Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Live Updates Week 4: Adam Thielen, De'Von Achane and more

You have waiver wire questions? We have answers in our weekly fantasy live blog, hosted by Michael Salfino Michael Salfino (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images) Jeff W.: 10 team Flex PPR. Adam Thielen, Tank Dell, Josh Palmer and Devon Achane are available on the waiver wire. Should I drop DJ Moore for one of above? Thanks

You have waiver wire questions? We have answers in our weekly fantasy live blog, hosted by Michael Salfino

Michael Salfino

September 26, 2023 at 10:13 AM EDTFantasy Football Waiver Wire Live Updates Week 4: Adam Thielen, De'Von Achane and more

(Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

Dropping DJ Moore

Jeff W.: 10 team Flex PPR. Adam Thielen, Tank Dell, Josh Palmer and Devon Achane are available on the waiver wire. Should I drop DJ Moore for one of above? Thanks

A: Yes, I think it's time to make that move. DJ Moore got everyone all excited, but this is a team that still has Mooney, has a QB who can rely on his legs if a guy doesn't seem open, and the offense seems like a bad fit for Moore, at least right now. You may have to watch a few 100-yard games on someone else's team (possibly their bench) but your replacements (I'd order them Achane, Dell, Thielen, Palmer – I lean RB heavy on my bench, but in a vacuum I think Dell is the better bet) should be less frustrating and at least Dell and maybe Thielen could give you a better floor.

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Justin M.: Looking at putting bids in on Thielen, Downs, Rice, Palmer, and Johnston - Who would you prioritize for ROS? Looking for 1 or 2 to compete with Jeudy for WR3/Flex

If Andy Dalton was going to remain at QB for Carolina, Thielen would probably be the top choice. But a return to Bryce Young is coming, and so that would have me looking at Palmer as my top bid. Then Thielen, because should still be solid with Young. Rice seems like he's building towards even better days ahead, and he'd be No. 3. Johnston would be 4 and Downs (don't love the passing offense upside, and Pittman is the clear alpha WR there) would be 5th, though I think he and Johnston are really close.

Selling high on Mostert

Tristan R.: Being offered Kupp for Mostert, 12 team half ppr league. I am somewhat thin at RB with Barkley, Mostert, Conner, Roschon J, and Spears. That’s gotta be an incredible sell high right? Just worried about Kupp’s injury lingering ROS.

I haven't heard anything but optimism that Kupp should be able to return soon after his IR stint. Maybe the Rams slow play it an extra week or two. But the time of his return is nearing. So, yes, it would be a great sell high opportunity on Mostert. But do you need the WR help? You can still sell high on Mostert - good idea that Achane isn't going away, Jeff Wilson is returning soon, and the biggest strength of the Miami offense lies in the WR duo of Hill and Waddle - but maybe you can combine Mostert and another lower level player for an even bigger name at RB. Just saying that, while I like the Kupp trade, I would shop Mostert around first.

Unsexy RBs to trade for

Chad M.: 3 games in, which unsexy RBs look like good trade targets?

A: I love targeting unsexy RBs, so I'm here for it.

Miles Sanders has 20 targets and leads all RBs with that number. His actual rushing stats aren't spectacular but the target volume could be helpful in bye weeks

I love Kyren Williams. He gets a ton of targets and is involved in the passing game, and he has the backfield all to himself. The Rams are a little weird in terms of rushing a lot and then passing a lot. Remember how frustrating it was for Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson in the past? Williams will go on some runs and probably be a hot name mid-season because the volume will eventually yield bigger numbers.

And I'll get weird and throw out Breece Hall. The Jets are a mess... right now. Maybe they figure some stuff out? Hall is averaging 5.9 YPC despite a totally dysfunctional offense. You can probably get him cheap thanks to the stench of the Jets on him, too.

Drop Josh Kelley?

Dan S.: Should I drop Joshua Kelley? PPR 12 team league, deeper format (3 flexes)

Clearly, Kelley has done little to warrant extra workload once Ekeler returns, but I'd probably at least wait another week to cut him loose. The Chargers get the Raiders in Week 4, and Las Vegas has been friendly to RBs, allowing nearly 4.7 YPC to the position. Unless you need to make room for De'Von Achane, roll with Kelley another week.

Ranking Atwell, Palmer, Downs and Mims

Mark D.: Rest of season: Atwell, Palmer, Downs or Mims?

A; I'll default this to half-PPR and say...

Downs (he has a legit shot to be No. 2 for his team in what looks like a decent offense)

Mims (he's behind Sutton and Jeudy right now, but he's good, and he's returning kickoffs for TDs and could play more if Payton shakes things up a little)

Atwell (I have no idea what is happening with Coper Kupp and Puka may get more coverage, so I could see someone playing the upside game putting Atwell first. I might if you asked me to re-rank these four again tomorrow)

Palmer (I feel like he's been in the mix every year, and every year we just kind of wait and he doesn't do much)

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How hard do you go after De'Von Achane?

Jillian M.: How much FAAB should you spend to get Achane?

A: I'm a little torn here, because on one hand Achane was electric and seemed unstoppable... and I felt like we were watching a Tarik Cohen breakout all over again. But Raheem Mostert also looked fantastic, and Jeff Wilson is lurking in the shadows. So Achane depends on your risk tolerance and your roster and your style of play, I guess. You also have to factor in that at some point you know you're going to lose that bid on him if you're just "meh" or believe he'll have as many 5-for-19 weeks as he might have 11-for-122 and a TD.

So... weak RB teams: If I have $80, I'd bit $58-65

Decent RB teams: $40-44

Teams with good RBs: $26-28 (put in the bid just in case everyone else is sleeping)

Keep in mind that byes are coming and depth is going to be more important after this week, so even winning Achane and flipping him before this next game, when his stock is super high, can flip into a WR or some other position you may need.

Hello, Keaton Mitchell!

Pete M. Will Keaton Mitchell be fantasy relevant for the Ravens this season?

I think so. Especially if Gus Edwards is out for a little bit. I understand you have Edwards and Hill — and the Ravens always somehow go back to Edwards... which I am totally fine with, I like him. But we don't know this Todd Monken offense just yet. Maybe he likes Mitchell. Maybe Mitchell is a better fit.

If you don't like that vague answer, our friend Jake Ciely mentioned Mitchell in this week's waiver wire column, and said he'll be a factor later in the season.

Adding Tony Pollard's handcuff

Matt J.: I'm now comfortable adding Rico Dowdle as the handcuff to Tony Pollard. Would you drop Kendre Miller for him, or is it time to drop AJ Dillon?

I'd honestly be fine with you dropping either of them for Dowdle.I guess the determining factor for me would be what kind of role Miller and Dillon have if/when the RB in front of them goes down. For Dillon, he pretty much becomes the de facto go-to RB for the Packers when Aaron Jones is out. For New Orleans, we have to assume that Jamaal williams would still be in the mix (when he comes back), plus Tony Jones and Miller. So my lean is to cut Miller for Dowdle.

Trade Taylor?

John B.: At this point, should I keep or trade Jonathan Taylor?

I'd be holding right now. The fantasy discourse on him is quiet right now. I doubt his trade value has jumped as much as it will when we start seeing him practice and getting himself ready to return. There should be a time in the run-up to his return that he sees a market value spike simply because he's back in the forefront of people's minds.

Fallow Fields

Gerry V.: Time to drop Fields yet? Is he ever going to get better?

It's a little premature to jettison Fields, IMO. He put a Top 10 QB campaign on record last season, and as bad as he's been in 2023, he's still in the QB Top 20, which speaks to the depth of QB in fantasy. It's doubtful you can do better than Fields from an upside standpoint. Chicago is going to have to adjust and continue to look for ways to get Fields untracked. The Bears may be at a point in thinking he's no longer the QB of their future, but they'll do the best they can to get the best out of him now.

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Miami's backfield mix

Peter S.: Re Achane waiver claim, How will Miami divvy up the RB % once Jeff Wilson gets back?

Unfortunately, I don't think this has a fantasy-friendly answer. You can look to usage last season and get fairly strong context clues that the Dolphins will almost certainly employ a backfield platoon. Jeff Wilson and Raheem Mostert were interchanged liberally in 2022 when both were healthy together. Right now, you can expect that Achane and Mostert will continue to be platooned, and we'll have to see if the waters get muddied even further when Wilson comes off IR, but it wouldn't surprise me.

Welcome to the live blog!

Hello everyone! And welcome to our live blog dedicated to the Week 4 waiver wire! You can drop your questions here and I'll be picking the most relevant and helpful to get us prepped for the wire runs tonight and tomorrow,

Good luck, and let's jump in!

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