NFL fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 4

Week 3 of the 2023 NFL season was filled with plenty of excitement and surprises, as well as some key injuries. Be sure to stay up-to-date with the latest news, injuries, and analysis before running to the fantasy football waiver wire to make your pickups for Week 4.

Between the Dolphins becoming just the fourth team in NFL history to crack the 70-point threshold in a single game and two dark-horse Super Bowl contenders (the Jaguars and Cowboys) losing to two of the worst teams in the NFL (the Texans and Cardinals), there is plenty to unfold.

With that said, here are some key names to look out for on your waiver wire this week that are still rostered in less than 50 percent of Yahoo fantasy football leagues.

Fantasy football QB waiver pickups, Week 4

Jameis Winston, New Orleans Saints (0 percent rostered)

Saints starting quarterback Derek Carr sprained his right AC joint in the Saints Week 3 road loss to the Packers. Despite head coach Dennis Allen being reluctant to rule out Carr for their Week 4 matchup against the Bucs, he is being labeled as week-to-week, paving the way for backup quarterback Jameis Winston to get an opportunity to potentially start at least one game for the Saints.

Winston is not your average backup quarterback. The former No. 1 overall pick of the 2015 NFL Draft has a 5,000-yard season to his name and has started 80 games in his career. He is an experienced signal-caller who will now get to step into a situation where he is surrounded by a strong supporting cast.

Between Chris Olave, Michael Thomas, Rashid Shaheed, and the pending return of running back Alvin Kamara fresh off his three-game suspension, Winston is set up to succeed if he needs to fill in for Carr.

Not to mention, Winston is now in his fourth season with the Saints, meaning he should be familiar with the offensive scheme and comfortable running the offense. Pair all of this with a Week 4 matchup against the team that drafted Winston, and it sets up perfectly for a revenge-game narrative in Winston’s first start of 2023.

He may not be a top-12 quarterback in fantasy football anymore, but there are worse QB2 options than Winston out there. He should have value for however long Carr is out (if he is forced to miss any time).

Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh Steelers (27 percent rostered)

After a lot of offseason hype surrounding quarterback Kenny Pickett and the Steelers, the offense has been disappointing, to say the least through their first three games of 2023. However, after being matched up against two of the best defenses in the NFL in the first two weeks of the season (the 49ers and Browns), Pickett and the offense seemed more comfortable in their Week 3 win versus the Raiders.

Pickett completed 16 of his 28 pass attempts for 235 yards and two touchdowns, adding three carries for 11 yards on the ground. Had the Steelers not taken a two-score lead in the third quarter, Pickett could’ve gone on to have a much bigger day. However, with the Steelers’ defense doing a great job of containing the Raiders’ offense, Pickett and the offense took a conservative approach to take as much time off the clock as possible.

In 10 of his 15 starts, Pickett has earned at least three rushing attempts. Per StatMuse, Week 3 was his first career game with 2 passing touchdowns. His schedule is also softening up after playing against two of the most fearsome front sevens in the NFL to start the season. Here are the Steelers’ next five games: at Houston versus the Texans, home to the Ravens, at Los Angeles versus the Rams, home to the Jaguars and Titans.

Pickett should be able to carry the momentum from what was one of the best starts of his young career against his upcoming opponents who don’t have defensive units that strike fear into an opponent’s eye. Combine that with the rushing ability he offers and you have a viable fantasy quarterback more weeks than not.