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Fantasy Football: Early Week 4 waiver wire pickups

Chuba Hubbard, RB, Carolina Panthers (25 percent rostered)

Christian McCaffrey was knocked out of the Week 3 matchup against the Houston Texans with a hamstring injury, much to the dismay of fantasy managers who landed the No. 1 pick in drafts. He's expected to miss at least a few weeks with the injured hammy, and we saw that rookie back Chuba Hubbard is the next man up in Carolina.

Hubbard dominated backfield touches after CMC went down, and that's all fantasy managers need to see. He will undoubtedly be one of, if not the, top pickups of the week. It's probably a fool's errand to expect the Panthers to just transfer CMC's full workload onto Hubbard (recall, McCaffrey had totaled 59 touches in his first two games) or for his production to match Mike Davis' in 2020 when McCaffrey went down. That said, this offense has been firing on all cylinders to start the season — you want the Panthers starting RB.

Emmanuel Sanders, WR, Buffalo Bills (25 percent rostered)

Josh Allen and the Bills absolutely crushed the Washington Football Team in Week 3, 43-21. Josh Allen will rightly get most of the headlines after his five-touchdown performance (four passing and one rushing), but we cannot ignore Emmanuel Sanders' production. Sanders made big play after big play, scoring twice and converting six targets into five catches for 94 yards. He was third on the team in targets behind Cole Beasley and Stefon Diggs, respectively.

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders
Emmanuel Sanders had a lot to celebrate in Week 3. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Now, you might be telling yourself, "Oh, Josh Allen isn't going to throw four touchdowns and the Bills aren't going to score 43 points every week — this could be a one-hit-wonder for Sanders."

Reasonable, but recall, the Bills are one of the most pass-heavy units in football, especially in neutral game script. There is enough volume in this passing game for Sanders — who looked electric in Week 3 — to be productive in this offense. Even better, the Bills will take on Houston, Kansas City, and the Titans in their next three matchups, all secondaries that can be had. Sanders represents a high-upside flex play for those matchups.