Fantasy Football fool’s gold: 3 players you should believe in, 2 players you shouldn’t in Week 4

It has certainly been a rough year for fantasy football players as injuries have torpedoed many of the expected top performers. Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, A.J. Brown and Puka Nacua are among the many stars sidelined while the entire Dolphins' skill position group has been neutered with the downgrade under center from Tua Tagovailoa to Skylar Thompson (and Tim Boyle for parts of Sunday's game).

Navigating the waiver wire is vital at this point of the campaign and a few more breakout candidates emerged during Week 3 of the season. Who should fantasy players trust and who produced fool's gold? Read on for this week's Bust or Trust ratings for five top waiver wire targets entering Week 4.

Fantasy Football Fool's Gold: Week 4 Report

Jauan Jennings, WR, San Francisco 49ers

No one made a bigger splash on the fantasy waiver wire than Jennings, the Super Bowl star who stunningly became the go-to guy in the 49ers' close loss to the Rams on Sunday. Brock Purdy looked Jennings' way 12 times and he produced a stellar line of 11 catches for 175 yards and three touchdowns, making him a weekly winner for fantasy owners that started him.

Jennings' connection with Purdy was much stronger than Brandon Aiyuk's, who caught 5-of-10 targets for 48 yards, and that makes sense since Aiyuk missed all of training camp while holding out for a new contract. Samuel and McCaffrey are out for a while while George Kittle also missed Sunday's game, leaving Jennings and Aiyuk as the unquestioned top dogs in the 49ers' passing game.

While the 49ers figure to get Aiyuk more involved going forward, Jennings looks like a good fit to assume Samuel's role as the jack-of-all-trades receiver who could even snag a few carries out of the backfield. The three touchdown day seems like an outlier but Jennings has earned a significant workload for as long as Samuel is out, making him the top waiver wire add of the week.

Verdict: Trust

Andy Dalton, QB, Carolina Panthers

The Panthers' decision to bench Bryce Young for the Red Rifle paid immediate dividends for Dave Canales as Carolina looked like a competent football team for the first time all season. Dalton moved Carolina's offense with ease, completing 26-of-37 passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns to help the Panthers upset the Las Vegas Raiders 36-22 to get their first win of the season.

Canales had to be encouraged by Dalton's strong connections with Diontae Johnson and Adam Thielen, but the latter left the game in the second half after injuring his hamstring on a touchdown catch. Chuba Hubbard also had a big day, rushing 22 times for 114 yards while adding five catches for 55 yards and a score, ensuring that the starting gig will stay with Dalton for the time being.

In a year where many elite signal callers are off to a slow start, Dalton feels like a strong candidate for a plug-and-play option in fantasy rosters. The loss of Thielen dampers some of the enthusiasm here and a tough upcoming slate (Bengals, at Bears, Falcons) of defenses means this performance should be the outlier for Dalton.

Verdict: Bust

Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

One of the most hyped sleepers entering the preseason, Irving has done his part to make life difficult for Buccaneers' starting running back Rachaad White. While the two have largely split work in the early going, Irving made a statement in Week 3, rushing nine times for 70 yards while White carried six times for just 17 yards (although he did add five catches for 18 yards).

While White was clearly hampered by injuries, this was the third consecutive week that Irving has outperformed White on the ground. Irving isn't as prolific a pass catcher as White, who could retain those responsibilities going forward, but the near-even usage for both backs in Week 3 (Irving caught three passes for 14 yards) indicates a shift could be underway with the responsibilities of lead dog in Tampa.

A committee is clearly forming and Irving appears poised to ascend to the 1A role, making him a valuable commodity for fantasy owners going forward. While the Bucs would prefer to have Baker Mayfield make more plays downfield with their dynamic receivers, Irving is a key piece in the complimentary rushing game.

Verdict: Trust

Tre Tucker, WR, Las Vegas Raiders

There weren't a lot of good things to come out of Las Vegas' blowout loss to Carolina on Sunday but Tucker's performance was one of them. After a quiet first two weeks to start the season, Tucker tied for the team lead in targets with Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers, turning nine looks into seven receptions for 96 yards and a score.

The usage was a significant increase for Tucker, who received five combined targets over the Raiders' first two games, although it is worth noting four of those looks came in garbage time with Aidan O'Connell chasing points. The big reason to keep an eye on Tucker is head coach Antonio Pierce's post-game comments about the team making business decisions soon, which implied he was unhappy with the effort level of some of their veteran players.

The biggest change in Tucker's favor could be if Adams tries to force his way out of town, which would open significant target volume for other pass catchers. The current status quo seems Tucker rates fourth at best (behind Adams, Meyers and rookie tight end Brock Bowers) on the pecking order with suspect quarterback play, making this performance an outlier.

Verdict: Bust

Cole Kmet, TE, Chicago Bears

While the term vast wasteland was used to describe television by FCC chairperson Newton Minow in 1961, it could be more aptly applied to the tight end position in fantasy football during the 2024 season. A lot of the position's stalwarts are either injured (David Njoku, George Kittle) or underwhelming (Travis Kelce, Sam LaPorta, Mark Andrews), leaving few palatable options at a core position in the game.

One guy who put his foot forward as a potential TE1 in Week 3 was Cole Kmet, who was one of Caleb Williams' favorite targets against the Indianapolis Colts. Kmet had a breakout performance in Week 3, catching 10-of-11 targets for 97 yards and a touchdown, easily season bests as he tied Rome Odunze for the team lead in targets.

While Keenan Allen did miss this game due to injury, Kmet demonstrated a clear rapport with Williams, which is a good thing since the talented rookie quarterback has a lot of options to feed the football too. The state of the Bears' offensive line means Williams may need to utilize more check down options to get the football moving, making intermediate targets like Kmet a valuable commodity in the Chicago passing game.

Verdict: Trust