Week 4 Waiver Wire: Achane's ACL Hands Miami to Ollie Gordon II, and Tampa Hands the Keys to a Rookie

De'Von Achane tore his ACL in Sunday's 24-10 loss to Kansas City, and NFL.com reports he'll miss the rest of the 2026 season. Miami put him on IR Monday. I feel bad for the guy. I also put in a claim on his replacement before I finished typing this sentence, because that's the job. Your league has three types of managers this morning: the one who already bid, the one reading this, and the one who'll find out Thursday from the group chat and call it "rigged."

The rest of the wire runs on the same fuel. Baker Mayfield dislocated his thumb, Breece Hall's thigh has him week to week, Caleb Williams is doubtful, and Travis Etienne Jr. has "time lost" on a hamstring. Somebody inherits every one of those jobs. Let's go get them.

House rules, same as always: FAAB numbers are a share of your remaining budget, not your starting $100. Every player gets a redraft call and a dynasty call. The PPR math is ours (1 per catch, 0.1 per yard, 6 per touchdown), so check your own league's settings before you blame me.

Running Backs

Ollie Gordon II, RB, Miami Dolphins. Here's your lead story and your most expensive click of the week. With Achane done for the season and Jaylen Wright day to day with a stinger and foot injury (head coach Jeff Hafley's word Monday was "day-to-day"), Gordon is the back in Miami. He already played the part Sunday: 17 carries for 41 yards and a touchdown, plus 3 catches on 3 targets for 14 yards. That's 14.5 PPR points on a day the offense scored 10. He also left in the third quarter with cramps and came back in the fourth, which is why Sleeper still carries an undisclosed questionable tag on him. The ESPN injury feed lists him active. Watch Wednesday's practice report, then stop worrying about it.

Why not ALL IN? Because 41 yards on 17 carries is 2.4 a pop behind an offense that just got held to 10, and Wright is a real player when he's healthy. Gordon's value is the job, the goal-line work and the fact that Miami literally has nobody else. That's plenty. A second-year back with a lead role for 14 weeks is the most valuable thing on this wire, and the guy in your league with 94% of his budget left knows it too. Minnesota is next.

FAAB: 30 to 40%. Redraft: add and start him as an RB2 immediately. Dynasty: buy, the 2026 touches are guaranteed and Achane's knee makes 2027 a question.

Braelon Allen, RB, New York Jets. Breece Hall's MRI came back better than feared, which is the good news, and he's week to week, which is the bad news for Hall managers and the good news for you. ESPN's Rich Cimini reports Allen and Isaiah Davis will "man the Jets backfield" for as long as Hall is sidelined. Allen is second on the depth chart, has the size for the early-down and goal-line work, and plays in an offense that just threw for 321 yards against Detroit. Week to week can mean one game or four. I'm paying for the version where it's three.

FAAB: 12 to 18%. Redraft: RB3 with RB2 weeks while Hall sits. Dynasty: hold, he's the handcuff, not the heir.

Isaiah Davis, RB, New York Jets. The cheaper half of the same committee. He played 16 special-teams snaps Sunday without an offensive touch, so this is a pure bet on the Jets meaning it when they say "Allen and Davis." FAAB: 3 to 5%. Redraft: deep-league bench only. Dynasty: skip.

Kendre Miller, RB, New Orleans Saints. Kellen Moore said Etienne will have "time lost" with the hamstring he hurt in Sunday's 35-27 loss to Las Vegas. Alvin Kamara takes the lead role, and he got just 9 carries for 36 yards on Sunday, which tells you the Saints aren't handing their veteran 20 touches a week out of nostalgia. Miller is third on the depth chart behind Etienne and Kamara, and with Etienne out he's the next man. Somebody has to carry the ball when Kamara sits, and Tyler Shough just threw four touchdowns, so the offense will have scoring chances.

FAAB: 4 to 7%. Redraft: bench stash with standalone flex weeks. Dynasty: hold if you have him, don't bid.

Mike Washington Jr., RB, Las Vegas Raiders. The rookie turned 5 carries into 54 yards and a touchdown in the win over New Orleans, behind Ashton Jeanty. He's not taking the job. He's the handcuff to a first-round workhorse, and he showed he can do something with the ball when it's handed to him. FAAB: 3 to 5%. Redraft: handcuff stash for Jeanty managers, pass otherwise. Dynasty: buy cheap, rookie backs with juice don't stay cheap.

Travis Homer, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers. Rico Dowdle didn't show up to Monday's walkthrough with a toe injury and Eli Heidenreich is listed out, which makes Homer the only other healthy back behind Jaylen Warren, who just ran 17 times for 127 yards. Nobody is excited about this. That's the point: it costs a dollar. FAAB: 1 to 2%. Redraft: Warren handcuff only. Dynasty: no.

Quarterbacks

Jalon Daniels, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Todd Bowles said Monday that Mayfield is out a "minimum of three weeks" with a dislocated right thumb and that Daniels, a rookie, is the new starter. In a one-QB league, he's a name to know, not a guy to start. In superflex, a starting quarterback for three weeks with Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin to throw to is a real asset, and you'll be stunned how fast that pool dries up in a 12-team room.

FAAB: 1 to 3% in 1QB, 12 to 20% in superflex. Redraft: superflex starter, 1QB pass. Dynasty: stash, three live NFL starts is a free audition you don't usually get to watch.

Case Keenum, QB, Chicago Bears. Caleb Williams went from out to doubtful Tuesday with the hamstring, and Keenum started Monday night and completed 24 of 34 for 247 yards, two touchdowns and no picks, plus a rushing score, in a 27-7 beating of the Eagles. That's a real line. He's 14 years into his career, so nobody should pretend this is a breakout. It's a bridge, and in superflex, bridges win weeks.

FAAB: 1% in 1QB, 8 to 12% in superflex. Redraft: superflex spot start while Williams sits. Dynasty: no.

Wide Receivers

Konata Mumpfield, WR, Los Angeles Rams. Puka Nacua is still out with the hip, and Sean McVay said Monday the team is "hopeful" he plays Sunday at Philadelphia, which is coach for "don't ask me again." Davante Adams ate first (7 catches, 137 yards), but Mumpfield caught 4 of 8 targets for 93 yards and a touchdown in the 30-26 loss to Denver while Matthew Stafford threw 55 times. That's 19.3 PPR from a guy most of your league couldn't spell. If Nacua sits again, Mumpfield is a flex. If Nacua plays, he's still a second-year receiver who proved he can win when the ball finds him.

FAAB: 8 to 12%. Redraft: flex while Nacua sits, bench after. Dynasty: buy before somebody reads this.

Kalif Raymond, WR, Chicago Bears. Raymond caught 6 of 7 targets for 90 yards and a touchdown Monday night, which is 21 PPR points from a guy your league drafted exactly zero times. It happened with Keenum under center, and Luther Burden III (7 catches, 61 yards, a touchdown) and Rome Odunze are still the receivers Chicago builds around, so I'm not calling this a new world order. It's a hot hand on a team that just scored 27.

FAAB: 3 to 5%. Redraft: bye-week flex in deep leagues. Dynasty: skip, he's a 10-year veteran.

Michael Wilson, WR, Arizona Cardinals. This one I like more than your league does. Wilson caught 11 of 17 targets for 89 yards and a touchdown in the 36-30 loss to San Francisco, while Marvin Harrison Jr. caught 3 of 5 for 40. Seventeen targets is a volume statement, and he's listed first on Arizona's receiver depth chart. Jacoby Brissett threw 52 times in that game, and if the defense keeps giving up 36, he'll throw 52 again.

FAAB: 10 to 14%. Redraft: WR3 with a real floor. Dynasty: hold, fourth-year receivers who command 17 targets don't happen by accident.

Ted Hurst III, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jalen McMillan has a PCL sprain in his left knee, per ESPN's Jenna Laine, which bumps Hurst up the ladder behind Egbuka and Godwin. He caught one ball Sunday, for a 40-yard touchdown, which is the kind of line that makes people overpay. The quarterback just downgraded to a rookie, so pay for the role, not the highlight. FAAB: 1 to 3%. Redraft: deep-league stash. Dynasty: cheap flier.

Tight End (never the lead, but you should still look)

Kenyon Sadiq, TE, New York Jets. The rookie caught 7 of 8 targets for 105 yards and a touchdown against Detroit, which is 23.5 PPR and the best tight end line on this wire. Mason Taylor is listed out, Geno Smith is throwing (31 of 37 for 321 Sunday), and Sadiq sits first on the depth chart. FAAB: 8 to 12%. Redraft: start him if your tight end is on IR or named Hunter Henry. Dynasty: buy, rookie tight ends who produce this early are a lottery ticket that already printed.

Suggested Drops

First, the rule, because somebody always asks: I don't drop a top-six-round pick in weeks 1 through 5. Using the Fantasy Football Calculator 12-team PPR ADP, that's everything inside roughly the first 72 picks. Breece Hall (ADP 30.3), Travis Etienne Jr. (38.7), Puka Nacua (2.8), Justin Jefferson (10.4, sprained ankle, Minnesota "hopeful"), A.J. Brown (13.8, IR) and Bucky Irving (46.3, whom Bowles says won't even appear on the Week 4 injury report) all stay. Put them in an IR slot or eat the bench spot. You drafted them for November.

The exception is a season-ending injury, and that's where it hurts:

• De'Von Achane (ADP 9.6), redraft: drop. A torn ACL ends his 2026, and a first-round pick sitting on your bench for 14 weeks is a monument to sunk cost. If your league gives you a free IR slot, fine, park him there, but don't burn a bench spot on grief. Dynasty or keeper: hold. He's a young back with long-term upside, and the ACL recovery path for running backs is well worn.
• Jack Bech, WR, Raiders: placed on IR Tuesday with the forearm. Drop in redraft.
• Alec Pierce, WR, Colts: on IR, rehabbing the heel without surgery per Shane Steichen. No timeline, no reason to wait. Drop.
• Josh Oliver, TE, Vikings: torn biceps, surgery expected, on IR. If he's somehow on your roster, you already know.
• Kenny Gainwell, RB, Buccaneers: 3 carries for minus-four yards. He's a kick returner now (6 returns, 160 yards), and your league doesn't score those.
• Tyjae Spears, RB, Titans: 3 carries for 5 yards behind Tony Pollard's 17. The ankle is a problem and so is the role.

Shit Sandwich of the Week: eat it because you have to, not because you want to

Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, Washington Commanders. Nineteen carries. Thirty-six yards. That's 1.9 yards a carry, the kind of efficiency that makes you check whether the box score has a typo. It doesn't. Rachaad White, who's questionable with a shoulder, got 8 carries and scored on a 6-yard catch, which is exactly the kind of vulture move that makes you want to throw your phone into a lake.

And you're still starting Croskey-Merritt against the Colts in London, because 19 carries is 19 carries, Washington won a 33-31 shootout with Marcus Mariota throwing three touchdowns, and your other option is a guy who played five snaps. Jayden Daniels is practicing in some form this week, per Dan Quinn, which could open the box back up. Or it could not. Hold your nose, set the lineup, and don't look at the play-by-play. You eat the sandwich because you're hungry, not because it's good.

Streaming Only: Defenses and Kickers

These are one-week rentals. Stream them, drop them Monday, and don't get attached.

• Baltimore Ravens D/ST vs. Tennessee. The Titans scored 7 points against the Giants, and Cam Ward threw for 181 yards with a pick. Baltimore just won a shootout, so this is about the opponent, not the unit.
• Minnesota Vikings D/ST vs. Miami. Malik Willis threw a pick and lost a fumble against Kansas City, Miami scored 10, and now the Dolphins are without Achane. If your league left the Vikings on the wire, thank them.
• Kicker: Will Reichard, Vikings, vs. Miami. 3 for 3 on field goals Sunday, and a defense-led game tends to leave kicks on the table.
• Kicker: Harrison Mevis, Rams, at Philadelphia. 4 for 4 on field goals Sunday night in a game where the Rams moved the ball and stalled. If Nacua sits again, expect more of the same.

Analysis only, not inside information and not betting advice. FAAB and drop calls are our read from usage and news through Tuesday, Sept. 29; check Wednesday's practice reports and your own league's settings before you bid. ZeroChalk isn't affiliated with the NFL, its teams, or the NFLPA.

Sources

All retrieved 2026-09-29.

• NFL.com, "Dolphins RB De'Von Achane to miss rest of season after tearing ACL in loss to Chiefs": https://www.nfl.com/news/dolphins-rb-devon-achane-miss-2026-season-acl-tear ("will miss the remainder of the 2026 season after suffering a torn ACL").
• Heavy.com on Ollie Gordon II's cramp and return: https://heavy.com/sports/nfl/miami-dolphins/ollie-gordon-returns-field-cramp/ ("Ollie Gordon II is cramping and is questionable to return").
• ESPN NFL injuries feed: https://site.api.espn.com/apis/site/v2/sports/football/nfl/injuries (Achane IR; Wright, Hall, Etienne, Nacua, Jefferson, Mayfield, Jalon Daniels, Caleb Williams, McMillan, Bech, Pierce, Oliver, Dowdle and Daniels/Okonkwo notes, plus every Week 3 stat line quoted above).
• Sleeper players API: https://api.sleeper.app/v1/players/nfl (team assignments, depth order and Gordon's questionable tag).
• nflverse depth charts: https://github.com/nflverse/nflverse-data/releases/download/depth_charts/depth_charts_2026.csv (depth-chart cross-check).
• Fantasy Football Calculator 12-team PPR ADP (2,415 mock drafts, July 12-19, 2026) for the top-six-round drop rule.