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Early Week 4 fantasy pickups: It's the next man up in New England

Whether you’re sitting pretty in your Week 3 matchup or trying to overcome a deficit, Liz Loza and Matt Harmon have you covered with some waiver wire suggestions who could strengthen your team going forward.

Phillip Dorsett, New England Patriots (31 percent rostered)

We all know what happened with Antonio Brown. Then, after catching seven balls and scoring a touchdown, Tom Brady’s security blanket and most trusted receiver, Julian Edelman, was taken out of the game with a chest injury. Now, it remains to be seen how severe that injury is, but the fact remains: The Patriots are running out of reliable receivers. Josh Gordon gets all the headlines, but other than running back checkdowns, who else can Brady throw to if Edelman has to miss time?

Enter: Phillip Dorsett.

Dorsett, outside of Edelman, is the Pats receiver with the most experience in Josh McDaniels’ offense, and he showed off his rapport with Brady against the Jets in Week 3. Seven targets (third on the team behind Gordon and Edelman), six catches, 53 yards, one touchdown, two rushes, 12 yards. He clearly has Brady’s trust and could look at an increased workload going forward, and the fantasy community has taken notice — his rostership percentage has risen 20% since the AB news dropped.

Darrel Williams, Kansas City Chiefs (5% rostered)

You know the Golden Rule, right? You want to have pieces of the Patrick Mahomes-led offense on your fantasy teams. But with all the pieces on that offense, how do we know who to add and start, especially in the Chiefs’ backfield?

Well, once a rusher on this offense does what Darrell Williams did in Week 3, we pay attention.

After getting pretty much no work the first two weeks, Williams went off against the Ravens, totaling 109 yards via the air and the ground. Sure, LeSean McCoy got both the TDs, but Williams out-touched him, 14-to-11. Darwin Thompson is looking more and more like the odd man out in this backfield, and with both McCoy and Damien Williams banged up, Darrel could see more days like these going forward.

Gardner Minshew, Jacksonville Jaguars (8% rostered)

All hail. After taking over for an injured Nick Foles in Week 1 and putting together impressive performances, Gardner Minshew continued his rise in Week 3. The mustached living legend now has a 4:1 TD:INT ratio and has gone over 200 yards passing in every game he’s played in. Oh, and that touchdown mark could be even higher, if his receivers would actually catch the ball. With all the quarterback injuries this season, you could do a lot worse than Minshew for a stream, especially in Superflex leagues.