NFL · Week 4 · Waiver wire
Deep sleepers fill the board. Gordon is solid. Mitchell’s use is up — on the Chargers.
Post–Week 3 claims for the Week 4 slate. TNF tonight: Steelers at Browns (Thu 1 Oct 2026). Sunday–Monday still to come. Thin week for obvious adds — the desk leans under-rostered names with a real path. Two Anthony hooks lead; desk colour labelled; sourced usage only.
Free NFL waiver desk — confirmed roster / injury / usage only where sourced (ESPN, CBS Sports, NFL.com, team reports). No invented diagnoses, return timelines, snap counts, or rankings. Anthony’s Brisbane colour is labelled desk colour: opinion and expectation, not an official stamp. Paid sit/starts stay on the weekly.
Calendar — which week’s waivers
Today is Thursday 1 October 2026. NFL Week 4 opens with Steelers at Browns on Prime (TNF). This board is the Week 4 waiver wire — claims after three Sundays, ahead of the rest of Week 4. Bye weeks start Week 5 (next Thursday). Source: NFL.com / NFL Operations 2026 schedule.
Lead hooks — Anthony desk + source-check
Ollie Gordon II, RB Miami Dolphins — Confirmed. De’Von Achane is out for the season (torn ACL, Week 3 vs Chiefs; IR). With Jaylen Wright inactive (stinger/foot), Gordon handled the backfield after Achane’s early exit: 17 carries, 41 yards, 1 TD; 3 catches, 14 yards on 61 of 73 offensive snaps (~83%). ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (Wed): Miami plans to share Gordon and Wright short-term — Wright expected back; Gordon projects as the every-down back, Wright the big-play piece. NFL.com listed Gordon ~1% ESPN rostered among Week 4 targets. Desk colour: Anthony called him solid — that tracks on volume path if Wright’s return is gradual; Week 4 @ Minnesota is a tough landing spot (Footballguys / NFL.com note the Vikes D). Source: NFL.com Week 4 waiver column; RotoBaller / SI Dolphins snap notes; ESPN Fowler via Heavy, 30 Sep 2026.
Keaton Mitchell, RB Los Angeles Chargers — Desk colour correction: Anthony’s note said Ravens / increased use. Source-check: Mitchell signed with the Chargers this offseason (two-year deal after Baltimore). Increased use is real in LA. Week 3 at Buffalo: season-high 11 touches — 8 carries, 52 yards (6.5 YPC) plus a receiving touchdown; near-even snaps with Omarion Hampton (~27 vs ~23 per Chargers Wire); NFL.com notes five red-zone snaps and an elite explosive-rush rate. Jim Harbaugh on more carries: “All options are open.” NFL.com ~16% ESPN rostered. Desk colour: stash / flex lottery on the usage spike — not a Ravens story anymore. Source: NFL.com Week 4 waivers; Chargers Wire / USA TODAY, 29 Sep 2026; CBS Sports Week 4 wire.
Deep-sleeper board — 12 names, one-line why
Board leans under-rostered with a path. Ownership % from ESPN/CBS columns where printed — varies by platform. Priority is path, not a ranked order stamped as gospel.
RB
1. Ollie Gordon II, MIA — Achane season-ending ACL; Gordon just ate 83% snaps + TD; Fowler every-down share with Wright. Source: NFL.com / ESPN Fowler.
2. Keaton Mitchell, LAC — Week 3 usage spike + RZ work behind Hampton; Harbaugh open to more. Source: NFL.com / Chargers Wire. Desk: Chargers, not Ravens.
3. Jaylen Wright, MIA — Same Achane vacuum; Fowler expects return this week; CBS prefers Wright long-term stash if healthy. Source: ESPN Fowler / CBS.
4. Isaiah Davis, NYJ — Deep Hall handcuff (~1% CBS); Allen leads, Davis is the zero-touch lottery if the Jets stay thin. Source: CBS Sports Week 4 wire.
WR
5. Malik Washington, MIA — Led Dolphins routes (34) and targets (10) in Week 3; floor with Achane out. Source: NFL.com.
6. Mack Hollins, NE — A.J. Brown out into mid-October; team-high ~19.5% target share; 6/87 Week 3. Source: NFL.com.
7. Kalif Raymond, CHI — MNF 6/90/1; ~23.1% target share, leads Bears in catches/yards through three. Source: NFL.com / CBS.
8. Tre’ Harris, LAC — Outproduced Quentin Johnston in Week 3 (CBS); deep 4% FantasyPros stash with schedule caveats. Source: FantasyPros / CBS.
TE
9. Darren Waller, CAR — Team-high 8 targets Week 3 (5/51); Lions have allowed TE scores every game; Coker (quad) watch. Source: NFL.com / CBS.
10. Brenton Strange, JAX — Stream vs Bengals — NFL.com flags CIN as unable to stop TEs lately. Source: NFL.com.
QB
11. Geno Smith, NYJ — 15+ then 26 fantasy points last two; Bears matchup; Hall (thigh, week-to-week per Rapoport/Schefter) elevates pass volume. Source: NFL.com / CBS / NFL Network.
12. Kirk Cousins, LV — Three TD passes in three straight; Bowers debuted Week 3; borderline QB1 streamer. Source: NFL.com.
If still on the wire — not deep, still real
Names that clear the “deep sleeper” bar in many 10–12s but remain ESPN <60% in NFL.com’s column: Braelon Allen (Jets lead while Hall is week-to-week), Kenyon Sadiq (7/105/1 Week 3), Keenan Allen (Pierce IR; 9 targets + TD Week 3), Juwan Johnson (TE3 overall through three — add if somehow free). Source: NFL.com Week 4 waiver priority table. Desk colour: spend FAAB here first if your league still slept; the deep board above is for when those are gone.
Desk colour — how to play a thin week
Desk colour: Not much screaming off the wire after three weeks of injury churn. Prioritise Gordon / Wright (Miami path), Mitchell (Chargers usage), then cheap WR floors (Washington, Hollins, Raymond). Stream Strange or Waller only if you need a TE floor. Do not invent Wright’s return as locked — day-to-day / expected per Fowler and CBS, watch Friday reports. Do not invent Hall’s timeline beyond week-to-week (Rapoport / Schefter). Minnesota is a bad spot for Miami backs Week 4 — volume path ≠ smash start.
What this item is not
No invented diagnoses or return weeks. No fabricated snap counts — only those printed by SI / RotoBaller / Chargers Wire / NFL.com. No fantasy rankings stamped as fact beyond labelled desk colour. Mitchell is Chargers, not Ravens — desk note corrected above. Paid full weekly stays behind the paywall.
Sources: NFL.com fantasy waiver wire Week 4 (Matt Okada); CBS Sports Week 4 waiver wire (Jamey Eisenberg, 29 Sep 2026); ESPN Jeremy Fowler on Dolphins RB plan (via Heavy, 30 Sep 2026); Chargers Wire / USA TODAY on Mitchell Week 3 (29 Sep 2026); FantasyPros Week 4 waiver targets; NFL Operations 2026 schedule (Week 4 = Oct 1–5). Desk colour labelled. YouTube Short kit ready — @TheBackPageAU only.