The waiver wire in fantasy football is always burning up, but after a crazy weekend of football, and bye week starting, it gets really nuts.  When there are big upsets on the field, there are usually fantasy situations emerging off the field.  Week 3 of the NFL showed that even when we think we know a team and what they can do, they go and surprise us with a new option.  In week 4 there will be a couple hot off the wire waiver pickups that should be considered by owners to help with the first bye week, but some that should be overlooked.

Week 4 Hot Off The Wire Running Backs

• Jonathan Franklin and James Starks – It seems like there is always something going on in Green Bay at the running back position, and just when it looked like there was a clear back running, along comes Franklin to steal the show.  He carried the ball 13 times for over 100 yards and a touchdown. Pretty much the same thing that Starks did the week early, Franklin did this week. Packers hadn’t had a 100 yard rusher for almost 3 years and now they get them in back-to-back weeks with backup players off the bench.  At this point, neither would be a good play. Lacy will be back in week 5 and the Packers are on a bye in week 4. Stay away at this point and it might be okay to even cut Starks if you need a spot.
• Ronnie Hillman – Looked good in the win for the Broncos. He carried 9 times for 66 yards and a score. It looks like he is getting more involved in the offense and he could see more work as the season goes along. He might be a good pickup now given the way the ball is moving around there, and could get points just in garbage time while they are killing time on the clock during the second half of games.
• Bilal Powell – If he wasn’t already owned in most leagues, he should be now. He is still the clear back to own in that offense and he showed it with his 149 yards on 27 carries. He also caught two passes for 9 yards to put his total on the day at over 150 yards.  He should be owned in most formats and would be a decent RB2 or flex options.
• Isaiah Pead – He got some extra work due to an injury with Daryl Richardson in the first quarter of the game. Although Pead didn’t get many yards, he did catch 7 passes for 43 yards. With his 20 yards on the ground on 6 carries, he put okay fantasy numbers. The Rams didn’t run the ball much because they were playing really down most of the game. With that said, he did have the second most targets and 3 most yards on the team. I would run out and grab him yet, but I’m sure Richardson owners are going to be looking at him closely. If Richardson is unable to go, then Pead would be the next in line for the start and a good RB3 or flex option for PPR leagues.
• Brandon Bolden – Had a nice game for the Pats. They are looking for more options and it looks like Bolden will be more involved there. His 5 catches for 49 yards stood out, but he also added 51 yards on the ground with just 3 carries. This was his first game of the year and look for him to get more work as gets up to speed more. His carries could climb a little bit if he continues  running well.  In PPR leagues his catchings skills will be helpful and could be a nice bye week option.
• Daniel Thomas – Yeah he scored a touchdown. His 5 carries for 20 yards wasn’t that impressive, but he did get into the end-zone. Lamar Miller is still the main option there and any points that Thomas gets will be in the backup role. It would be hard to count on this every week.

In week 4 there will be a some hot off the wire wide receivers.

• Josh Gordon – If he is already not on a team in your league then pick him up. This will be the last time he is on this list because he should be owned in all formats. This guy is a big play maker and he showed it with his week 3 leading 10 catches on 19 targets. With almost 150 yards receiving and a touchdown, it will be hard not to have him not only on a roster, but in a starting lineup. He is a WR2.
• Santonio Holmes – Looks who is getting healthy and coming back from injury. His week 2 performance showed that he is getting more involved, but in week 3 it looked like the old Holmes is back. His 5 catches for 154 yards and a touchdown put him second to only Desean Jackson in total yards for the week. With Geno Smith throwing the ball and keeping plays alive, Holmes is in familiar territory and could be in for a nice run this year. I’d consider him a solid WR3 or flex option at this point.
• Nate Washington – He is getting some love this week after his 131 yard performance on 8 catches and Locker’s game winning drive, many are believing in the Titans this year. Locker threw for over 300 yards on the day and Washington was on the receiving end of most it. With Brit on the outs with his coaches, it looks like Nate is going to get more work. He has always been a decent fantasy option, but his stock may have gone up slight. He would be a good bye week option.
• Zach Miller – The tight end had two catches on the game, but both were touchdowns. Although he has reliable hands, it would be hard to count on this type of performance every week, and without the touchdowns he would have had only 1 fantasy point. I’d be cautious with this one and don’t jump the gun if you don’t have room.
• Jordan Reed – He had 5 catches for 50 yards in week 3. It looks like RG3 is finding his way and Reed is helping with that.  He is getting consistent targets and catches each week and he would be a good bye week option in place of a starter.  He should get a couple of points and he could even score.

There are always hot off the wire quarterbacks because owners want to play the hot hands.

• Geno Smith – Had a nice game with over 300 yards passing and 2 touchdowns. He lead his team to another victory and is building more confidence. These numbers could start to become the norm.
• Jake Locker – In what was probably the play of the week, Locker connected on the game winning touchdown with only seconds left on the clock. His fantasy game wasn’t great, but 299 passing yards and 1 touchdown isn’t bad. He could be a good play against certain match-ups.
• Brian Hoyer – In his first start for the Browns, he threw for over 300 passing yards and 3 touchdowns. It was quite impressive to watch as they went on to defeat the Vikings in a huge upset on the week when they traded their top draft pick from last year.
• Ben Roethlisberger – His 406 passing yards was the best of week 4. He added 2 touchdowns with that, but was also sacked a couple of times and picked off twice. However, with those kind of yards, and more weapons on the way, Big Ben might be a good fantasy option again and definitely someone to consider on bye weeks. They will be behind in most games and need to pass, plus they don’t have much run game yet so the Steelers best option is to pass the ball.