In Week 4 my teams when 3-0, so for the season my record is now 11-1. One of my teams is very strong and the other two are above average and benefited from strength-of-schedule alignment. Common to all three of my teams are starters or depth on the bench that has resulted from following my own advice from this series of articles. Key waiver pick-ups on my rosters currently are: Sam Darnold (QB, Min), Jordan Mason (RB, SF), Jauan Jennings (WR, SF), Tre Tucker (WR, LV) and Devaughn Vele (WR, Den). Because my teams are winning, I am generally going last or near last with my waiver pick-ups, but I am still able to find great players to add to my roster.

If you are familiar with my format of "Streamers for the Desperate" articles, then skip the following introduction.

This article is based on the principles I wrote about in How To Own Your League's Waiver Wire.

I name this article as such because it is generally for deeper roster leagues (18-to-24-man rosters) and as the season progresses, especially in the 24-man roster leagues, the pickings can get very thin. For example, you won't see Kirk Cousins (QB, Atl) in this article because he isn't available in my leagues. However, you will see him in Alex Cuilla's article, Week 5 Fantasy Football Waiver Adds because he is less than 50% owned in Yahoo leagues.

I list the players that are available on waivers in my three leagues and generally that scored more than 10 fantasy points (PPR). The players with an asterisks are available in my 24-man roster league. As we get deeper into the season, no matter how slim the options, I always list a couple available players for each position from my 24-man league.

I have loosely ranked the players but you need to decide which players are right for your team. Your criteria for deciding will be different depending on your need and if you are in a redraft, keeper or dynasty league.

The ranking in parenthesis after each player is the strength of this week's opponent against that position. So a "1st" indicates the most difficult opponent for that position, and a "32nd" indicates the weakest opponent against that position.

As much effort as it is, I make waiver requests every week for all of my teams. I don't just try to fill in obvious immediate needs, but look to make my team better to the last man on the roster. A deep roster creates resilience against injury. It also results in other teams having less good options, increasing the opportunity to trade to teams that truly are desperate and thereby build my draft pick arsenals.

For example, in my dynasty league I came in 2nd place last year, I had have the 3rd highest fantasy points in the league after Week 2, I have 10 rookies on my roster (two are on IR) and still I have arsenal of three 1sts, two 2nds, one 3rd picks for 2025 and three 1sts, three 2nds and five 3rds picks for 2026. Active waiver wire participation has been a big part of building that arsenal.

Quarterbacks

• ^*Joe Flacco, Ind @ Jac (32nd) - Anthony Richardson is day-to-day. If Richardson is not ready for Week 5, then Flacco is an excellent Week 5 streamer opportunity against the softest D in the league against QBs.
• Andy Dalton, Car @ Chi (3rd) - Dalton completed 25 of 40 attempts for 220 yards, 2 TDs and 1 Int in Week 4. He is now the Panthers defacto starter is a reasonable streaming option most weeks. Don't expect a QB2 in Week 5 against the Bears tough pass defense.
• Minshew Gardner, LV @ Den (7th) - Gardner completed 14 of 24 attempts for 130 yards, no TDs or Ints. This was basically a floor performance for Gardner. Though he also doesn't have a high ceiling, we can expect better from him in Week 5.
• Tyler Huntley, Mia @ NE (14th) - Completing 14 of 22 attempts for 96 yards does not spell Tua Tagovailoa. At least he added 8 runs for 40 yards and a TD. Perhaps with the coaching staff's full attention heading into Week 5, he will fair a little better against the Patriots average pass defense.
• ^*Jacoby Brissett, NE v Mia (2nd) - Brissett slightly improved from Week 3 to Week 4, but behind a horrible Patriots o-line against one of the league's best pass defenses, Brissett will probably be tossed about like a rag doll and lose the ball 2 or 3 more times than he scores with it. He is only worth a spot on your roster as a last choice.

Running Backs

• Justice Hill, Bal @ Cin (21st) - Hill carried the ball for 18 yards on 4 carries, and caught all 6 of his targets for 78 yards and a TD against a soft Bills D in Week 4. Hill has had steady volume behind Derrick Henry since Week 1, and can be expected to continue to output moderate fantasy numbers going forward. 
• ^*Jeremy McNichols, Wsh v Cle (8th) - McNichols carried the ball 8 times for 68 yards and a TD, and caught is only target for 6 yards in Week 4 in the absence of Austin Ekeler. If Ekeler remains benched for Week 5, McNichols can be expected to give a moderate fantasy performance.
• ^*Dare Ogunbowale, Hou v Bills (32nd) - With both Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce sidelined, Ogunbowale had his best performance of 2 rushes for 7 yards and catching all 4 of his targets for 47 yards and a TD in Week 4. If both Mixon and Pierce are out again in Week 5, Ogunbowale is a viable streaming option for Week 5.
• Roschon Johnson, Chi v Car (31st) - Johnson has seen moderate volume playing behind D'Andre Swift in Weeks 3 and 4. It seems Johnson has carved out a role as a change of pace back and should continue to produce a moderate stream of fantasy points. 

Receivers

• Allen Lazard, NYJ @ Min (30th) - With a season stat line of 16 catches out of 24 targets for 206 yards and 3 TDs, averaging 13.65 FPs in PPR leagues against a soft Vikings D, Lazard is an obvious pick up if he is available in your league.
• Wan'Dale Robinson, NYG @ Sea (8th) - Robinson caught 11 of 14 targets for 71 yards in Week 4 behind Malik Nabers. Against a stout Seahawks defense, Robinson could continue to see a high volume of targets in his role as a short-yardage receiver, even more so in the unlikely event Nabers doesn't clear the concussion protocol.
• Devaughn Vele (R), Den v LV (19th) - Vele caught all 8 of his targets for 39 yards in Week 1, which is a great start for an NFL rookie. Injured for Week 2 and a healthy scratch in Weeks 3 and 4, he is not a reliable streamer option for Week 5, but he might be worth a stash in dynasty leagues to see if he can build on his Week 1 performance once he gets the opportunity. 
• Ray-Ray McCloud, Atl v TB (10th) - McCloud has been averaging 4.8 receptions, 40.8 receiving yards and 5.8 rushing yards per game. He is questionable for Week 5, but if he plays you should be able to count on McCloud for moderate fantasy production. 
• Tutu Atwell, LAR v GB (24th) - Atwell has consistently caught 3 or 4 passes averaging 72 yards for the last three games. Atwell led the Rams in receiving yards (93) in Week 4, and his moderate volume should continue if Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua are not able to return to action for Week 5.
• Jalen Nailor, Min v NYJ (7th) - Nailor is getting very low volume and is touchdown dependent to be fantasy relevant. However, he has a TD in 3 of 4 games this season.
• ^*Olamide Zaccheaus, Wsh v Cle (18th) - Zaccheaus led the Commanders in receiving yards, catching all 6 of his targets for 85 yards in Week 4, but after not being targeted in Week 3. It's hard to tell if Zaccheaus has carved out a role or if he will simply go back into fantasy oblivion in Week 5.
• ^*Noah Brown, Wsh v Cle (18th) - Brown has caught 3 passes a week for the last three weeks, still with no TDs.

Tight Ends

• Tucker Kraft, GB @ LAR (24th) - Kraft caught 6 of 9 targets and a TD in Week 4. Is this sophomore in the process of breaking out? If so, he is worth a stash in your dynasty league, and could be started if you have no better choices.
• Cade Otton, TB @ Atl (17th) - Cade has started to see significant volume over the last two weeks, averaging 6.5 receptions on 8.5 targets and 52 yards. Cade is a 3rd-year TE and might be on the verge of a small breakout, as the 3rd year is a peak year for TEs.
• ^*AJ Barner (R), Sea v NYG (19th) - There are no reliable fantasy relevant TEs in my 24-deep roster league. Barner is a rookie that caught a TD last week on a very low volume of passes (2), but if your TEs are injured and/or on a bye-week, why not add him to your dynasty roster and throw him in your lineup in Week 5?

Kickers

• Austin Seibert, Wsh v Cle (21st)
• Blake Grupe, NO @ KC (16th)
• Will Lutz, Den v LV (27th)
• Greg Joseph, NYG @ Sea (7th)
• Younghoe Koo, Atl v TB (11th)
• Bravden Narveson (R), GB @ LAR (13th)

Defense / Special Teams

• Minnesota Vikings v NYJ (12th)
• Denver Broncos v LV (27th)
• Seattle Seahawks v NYG (28th)
• New Orleans Saints @ KC (19th)
• Arizona Cardinals @ SF (11th)
• Atlanta Falcons v TB (14th)
• New York Giants @ Sea (16th)

^*Available in my league with 24-player rosters