Week 4 waiver wire: how the pickups scored

Running back produced a clear leader—but on a short list

Among the broad pickup articles, Thraen’s running back group supplied the highest positional average at 16.6 half-PPR points across three recommendations. Cooper’s three running back recommendations averaged 15.0. The larger groups from Michael Fabiano at Sports Illustrated Fantasy and Pat Fitzmaurice at FantasyPros averaged 10.5 across eight recommendations and 10.3 across nine, respectively. Thraen and Cooper therefore delivered the stronger measured averages in this comparison, but their shorter lists matter to the interpretation. The result describes the scoring attached to those recommendations, rather than demonstrating that a short list is inherently better advice. ^{[1][2][5][6][4]}

The remaining broad running back results show how different the target-week returns were within the same position. Justin Boone at Yahoo Sports averaged 8.2 across seven recommendations. Jamey Eisenberg at CBS Sports Fantasy and Nick Mariano at RotoBaller each averaged 7.0, from five and 24 recommendations respectively, while English averaged 5.9 across five. These are useful comparisons of weekly scoring outcomes, not explanations of why the recommendations differed. In particular, Mariano’s much longer list should remain visible alongside his average; it represents a different-sized set of recommendations, not the same selection exercise as Thraen’s. ^{[7][8][9][3][1]}

Quarterback and receiver results changed the picture

Cooper’s quarterback recommendations averaged 17.8 points across two adds, the leading figure among the broad pickup articles. Boone’s single quarterback recommendation returned 13.3, while Eisenberg’s 11 recommendations averaged 13.2 and Mariano’s 15 averaged 13.0. Fabiano and Fitzmaurice recorded 12.6 and 12.7, respectively; Thraen and English recorded 11.0 and 10.8. Cooper’s lead is a clear result for this week, but the comparison also exposes the sample issue: a two-recommendation group and a 15-recommendation group should not be presented as equally extensive evidence about an analyst’s work. ^{[2][7][8][9][5][6][1][3][4]}

Wide receiver reversed some of that ordering. English’s three recommendations averaged 8.5 points, the strongest broad receiver result, followed by Fabiano’s eight at 7.3. Mariano’s 30 averaged 6.0, while Cooper’s four averaged 0.8. That contrast is more useful than assigning either English or Cooper a single label for the week: English’s receiver result was stronger than his running back result, while Cooper’s quarterback success did not extend to receivers. For readers evaluating a source before their next claims, the supported lesson is to retain the position detail rather than let an article-wide average stand for every recommendation. ^{[3][5][9][2][1][8][6][7]}

Tight end shows why advice types must stay separate

Within the broad pickup articles, Fitzmaurice led tight end scoring at 9.1 points across five recommendations, with Mariano at 8.7 across eight. At the other end, Thraen’s single recommendation scored 0.0, and Boone’s two recommendations averaged 0.0. Cooper’s three averaged 2.5. Those outcomes establish a substantial contrast in this week’s production, but the smallest groups offer little breadth. A zero average is a scoring result, not a measured risk assessment, and this evidence does not establish whether those recommendations achieved an objective beyond the target week. ^{[6][9][1][7][2][4]}

The dedicated FantasyPros streamer columns belong in a separate reading of the results. Ryan Kirksey’s tight end article had three complete results from four recommendations, averaging 12.2 points. Mike Fanelli’s quarterback article had complete results for all four recommendations, averaging 11.3; Jacob Herlin’s defense article had six complete results, averaging 6.0. These are target-week scoring checks for explicitly short-term advice. They are not a cross-position leaderboard, nor should Kirksey’s specialist column be folded into the broad tight end comparison as though the article types were interchangeable. No same-position specialist counterpart is supplied here. ^[10][11][12]

The highest-scoring add came from the handcuff report

Kyle Monangai was the highest-scoring individual measured add among all tracked recommendations, returning 27.5 half-PPR points. Joe Gallina recommended the running back in Fantasy Alarm’s Week 4 handcuff report. Monangai also supplied the strongest measured result among picks explicitly labeled speculative or a handcuff by their author. Those distinctions identify the week’s standout outcome and its source. They do not turn that outcome into a current player recommendation, establish that speculative advice generally performs better, or supply a general measure of risk. ^[13]

Gallina’s five recommendations all had complete results and averaged 7.1 points. The coexistence of that group average and Monangai’s 27.5 illustrates why the best individual call and the average recommendation tell different stories. It also explains why handcuffs and stashes need a different interpretation from streamers: immediate scoring can be reported, but it does not by itself resolve the value of advice explicitly framed as speculative. This report supplies target-week points, not a longer-term evaluation of those recommendations. Gallina’s handcuff results therefore remain separate from the broad running back comparison. ^[13][4]

What these results can support before the next deadline

Completion matters as well as list length. Thraen had results for all 11 recommendations, whereas Cooper had 11 complete results from 14, English had 12 from 13, and Mariano had 75 from 85. Those article-level totals provide coverage context; they should not be mistaken for complete-result counts within each position. The supplied positional summaries give recommendation counts, but do not consistently specify positional completion counts. Where coverage is incomplete, the reported average describes the measured recommendations, not necessarily the full published list, and the evidence does not establish how the missing results would change it. ^[1][2][3][9]

Most importantly, these articles were recorded after their waiver deadlines. This is a retrospective account of how the advice played out, not a head-to-head contest captured in advance. Thraen’s running backs, Cooper’s quarterbacks and Gallina’s standout handcuff result are useful findings within that boundary. They do not settle whom to trust across future weeks: one week is a small sample, and a single player can swing an average. Fan50’s waiver-wire hub provides season results by advice type for readers seeking broader context. What remains uncertain here is whether these weekly differences persist beyond this scoring window. ^{[4][1][2][13]}

Sources

1. Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 4 (Fantasy Football) · Checked October 31, 2026
2. 2026 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 4: Braelon Allen, Ollie Gordon Top Picks · Checked October 31, 2026
3. Week 4 Waiver Wire Pickups: Is Kenyon Sadiq Worth Chasing? · Checked October 31, 2026
4. fan50.app · Checked October 31, 2026
5. Week 4 Fantasy Waiver Wire: Add Ollie Gordon II, Braelon Allen · Checked October 31, 2026
6. Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Advice: Players to Add, Stash & Drop (Week 4) · Checked October 31, 2026
7. Fantasy Football Waiver Wire, Week 4: Braelon Allen, Ollie Gordon II among top pickups to target · Checked October 31, 2026
8. Fantasy football Week 4 waiver wire: Braelon Allen, Jaylen Wright headline rush for RB replacements · Checked October 31, 2026
9. Week 4 Waiver Wire Rankings - Fantasy Football Pickups Include Ollie Gordon, Braelon Allen, Kenyon Sadiq, Mack Hollins, Roman Wilson, more · Checked October 31, 2026
10. Fantasy Football TE Streamers & Waiver Wire Targets (Week 4) · Checked October 31, 2026
11. Fantasy Football QB Streamers & Waiver Wire Targets (Week 4) · Checked October 31, 2026
12. Let’s Stream Defenses: Week 4 (2026 Fantasy Football) · Checked October 31, 2026
13. Fantasy Football Week 4 Running Back Handcuff Report: Najee Harris, Mike Washington Jr. · Checked October 31, 2026