Week 4 marks the first of nine bye weeks in the NFL, and thus the real grind of fantasy football. This week is particularly brutal with six teams getting the week off: the Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos, Cincinnati Bengals, Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns and St. Louis Rams.
Fantasy football waiver wire: 5 quarterbacks to target for Week 4
The bye weeks are here, which means owners need replacements for Peyton Manning, Andy Dalton and Russell Wilson, among others.
Jeffrey G. Pittenger-USA TODAY Sports
As a result, quarterbacks like Peyton Manning, Russell Wilson and Andy Dalton are unavailable, which means a trip to the waiver wire for many fantasy owners. Fortunately, there are some decent options available in less than 50 percent of Yahoo! leagues. Here are five to look at.
Kirk Cousins, Washington (48 percent)
Maybe the hype is real, or maybe he'll revert to his poor 2013 form. Either way, Cousins looks like a natural in Jay Gruden's offense, shredding the Philadelphia Eagles for 427 yards and three touchdowns. The New York Giants have a better secondary than Philly's and Thursday night games are always a fantasy headache, but it might be time to start taking Cousins seriously.
Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens (40 percent)
Flacco will never be an exciting fantasy play and he gets the Carolina Panthers' defense this week, but you could do worse as a bye week fill-in. He has quickly developed a rapport with Steve Smith Sr, and if Flacco keeps the mistakes down in a close matchup, he can be a passable QB2. Exciting, I know.
Waiver Wire Advice
Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars (5 percent)
The Jaguars have finally acknowledged what everyone knew since preseason -- Bortles gives them a better chance to win than Chad Henne. Henne finally got the boot after another dismal performance, and Bortles acquitted himself well in the blowout loss, completing 58 percent of his passes for 223 yards, two touchdowns and a strong 9.3 yards per attempt, although he did throw two interceptions. Now that he'll have a full week of practice with the first team, I like his chances against the San Diego Chargers. His big arm and mobility should help revive a stagnant Jaguars offense.
Teddy Bridgewater, Minnesota Vikings (4 percent)
Bridgewater's chance is coming sooner than expected. Matt Cassel is out with a broken foot, so the rookie out of Louisville gets the keys to the offense. He made a nice first impression in relief duty, going 12 of 20 for 150 yards and 7.5 yards per attempt. Much like Bortles above, Bridgewater has intriguing upside with a full week of practice and game planning. The Atlanta Falcons' defense should be an appealing test run even with the Vikings still adjusting to life without Adrian Peterson.
Mike Glennon, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1 percent)
The Bucs are 0-3 and their season is quickly spiraling out of control, with Josh McCown looking like a failed experiment. Lovie Smith is dedicated to a fault with his veteran players, but McCown's thumb injury at least gives him an out to see if Glennon can get the offense going. He threw for 121 yards on 17-of-24 passing in garbage time against the Falcons. If nothing else, Glennon has the arm strength to take downfield shots at tall weapons Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans. If he starts, he has a plus matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who lost Ike Taylor to a broken forearm. Glennon is worth an add in two-quarterback leagues.
