Welcome to the Week 4 waiver wire watch!
We had a wild weekend of action across the NFL and it was special teams that ended up being the deciding factor in several games around the league. Whether you won your fantasy league matchup or got absolutely smoked, you’re probably looking for ways to fortify your rosters ahead of next week. That’s where we come in.
Defense/special teams is the biggest week-to-week streamer position in fantasy and you’re most likely looking into which available unit you should deploy for Week 4. We’ll go over some D/ST options that you should consider scooping off the waiver wire and we’ll classify a waiver add as a unit that is rostered in roughly 40% of leagues at maximum. Something to note that this is the last week where all teams will be in action before byes start going into effect, so keep that in mind.
Jacksonville Jaguars D/ST (6.8%)
Jacksonville emerged victorious in a sloppy 17-10 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday and it was thanks in part to their defense coming up clutch late in the ballgame. The unit forced three turnovers in the fourth quarter alone with the capper coming by way of Antonio Johnson picking off C.J. Stroud deep in their own territory with 27 seconds left to seal the win. Two sacks, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery allowed for the unit to rack up 12.2 fantasy points for the week.
The Jags will visit the San Francisco 49ers in Week 4 and could be facing a returning Brock Purdy at Levi Stadium. The Pro Bowler not being totally 100% after two weeks on the sideline could play in Jacksonville’s favor, as well as San Francisco in general being ravaged by injuries so far this season.
Indianapolis Colts D/ST (37.2%)
Indy has been the biggest surprise in the NFL so far this season and while Daniel Jones has been turning heads on offense, the defense has been disruptive. That was the case in Sunday’s 41-20 drubbing of the Tennessee Titans, where they sacked Cam Ward four times and Kenny Moore housed a pick-six within the first minute of the game.
The Colts D/ST ranks fourth in fantasy as they’re nearly breaking even with 9.7 fantasy points per game. They’ll head to L.A. on Sunday to face a Rams squad that was particularly vulnerable on special teams, having not one, but two blocked field goals against the Eagles in Week 3.
Washington Commanders D/ST (33%)
Washington cruised to a 41-24 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday and while the defense wasn’t flawless, it did do a good job at pressuring Geno Smith with eight QB hits and five sacks for the game. The Commanders’ special teams came up big as well as Jaylin Lane took a 90-yard punt return to the house in the third quarter, allowing the D/ST to finish with 11 fantasy points for the week.
The Commanders will visit the Atlanta Falcons in Week 4 and they have to be licking their chops after seeing the Panthers shut them out on Sunday. Washington is actually a top-10 team in defensive EPA per rush, so their ability to limit the run will help when going face-to-face with Bijan Robinson.
