The 2020-21 NFL regular season is approaching the quarter mark of the campaign as Week 4 is now on the immediate horizon. After just three weeks of the 2020-21 regular season, fantasy football owners have already cheered, cried and perhaps broken some televisions along the way as the waiver wire activity continues to be fierce. Due to the immense amount of injuries that key players have suffered, the waiver wire has quickly become the best option for many — especially if other league participants are healthy or unwilling to trade.
With a ton of injuries already hindering a slew of talented running backs while slowing down a few others, there are a few rushers that fantasy football owners should target on the waiver wire ahead of Week 4's slate of games. Although these players will certainly not change the trajectory of a season for any team, patching up smaller holes can go a long way while even getting lucky with a big performance can swing an entire matchup.
*Additionally, here are ClutchPoints’ top waiver wire pickups at wide receiver and quarterback*
Because the running back position is uber important in fantasy football, paired with the fact that there are not many unowned worthwhile rushers still out there, taking a very close look at the running back waiver wire could be crucial for some this time around.
Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups, RBs
5. Rex Burkhead, New England Patriots (21% Owned ESPN Leagues)
It is no secret that longtime New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick likes to utilize the running backs by committee approach while th future Pro Football Hall of Famer also likes to play the hot hand. At the moment, veteran running back Rex Burkhead is the hottest hand in the Patriots backfield as he went off against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3. With James White currently tending to a family matter, Damian Harris still nursing a lingering injury and Sony Michel seemingly slowly working his way back to full strength, Burkhead could once again be prolific in Week 4 against the defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs, a team that could very well pull New England into a shootout. In Week 3 against the Raiders, Burkhead tallied six carries for 49 yards and two touchdowns to coincide with his seven receptions for 49 more yards and an another score. Burkhead was notably the team's second-leading rusher and leading receiver in Week 3.
4. Jeff Wilson Jr., San Francisco 49ers (14.5% ESPN Leagues)
The San Francisco 49ers are severely banged up on both sides of the line of scrimmage while that still might be an understatement. With the 49ers currently battling a ton of injuries at the running back position, it is currently down to the tandem of Jeff Wilson Jr. and Jerick McKinnon in the backfield. As another San Francisco running back duo in Tevin Coleman and Raheem Mostert continue to nurse lingering injuries, Wilson and McKinnon both saw significant action in Week 3 against the New York Giants. With the struggling Philadelphia Eagles next up on the slate for the 49ers, perhaps Wilson will be in line for another huge performance in Week 4. In Week 3 against the Giants, Wilson registered 12 carries for 15 yards and a touchdown alongside three receptions for 54 yards and a second score.
3. Myles Gaskin, Miami Dolphins (45.8% Owned ESPN Leagues)
The Miami Dolphins finally secured the team's first win of the 2020-21 regular season on Thursday evening against the Jacksonville Jaguars after beginning the campaign against two tough AFC East rivals in the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills, respectively. With another difficult matchup against the Seattle Seahawks up next in Week 4, the Dolphins are going to need a well-rounded performance in each facet of the game in order to take down the undefeated NFC West franchise. After a big performance this past week, the Dolphins are going to need much more from running back Myles Gaskin, who appears to be the team's go-to option in the backfield at the moment. Gaskin tallied a team-high 22 carries for 66 yards to coincide with his five receptions and 29 yards via the passing game. Volume could equal success in this case as garbage time points don't count for any less.
2. Carlos Hyde, Seattle Seahawks (9.8% Owned ESPN Leagues)
The Seattle Seahawks are on fire right now thanks to veteran quarterback and fantasy football superstar Russell Wilson. However, the Seahawks saw starting running back Chris Carson go down with a lower-leg injury in Week 3 against the Dallas Cowboys, something that could hinder the team in a big way if Seattle is unable to fill such a void in Week 4 against the Miami Dolphins — a game that this team should no doubt win. Luckily for the Seahawks, though, veteran rusher Carlos Hyde is ready to roll and could be a huge factor against the Dolphins. If Carson is to play, which seems highly unlikely, then Hyde's value obviously decreases significantly. On the other hand, though, Hyde quickly becomes a must-start if Carson cannot suit up against Miami.
1. Adrian Peterson, Detroit Lions (36.3% Owned ESPN Leagues)
The Detroit Lions are fresh off of the team's first victory of the 2020 regular season after back-to-back defeats against NFC North rivals. After taking down the previously undefeated Arizona Cardinals in Week 3, the Lions will now begin looking ahead to a huge matchup against the always dangerous New Orleans Saints. If the Lions are going to keep up with the struggling Saints, Detroit is surely going to need to score a lot of points. This has fantasy football implications.
In an ideal world, the Lions will be able to employ a well-rounded offensive attack by feeding veteran running back Adrian Peterson as quarterback Matthew Stafford slings the rock to his dynamic wide outs. In Week 3 against the Cardinals, Peterson posted 22 carries for 75 yards as the future Pro Football Hall of Famer could be gearing up for a heavy fantasy football workload on a weekly basis.
He was far and away the team's leading rusher against Arizona and also added one reception for another 10 yards. Unfortunately, it is also worth noting that Peterson won't factor much into the passing game, so he shouldn't be too highly regarded in 0.5 PPR and PPR fantasy football leagues.
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