about both of these players this past week, and although Andy may have recommended trading Christian Watson away, I sure as heck would not advise packing him off in return for his teammate, even if Golden has seen more looks from Jordan Love on the year. Watson has more receptions (17-15), more yards (284-253), and most importantly…more TDs (4-1). The TDs are coming for the sophomore, but Watson is still the alpha in this offense…just pray those hamstrings hold up! Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Who are you most disappointed with at this point in the season? – Racoonaholik Answer: Aside from the aforementioned Omarion Hampton, I am going to say my biggest disappointment on the year so far is Detroit Lions WR Jameson Williams. This was a guy who finished at the overall WR10 last season, but is currently sitting at WR57 through the opening three weeks. Sure, we knew that Jamo may be a regression candidate with Sam LaPorta returning to full fitness, but for the Lions to score exactly 31 points in each of their three contests so far and Williams yet to eclipse 7 fantasy points is a real kick to the gut. This was a fifth-rounder with upside…and now he is one week away from being thrown to the waiver wire. Hey guys! Is there any advantage to using your FLEX slot for a specific position – or do you just recommend using it for schedule purposes/late pivots due to injuries? chickencho7129 Answer: A great question, chickencho7129, and one that may be on the lips of any new members of the FootClan! Simply put…no, there is no scoring advantage at all; the FLEX spot is called as such because it gives you the FLEXability to play different players… particularly later in the game week. If you have an RB or WR (or a second TE if you are a real degenerate) playing on Thursday Night Football or the early Sunday games…get them in the designated positional slots and make sure your FLEX spots are for those players in the later Sunday slate or Sunday/Monday Night Football. Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images Hey Ballers! Would you drop Chris Godwin for a player like Chris Bell? – Chalupacabra Answer: I would drop Chris Godwin for Taco Bell, let alone Chris Bell. That will do it for this week, FootClan – good luck for Week 4!
Player
Team
ADP
Carnell Tate
TEN
WR31
WR53
Makai Lemon
PHI
WR38
WR107
KC Conception
CLE
WR45
WR76
Jordyn Tyson
NO
WR49
N/A
Denzel Boston
CLE
WR59
WR14
Omar Cooper
NYJ
WR68
WR125
Chris Bell
MIA
WR69
WR79
Caleb Douglas
MIA
WR70
WR68
Antonio Williams
WAS
WR89
WR45
Ted Hurst
TB
WR91
WR51
Question #2 – Trade Talk (Over/Under Performing RB Targets)
Question #3 – Trade Talk (It Could Be a Boat Special)
It’s time for Rapid Round…
