FFT Express Beat the Waiver Wire! MUST-STASH Players Before Week 4 | 2026 Fantasy Football (10/01 Fantasy Football Podcast)

This episode is a rapid-fire waiver wire guide ahead of Week 4, with Dave Richard walking Adam through position-by-position pickups while explicitly looking ahead to Week 5 bye-week replacements. The central argument: with bye weeks starting in Week 5, managers need to stash bench depth now, especially at running back, rather than scrambling later, and several widely-available players carry real streaming or stash value depending on injury situations in Chicago, Minnesota, and Miami.

The arguments

Keaton Mitchell is the top overall pickup available. Dave argues the Chargers backfield situation favors Mitchell because Omarion Hampton has looked like a poor man's Caleb Johnson, and Mitchell's explosiveness in both run and pass game gives him real weekly upside even in an offense Dave otherwise doesn't trust. He frames this less as a league-winner and more as a free, no-cost-to-acquire bench piece capable of 10 PPR points, useful specifically as a Week 5 replacement for bye-week backs like Chuba Hubbard or Kenneth Walker.

Jacoby Brissett is the preferred streaming quarterback, with Geno Smith as the fallback. Dave likes Brissett's Week 5 matchup against Detroit's shaky secondary and expects him in "gunslinger mode," while flagging Geno Smith's stretch of favorable matchups (Cleveland, Patriots, Dolphins) as the next-best streamer if Brissett gets claimed first. Both hosts explicitly rule out Jayden Daniels against Dallas as a desirable Week 5 option, even acknowledging Pittsburgh's secondary upgrade via the Joey Porter Jr. trade doesn't change that view.

Running back depth beyond Mitchell is pure speculative stashing. Dave names Jaylen Wright (still available in half of leagues and preferred by the staff over Ollie Gordon per a prior episode discussion), Kendrick Miller, and James Conner as an IR stash with trade-value upside once healthy in Arizona. He also addresses roster-crunch anxiety directly, advising that if a manager must cut a recognizable name like Josh Jacobs, doing so Sunday morning maximizes the chance of re-claiming him before the Tuesday waiver run.

Wide receiver value is split between immediately startable veterans and desperation dart-throws. Dave considers Keenan Allen and Khalifa Raymond startable in full PPR right now given Chicago's unpredictable passing distribution, while treating Adonai Mitchell and Caleb Douglas as injury-contingent stashes not worth rushing for this week. For the deeper-league dart-throws (Trey Harris, Mack Hollins, Cooper Kupp, Malik Washington, Chris Bell, Tyreek Hill), Dave and Adam disagree on urgency — when Adam asks which one he'd grab if just needing bye-week bodies versus taking a swing, Dave's answer is Tyreek Hill, betting on a potential signing and fantasy relevance.

Tight end streaming hinges on a one-week audition. Dave frames Darren Waller as a performance-based keep-or-cut: strong play against Detroit in Week 4 justifies holding him through his bye, while a poor outing means dropping him immediately for Week 5. Adam pushes back when Dave calls Waller just a "stash," pointing out Waller drew all eight targets with Jalen Coker out last week, prompting Dave to clarify he's talking about the long-term hold, not the immediate start.

Cincinnati is the top streaming defense, with Indianapolis as a contingency. Dave likes the Bengals' Week 5 home matchup against Miami despite their Week 3 loss to Pittsburgh, and floats the Jets (favorable three-week stretch vs. Cleveland/Patriots/Miami) and Colts (coming off a good game, facing Pittsburgh then Tennessee) as backups if Cincinnati gets claimed first. Adam adds the Raiders as a quietly strong defense worth monitoring given their upcoming Patriots matchup.

What it means for your roster

• Claim Keaton Mitchell now, even on your bench, as a zero-cost Week 5 replacement option for Hubbard/Walker-type bye-week losses.
• Stream Jacoby Brissett in Week 5 against Detroit if you're replacing a bye-week quarterback; grab Geno Smith as the backup plan.
• Stash James Conner on IR betting on a post-Arizona trade landing spot, and don't overreact to cutting Josh Jacobs — if roster crunch forces it, drop him Sunday morning to preserve re-claim odds.
• Start Keenan Allen and Khalifa Raymond in full PPR this week, not just as speculative adds, given Chicago's offensive uncertainty.
• Hold Darren Waller conditionally — a good Week 4 game against Detroit earns him a bye-week roster spot; a bad one means cutting him for a Week 5 streamer.
• Grab Cincinnati's defense first for Week 5 (Miami matchup); fall back to Indianapolis or the Jets if beaten to the wire.