Week 4: Waiver Wire Pickups

Some of the players who have been mentioned in this space in the past and are still worth owning include: QBTeddy Bridgewater, QB Kirk Cousins, RB Isaiah Crowell, WR Andrew Hawkins, WR Mohamed Sanu, TE Travis Kelce and TE Dwayne Allen. Check to see if any of those players are available in your league before consulting this list.

QB Blake Bortles, ---

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The Bortles era began in Jacksonville on Sunday as the rookie QB came in for Chad Henne at halftime and was named the starter for the rest of the season by head coach Gus Bradley following the game. Bortles performed admirably in a lost-cause game, completing 14 of 24 passes for 223 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in just one half. As the bye-week crunch starts In Week 4, Bortles should be a serviceable fill-in for owners of Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson. He'll have to travel to San Diego to face a Chargers unit that has played very well in the last two weeks, but the Jaguars will likely be in comeback mode much of the game and that should give Bortles plenty of opportunities for big plays.

RB Alfred Blue, ---

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Starter Arian Foster missed Week 3's game with a hamstring injury, and Blue picked up the slack. He took 13 carries for 78 yards and added one catch for 10 yards. More importantly, Blue established himself as the definitive No. 2 RB in Houston. Foster seems likely to return in Week 4, but he has a history of injuries, including nagging hamstring problems. Foster's owners should strongly consider picking up Blue on waivers this week.

RB Lorenzo Taliaferro, ---

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Bernard Pierce missed the Ravens' Week 3 contest with a thigh injury, and Taliaferro performed well in his absence. He ended the day with 18 carries for 91 yards and a touchdown. Justin Forsett saw a similar workload, but Taliaferro was the back to find the end zone. Whenever Pierce returns, this backfield will likely develop into a three-way committee, which will limit the values of all players involved. But Taliaferro should be considered the No. 2 in Baltimore behind Pierce and may even have a chance at taking over the lead role. He's worth a somewhat speculative waiver add in deeper leagues.

RB Stepfan Taylor, ---

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Taylor hasn't seen much work this year, and that's unlikely to change as long as RB Andre Ellington is active. But with RB Jonathan Dwyer's season now over, Taylor suddenly finds himself backing up one of the more injury-prone starting running backs in the NFL. Ellington has already given fantasy owners a scare in 2014 with a foot injury, and while he didn't miss any time, it was a reminder that he is not a particularly durable back. Going forward, look for Taylor to be worked into the mix a bit more in short-yardage and goal-line situations. He should have first crack at carries in the fairly likely event of an Ellington injury.

WR Stevie Johnson, ---

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Somewhat surprisingly, Johnson was targeted nine times on Sunday by Colin Kaepernick. He caught all nine throws and ended the day with a team-leading 103 yards. Johnson was formerly the top WR in Buffalo, and he looked a bit like his old self. His opportunities will likely dip when TE Vernon Davis returns to the lineup, but Johnson made a solid case to be the No. 2 WR in San Francisco. He's lost a bit of his game-breaking speed, but in a 49ers offense that's throwing more than ever in the Jim Harbaugh era, he has WR3 upside. He is worth consideration in deep leagues.