Football is a violent, unpredictable sport where anything can happen. Injuries can derail a player’s season and dash any hopes you had for your fantasy football squad. The best way to protect yourself is to always have a plan B. That can be through acquiring your rostered players’ “handcuff” or backup or having deep stashes on your bench in an emergency.
Week 4 revealed a few players who showed the potential to have fantasy football relevancy down the line and are available on the cheap right now. Check out these three value roster additions that are a boom performance or an injury away from being in your starting fantasy football lineup.
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WR & TE Handcuffs & Stashes (Week 4)
Andrew Ogletree (TE – IND)
You don’t often even think of mentioning the third TE on a depth chart when it relates to fantasy football. However, the Indianapolis Colts aren’t just any team, and it appears second-year TE Andrew Ogletree may have found a role in the young team’s offense. Despite sitting behind fellow bookends Mo Alie-Cox and Kylen Granson, Ogletree finished Week 4 as the PPR TE5.
Ogletree’s breakout performance in Week 4 was, as happens with TEs, reliant on him scoring a touchdown. Otherwise, he caught three of his four targets for 48 yards. We’ll unlikely see him gain an elevated role, especially with Alie-Cox and Granson firmly ahead of him on the depth chart. However, Ogletree is one injury away from seeing an expanded role and possibly multiple red zone targets weekly. He has proven he can make the most of his opportunities and is worth a roster add if you need some depth at TE.
Brock Wright (TE – DET)
The Detroit Lions offense is off to a hot start this season, and everyone seems to be feasting right now. Most notably, rookie TE Sam LaPorta is currently the overall PPR TE2, blowing his pre-season expectations out of the water. Sitting right behind him on the depth chart, waiting for a chance to shine, is fellow TE Brock Wright. In his third season with the Lions, he has proven to be a reliable blocker in both the passing and rushing attacks, which has kept him busy and left LaPorta open to thrive.
While Wright hasn’t seen a target since his two in Week 1, should the injury bug bite your shares of Sam LaPorta, Wright is a more than adequate roster plug-in. When called upon the last two seasons, Wright has had four 10-plus fantasy point outputs & finished as the TE15 or better three times. There aren’t going to be many TE handcuffs available with a better path to being a valuable roster addition than Wright.
Justin Watson (WR – KC)
No one knows what to make of the WR situation in Kansas City. The Chiefs offense hasn’t been the juggernaut we all expected, and no pass-catcher outside TE Travis Kelce has wowed anyone. Week to week, it could be Skyy Moore, Kadarius Toney or Marquez Valdes-Scantling who draws the favor of QB Patrick Mahomes. However, WR Justin Watson has been around the longest, logging six seasons of NFL service.
There isn’t a single receiver on this team that is a smash roster option. However, experience matters and that’s what Watson brings. The Chiefs have looked less than stellar this season but are still odds-on favorites to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. Watson could be a vital piece of that push as the veteran in the WR room for this team. While he isn’t the No. 1 option, he has seen a snap share of over 40 percent in three of four weeks, and should one of the guys ahead of him on the depth chart get dinged up, Watson could see that increase. This isn’t the sexiest roster addition, especially in Week 5, but it could be one that makes a difference down the road.
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Nate Polvogt is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Nate, check out his archive and follow him @NatePolvogt.