Fantasy Football Week 4 Waiver Wire: Jauan Jennings and More Free Agents to Add

With the first three weeks of the 2024 NFL season in the books and Week 4 on the horizon, it's imperative for fantasy football managers to hit the waiver wire. There are plenty of quality players available in free agency right now, talent that can be used to overturn the bottom of your roster and help build a championship contender.

While there are still some months to go before the fantasy playoffs even begin, managers can get a leg up on the competition by cutting fat and adding depth—or even potential starters—with their waiver claims.

There's more than enough data to make informed roster decisions with at this time, meaning it's safe to cut your underperforming drafted players and replace them with unheralded free agents who have been exceeding expectations.

With that in mind, here are five can't-miss waiver wire candidates to scoop up before your Week 4 matchup.

All suggested players are currently available in 50 percent or more of Yahoo! Sports fantasy leagues and free agent acquisition budget (FAAB) bids are based on a $100 dollar starting budget.

Fantasy points and rankings courtesy of FantasyPros' PPR data taken prior to Week 2's Monday Night Football matchup.

Suggested FAAB Bid: $5-7

Sam Darnold has been one of the best stories of the 2024 season thus far. The 2018 first-round pick has gone from journeyman to fan-favorite starter for the Minnesota Vikings, the team he has now led to a 3-0 record in impressive fashion.

Darnold is not just managing the game at a high level, but he's directly helped Minnesota become one of the last remaining undefeated squads by piling up strong numbers in the passing game. Darnold currently ranks second in fantasy points scored at the position and fourth overall after yet another massive outing in Sunday's blowout victory over the Houston Texans.

While he posted a relatively forgettable QB13 finish in the opener, Darnold has since gone on to rank as the QB4 and QB6, respectively, over the last two weeks. In that span he's completed 34 of 54 passing attempts for 449 yards and a whopping six touchdowns against a single interception.

Darnold has helped elevate a Minnesota offense that struggled to score last year. Under his stewardship, this unit has gone from averaging a pedestrian 20.2 points per game in 2023 to ranking third in the league with a hefty 28.3 PPG average over the first three weeks.

With plenty of talent already surrounding him and star tight end T.J. Hockenson potentially returning as early as Week 5, Darnold has established a stable floor and has a ceiling he's yet to reach.

Darnold is easily the best free-agent quarterback you can find on waivers right now and well worth not only picking up as a backup, but deploying with confidence on a weekly basis for those who missed out on a top-five quarterback during drafts.

Suggested FAAB Bid: $10-13

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers appear to have a gem on their hands in the form of rookie running back Bucky Irving.

While Irving has opened the season behind incumbent starter Rachaad White, the fourth-round pick is starting to gain momentum and has clearly been the most effective runner in Tampa's platoon. After a solid showing in Week 3's loss to the Denver Broncos—a game in which Irving racked up 70 yards on just nine totes—it seems it's only a matter of time before he usurps White as the go-to option on rushing downs.

Irving enters Week 4 averaging a notable 6.2 yards per carry, well ahead of White's concerning 2.1 YPC average. The first-year back passes the eye test by running hard, making defenders miss and shedding tackles at a rate that White simply hasn't been able to not only this year, but throughout his three years in the NFL. Irving simply looks like a better starter and should earn that status soon if he continues to contribute at his current rate.

There are some limitations that keep Irving from becoming a high-end fantasy standout, however.

While Irving is a decent receiver out of the backfield, it's unlikely he'll take over White's workload in the passing game. White has been the more effective option there—hauling in 12 of 13 targets for 98 yards in comparison to Irving's five catches on six targets for 28 yards—which caps the rookie's upside in PPR formats. It's also doubtful that Irving will see a huge workload barring an injury to White, who should remain in the mix regardless of his lowly production rate.

Despite these factors, managers will want to get Irving on their roster as soon as possible. He's already a usable fantasy flex play—evidenced by his RB17 finish in Week 3—and will build on that as his volume increases in the coming weeks. He's a perfect depth pickup to help you get through the slew of bye weeks beginning after this next slate of games with upside to play a much bigger role come later in the campaign and playoffs.

Suggested FAAB Bid: $6-8

The San Francisco 49ers may have stumbled to a 1-2 record out of the gate this season, but there have still been several bright spots during this disappointing start. One of those was wideout Jauan Jennings' breakout Week 3 performance in a losing effort against the rival Los Angeles Rams.

With both stars Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel both sidelined, Jennings helped pick up the slack as the No. 2 option in the passing attack alongside Brandon Aiyuk. The fourth-year receiver ended up leading San Francisco in targets with 12, turning those into an eye-popping 11 receptions for 175 yards and three touchdowns.

That stat line obviously translated into a massive fantasy performance, with Jennings earning Week 4's WR1 distinction with a monster 46.5 points.

While Jennings is obviously worth a claim due to that sterling outing alone, managers shouldn't expect this type of output on a regular basis. With Samuel in the lineup, Jennings mustered meager WR34 and WR58 finishes, respectively, across the first two weeks of the campaign. Jennings will once again take a back seat to Samuel once the established star has returned from a calf injury that is expected to take a "couple weeks" to recover from.

Still, Jennings is a no-brainer plug-and-play Week 4 waiver pickup. The Niners have a dream matchup with a beatable New England Patriots defense on tap, a game they'll be focused on to turn their season around and get back to .500.

With Samuel still expected to be out for this contest, Jennings should once again feature in a major role and put up some stellar marks to match.

Suggested FAAB Bid: $3-5

Darnell Mooney is making the most of his first opportunity to play with a competent NFL passer. After languishing with the Chicago Bears for the first four years of his professional career, the wideout is experiencing a resurgence after catching on with the Atlanta Falcons for the 2024 campaign.

Mooney wasn't exactly on the fantasy radar during drafts and seemed to be an afterthought in Atlanta's star-studded offense during a Week 1 dud, but he's since gone on to put up big numbers in back-to-back games. He followed up a three-catch, 88-yard, one-touchdown showing in Week 2 by securing eight passes for 66 yards in Week 3.

It's clear after the Falcons recent Sunday Night Football performance that Mooney and quarterback Kirk Cousins have established chemistry and trust. The wideout ranked second on the team in targets against the Kansas City Chiefs with eight, a slight increase over the seven targets he saw the previous week and a noticeable uptick from the three he logged in the opener.

Heading into Week 4, Mooney only trails No. 1 wideout Drake London by a single target and seems to be quite high up in the team's pecking order. He's leading the Falcons in receiving yardage and is one of just three players to catch a touchdown from Cousins this season.

With finishes of WR18 and WR22 in the last two weeks, Mooney is simply too good to leave on waivers any longer. He has a tough matchup on tap against a New Orleans Saints defense that has allowed just 41 points all season, but he's still a serviceable flex play with matchup-based upside for more in the future.

Suggested FAAB Bid: $4-6

The Chicago Bears may have narrowly missed out on securing their first win of the 2024 season this past weekend, but at least a rapport between quarterback Caleb Williams and tight end Cole Kmet finally seemed to get established during the loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

Kmet was one of the more intriguing late-round sleepers in fantasy drafts this year. The fifth-year veteran was coming off a career-best 73-catch, 719-yard, six-touchdown campaign and seemed to be in a good position to build on that while working as his rookie quarterback's safety valve and go-to red zone target. That role failed to materialize over the first two weeks, however, as Kmet caught just five balls for 31 yards in that span.

Many fantasy managers gave up on Kmet following that dreadful start, but those that stuck it out and didn't bench or drop the big tight end were rewarded with a fantastic performance in Week 3. Kmet put up a hefty 25.7 fantasy points against the Colts and finished as the TE2 after reeling in 10 of his 11 targets for 97 yards and a score.

Given his history of production—Kmet finished as the TE8 in each of the last two seasons—and upside with Williams under center, there should be plenty more performances like this in the future. While Kmet still clearly has a low floor and could put up some duds in the weeks ahead, it appears Chicago's offense wants to get the tight end more involved and should continue to feed Kmet going forward.

Considering the dearth of usable free agents at his position, make Kmet a priority waiver wire target if you failed to secure a top option in the draft and have been streaming tight ends this season.