Tuesday September 28, 2004 Page updated at 5:40pm
FantasyFootball Grab Bag For Week 4
By: David Bachman
Fantasy Football Editor For WagerOnFootball.com

Week 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 . 7 . 8 . 9 . 10 . 11 . 12 . 13 . 14  .15 . 16 . 17

Anyone can see the value in drafting Priest Holmes, but it takes a discerning eye to distinguish the unheralded or unused players primed for breakout seasons. On the eve of the 2004 Season here are some lesser known names that we think you'll want stashed on your bench. Keep an eye on these guys. They turn fantasy teams into fantasy champions. Thanks Paul Tagliabue, for starting week one on a Thursday in Foxboro with the Indy triplets in town. Thanks Marshall Faulk, for playing the Cardinals on the opening Sunday. Thanks for the Cowboys D vs. Daunte Culpepper. Football’s back. Exhale. Let’s quit with the foreplay.

This is our waiver wire pick-ups column. The WagerOnFootball.com staff will scour the free agent pools in fantasy land for the best available talent every week. Availability, of course, depends on the league. We’re using 12 team, 15 roster spot leagues as the median, but we’ll look for roster candidates for leagues of all shapes and sizes.

PICK UPS

RB Michael Pittman, TB - Immediate Add - With the energetic Charlie Garner tearing an ACL this weekend, Pittman, coming off of his suspension, will immediately step into the starter's role. In Pittman's last two seasons his touchdown total has been awful (just one TD!) so I would not expect much, but anytime there is a starting running back out there on the waiver wire he is a hot commodity.

WR Randy Hymes, BAL - Add - Clearly Kevin Johnson and Travis Taylor will be fantasy no-shows this season. Somebody has to catch the ball in Baltimore now with Heap on the shelf and Hymes' tall stature gives him a good advantage over corners.

RB Artose Pinner, DET - Need-based Add - If you have Kevin Jones, hopefully you grabbed the power back Artose Pinner as insurance. If not, he could be had on your waiver wire and worth the pickup despite Detroit being on bye. Like I said, Pinner runs with power and Matt Millen personally told me he thinks Pinner will make some noise (this was prior to Jones' injury). I wouldn't expect a ton of yards, but Pinner should find the end zone in Jones' absence.

RB Leonard Henry / Sammy Morris - Need-based Add - If you are hurting badly for RB's, watch the injury report this week to find out if Morris will be the starter, or if he can't go, Henry will be given a shot. Granted neither of these two will do much in the pathetic Miami offense, but it would give you a starting RB.

WR TJ Houshmanzadeh, CIN - Need-based Add - Warrick is extremely doubtful for Week 4 with a shin injury making TJ a good addition to your squad and if teams continue to double Johnson, he will have a chance to duplicate last week's numbers.

QB Billy Volek, TEN - Need-based Add - With McNair's health in question, Volek makes a solid pickup if you have no other QB option. Last year Volek had a solid game filling in for McNair. Also, the likely return of Tyrone Calico should give the Titans' starting QB another quality option.

DT Pittsburgh - Need-based Add - Playing well and have an easy schedule

Drops

QB A.J. Feeley - Talk about a waste of roster space. This guy has not got the job done and is on the verge of being benched.

WR Reggie Williams, JAX - Williams has the physical tools of a young Terrell Owens but he appears to be struggling mightily in the Jaguars' methodical offense.

WR Brandon Lloyd, SF - As hyped as Lloyd was coming into the season, his production has been pathetic. It's time to cut your losses.

WR Marcus Robinson, MIN - He's clearly third on the depth chart, was injured this weekend, going on bye this weekend, and had a total of four balls thrown his way the past two weeks. Do you think he's worth a roster spot?

RB Ki-Jana Carter, NO - Stecker was outstanding on Sunday and will get the bulk of the carries in New Orleans until McAllister's return.

Grab

RB Lamont Jordan, NYJ - Word out of Miami is that they are trying to pry Jordan away from the Jets. If you can get Jordan for a guy you'd drop anyways or would rarely play, it's worth the shot. Besides, Jordan has great value as the fragile Curtis Martin's backup.

WR Ashley Lelie, DEN - I hate to say I told you say with the Quentin Griffin advice, but while Denver attempts to rediscover a running game, look for both Rod and Lelie to see a lot of balls thrown their way.

Trade Bait

WR Reggie Wayne, IND - Don't get me wrong, Wayne will have a solid year and could easily catch plenty of more TDs as he did last game. But anytime a non-stud player has a huge game like that someone is likely to overpay. Try offering him for the likes of Mason or Santana Moss.

WR Chris Chambers, MIA - This is nothing against Chambers, but the Miami QBs both suck. I'd advise you to abandon this ship while Chambers still has somewhat of a fantasy name for himself and could be traded for some mediocre value.

Week 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 . 7 . 8 . 9 . 10 . 11 . 12 . 13 . 14  .15 . 16 . 17

Top | NFL Wager | FantasyFootball | NFL Bet At Our NFL Sportsbooks