Fantasy points came back with a fury in week 3, showcasing 22 players who scored more than 20 points, more than the 19 combined who tallied those numbers in weeks 1 and 2.

The NFL’s lack of attention to a preseason is causing NFL teams to take longer to warm up. These first few weeks shouldn’t be the barometer of how a season will go. Teams are adjusting in the first few weeks, so tread lightly when considering these results.

With that, there’s still players available on the waiver wire. Bye weeks are coming, so generate depth for your roster before it’s too late.

Here’s an early look at the week 4 fantasy football waiver wire.

Wendell Smallwood would be a good add on the week 4 fantasy football waiver wire. Flickr/Keith Allison

Wendell Smallwood, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

I added him in my fantasy football league last week based on potential workload. Somebody has to carry the ball in Philadelphia and if Darren Sproles remains injured, Smallwood looks to be the main contributor.

Smallwood carried the ball 12 times in week 3, running for 71 yards. He still shared some of the volume with LaGarrette Blount and Corey Clement, but Smallwood was by far the main weapon for the Eagles in the backfield when Sproles left with injury.

With bye weeks coming up, the waiver wire may be slim, so having Smallwood be a filler, especially in 14-team leagues or in leagues that require three wide receivers, two running backs and a flex, isn’t a terrible option. He’s still not going to be a regular RB2, but he has the chance at being a decent filler as a Flex in the coming weeks with byes.

D’Onta Foreman, RB, Houston Texans

He’s a stash, especially in deeper leagues. Foreman continues to see more action while backing up starter Lamar Miller. He tallied 90 total yards in week 3, up from 40 yards in week 2.

Miller has been such a voluminous running back in the last year, it’s worth stashing his backup, especially when he’s turning in good results in limited action. Running backs with that much wear don’t usually hold up an entire season.

That gives Foreman value, but he won’t be able to aid anyone in upcoming bye weeks as long as Miller is still the lead back. If Miller’s workload is scaled back or an injury occurs, Foreman would easily have RB2 value.

Brian Hoyer, QB, San Francisco 49ers

Hoyer is not going to save your fantasy football team. But he can provide a decent stopgap for your roster in bye weeks or tough matchups in the coming weeks.

The 49ers are going to hit the road for the next few weeks, going to Arizona, Indianapolis and Washington. It’s not great that San Francisco will be on the road, but they’ll face three bottom-half pass defenses, with two of those — Indianapolis and Washington — in the bottom 10.

I haven’t been near as down on Hoyer as some have been. He put up decent numbers in Houston and still has the ability to put up big fantasy points. He struggled in weeks 1 and 2, but was squaring off against defenses in Carolina and Seattle that have traditionally been stellar against the pass. Week 3 looked more like the Hoyer I expected in the preseason and I expect the passing game to continue to get better.

He’s a nice streaming option, with some decent matchups in the coming weeks.

Devin Funchess, WR, Carolina Panthers

I’m selling my stock on Carolina. I know I earlier wrote about this time of year not being a good way to judge a team’s future, but there’s major trouble in Carolina. Cam Newton is still not accurate and he may be even worse. He also doesn’t use his legs as much, making him a below-average quarterback at the moment.

Greg Olsen creates a major void in that offense and now Kelvin Benjamin is out with injury. That leaves room for Funchess to get WR2 volume, as he tallied 10 targets in week 3.

When looking for waiver wire adds among wide receivers, all you’re looking for is volume. Funchess isn’t the best option for Carolina, but he may be the only one available. The Panthers actually have a decent matchup in the passing department in week 4 against a New England defense that allowed Deshaun Watson to light them up.

Funchess should get some work, so grab him now off the waiver wire.

Sterling Shepard, WR, New York Giants

The Giants offense is atrocious. Without Odell Beckham Jr., New York can’t get into the end zone.

I believed the addition of Brandon Marshall would help the passing game become even more dynamic, but that hasn’t happened. With Marshall’s lack of involvement, it has opened up opportunities for Shepard.

He has 22 targets through three games and will likely continue to see plenty of work his way with the Giants trailing in many games. Shepard is the second-best receiver on that team, and without a running game, he can sustain this kind of production.

He’s owned in less than 40 percent of fantasy leagues on Yahoo, so pick him now, especially as a stop-gap measure for upcoming bye weeks.

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