The Los Angeles Chargers’ offense suffered a sizable blow late in the Week 3 win over the Vikings, as star wideout Mike Williams went down for the season with what is now confirmed to be a torn ACL. Should fantasy football managers make Joshua Palmer a priority waiver wire add ahead of Week 4?

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Should Joshua Palmer Be a Fantasy Waiver Wire Add in Week 4?

Williams seemed firmly on his way, serving as an even more potent weapon in new coordinator Kellen Moore’s offense than the big wideout already was during his previous six seasons in Los Angeles.

Falling just short of playing three full games under Moore’s stewardship of the offense, Williams had already seen 26 targets. The absence of Austin Ekeler for the last two contests very likely played a part in the bump in volume, but like fellow wideout Keenan Allen, Williams appeared poised for his best fantasy season yet.

Enter Palmer, who parlayed a combined 11 regular-season absences on the part of Allen and Williams last season into a solid 72-769-3 line off 107 targets. Useful as those numbers were — especially in full-PPR formats — there’s actually reason to believe Palmer could have even more upside this season.

To begin with, if he holds the No. 2 job the rest of the way and talented but still developing first-round rookie Quentin Johnston remains in a No. 3 role, Palmer will have a longer cumulative starting stint than a year ago.

And, with the extra snaps and targets such a circumstance would bring about, the third-year wideout would have ample opportunity to improve on his 2022 numbers in what looks like a markedly more aggressive air attack under Moore.

MORE: Early Week 4 Waiver Wire Pickups

That’s been the word on the former Cowboys coordinator since he made a lateral move further west this offseason. Moore was hand-picked to replace the much more conservative Joe Lombardi, who Herbert still put up 699 pass attempts under last season.

Word since OTAs is that Moore was implementing a scheme with plenty of opportunity for explosive plays.

Therefore, reading too much into the 7.2 yards per target Palmer averaged over his first two seasons — or the even more modest 6.4 he’s logged over the first three games of 2023 — would be a mistake in terms of assessing his fantasy potential moving forward.

Contrary to what those numbers indicate, Palmer isn’t devoid of speed or downfield prowess. The Tennessee product averaged 15.7 yards per reception over his final three college seasons. And, although it’s just a one-game sample, Palmer then averaged 9.7 yards per target Sunday vs. Minnesota while getting his first taste of filling a starting role in Moore’s offense.

Palmer finished with 66 yards and a touchdown on four catches across 39 snaps against the Vikes. Once he begins seeing 50+ snaps running the route trees in Moore’s system, it’s easy to envision a notable increase in per-catch production.

Allen, who’s been mostly pigeonholed as a PPR darling for many years because of all the high-percentage throws close to the line of scrimmage he typically draws, is averaging a career-high 10.3 yards per target during his brief time in Moore’s system.

Meanwhile, Herbert is completing a career-best 74.4% of his passes, has yet to toss an INT in 121 pass attempts, and is on pace to throw for over 5,300 yards if he plays all 17 games.

The preceding makes for a long — and heavily annotated — way of confirming that based on what we know heading into Week 4, Palmer should be given ample opportunity to shine as a starter, filling more of a high-upside real-world/fantasy role than in the prior offense.

Moreover, even if Johnston does eventually overtake him on the depth chart — a possibility, but naturally no sure proposition — Palmer has proven adept in a No. 3 role that could hold even more value in Moore’s offense, and he already has well-established chemistry with Herbert to boot.

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Consequently, investing a waiver wire addition on Palmer — even for those fantasy managers who aren’t trying to replace Williams directly — is a smart route to take.

It would be physically impossible to make a list of winners and losers from the Cincinnati Bengals’ 19-16 victory against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football.

That’s because everyone in the organization and the entire fanbase came out winners after Joe Burrow fought his way through a calf injury that limited his mobility and effectiveness and came out of the game unscathed.

The worst-case scenario Monday night was not falling to 0-3; it was having Burrow reaggravate the injury to the extent that he would have to miss multiple games.

That didn’t happen, so there were 65,158 winners in attendance in the stadium, not to mention every person the Bengals employ and countless more who were trying to cheer while holding their breath.

Who Were the Cincinnati Bengals Winners and Losers vs. the Los Angeles Rams?

Winner | Joe Burrow

When you look at a stat sheet and see 26 for 49 for 259 yards with no touchdowns and one interception, there is nothing that looks incredible about it. But Burrow’s performance was nothing short of that, given the injury and the way the team fell behind yet again.

“I’d always rather throw for 400 (yards), but I pride myself on my availability, so I was happy to be available for my guys tonight. Obviously a lot of room to improve, but I was happy to be out there.”

Burrow got better the deeper the game went, and what he lacked in accuracy, he made up for in leadership and guts.

His longest pass of the game was a 43-yarder to Ja’Marr Chase late in the third quarter that came on a naked bootleg that forced him to run out of the pocket when the Bengals spent most of the night doing everything to prevent him from doing that.

Because of that, he was a sitting duck on a couple of plays when Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald broke through the offensive line. The first time Donald hit Burrow, he held him up.

The second time it was a sack, but Donald still kind of eased Burrow to the ground. His next hit was a thumper that rattled Burrow, but he shook it off and kept making plays down the field.

That’s two happy Joes right there! @Joe_MainMixon x @JoeyB pic.twitter.com/rNKTeDoL6g

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) September 26, 2023

Winner | Ja’Marr Chase

He asked for more shots the day after the 27-24 loss to the Ravens, and he got them.

Chase had 15 targets, one shy of his career high. And he had 12 receptions, one away from tying Carl Pickens’ franchise record.

“It was good to just get the offense going, get the team going,” Chase said. “That’s what I’m here to do. I just do my job.”

Chase was clear about not wanting Burrow to play, but when he found out he was going to anyhow, he knew he had to be there for him, which he was over and over again as Burrow threw the ball 49 times.

“I told him, ‘You’ve got nuts, boy,” Chase said of his message to Burrow. “That’s how we’ve got to be – have each other’s backs. I think that’s why our bond is so strong, and our chemistry is so good. We just have to make sure we’re on the same page, and me being there for him at all moments is the reason why we’re so good.”

When Burrow came out for pregame warmups, he first down on the bench next to Chase and told him it was gonna be a good night for him.

“Coming into this game, I was gonna feed my guy,” Burrow said.

Wonday night football‼️@Real10jayy__ pic.twitter.com/d7aEvHIHA1

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) September 26, 2023

Winner | Cordell Volson

The Bengals starting offensive linemen’s lockers are aligned the same way the players are on the field, and while Ted Karras was doing interviews after the game, Alex Cappa slipped from one side of his center to the other to have a talk with Volson.

The pride coming from Cappa was obvious, as Volson, in just his 20th career start, had stood in against one of the best defensive tackles of all time and turned in a hell of an effort. The offensive line as a whole did, but it was clear where the Rams wanted to attack the Bengals when they lined up Donald directly over Volson on the game’s first play.

Players like to lean on the “I’ll have to watch the film” when asked about how they played in the immediate aftermath of a game, but Cappa didn’t need a screen to know Volson had one of his best performances.

“Alex has been a really influential part of my career,” Volson said. “He’s always there for me and helps build me up. Him and Ted always have my back, and I really appreciate them.

“We knew that (Donald) was gonna line up over everyone,” Volson continued. “When the time comes, you have to do your best to win the rep. I just battled and did my best.”

Winner | Trey Hendrickson

Hendrickson already was having a good night, but when Rams starting left tackle Alaric Jackson went out with a knee injury, he went into “Blackout Trey” mode.

Hendrickson had two sacks and another called back by a questionable facemask call against teammate Sam Hubbard. And when the Rams tried to give help to backup tackle Steve Avila, the rest of the defensive line took over.

The Bengals finished with six sacks, tied for the most since defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo arrived in 2019, and Hendrickson was the leader of that performance.

“Sacks are a team stat,” Hendrickson said. “Our defensive backs were playing well, our linebackers were balling as well. We forced two interceptions. I can’t rush by myself. We played good defensive ball, and I’m really happy to have the win.”

Winner | Logan Wilson

Two interceptions say it all, but Wilson also played a part in the run defense, getting back on track and limiting LA running back Kyren Williams to 38 yards on 10 carries.

“Matt (Stafford) started to scramble and I just flipped my hips and made a play on the ball. The second one, Mike made a good play of tipping it up in the air and I just made a play on the ball again. You’ve got to take advantage of those ones that come to you because they’re rare in this league.”

Logan Wilson has his 2nd interception!

📺: #LARvsCIN on ESPN 
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/NkpBC1YFYJ pic.twitter.com/gNEn3PIfVB

— NFL (@NFL) September 26, 2023

Loser | Tee Higgins

Tee Higgins’ up-and-down season continued with a surprisingly difficult night hanging on the to ball. He had three, possibly four drops and finished with two catches on eight targets for 21 yards. That brings his Weeks 1 and 3 totals to two catches on 16 targets for 21 yards.

Higgins also got flagged for offensive pass interference, wiping out his own 38-yard gain. But he was terrific in Week 2, catching eight balls for 89 yards and two touchdowns.

His 28 targets are the most he’s ever had through the first three games of the season, and they’re tied for 11th in the league this year.

After one of his drops in the second half, Higgins ran to the locker room. He was not announced with any injury, so it might have been to change gloves or some other piece of equipment.

Loser | Brad Robbins

With the Bengals trailing by three midway through the second half, the rookie had his poorest punt thus far, a 33-yard effort that gave the Rams much better field position than should have been expected at their own 33.

Robbins has had issues in all three games, and special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons said he is trying to get it figured out. Robbins’ longest punt of the night was 46, which he accomplished twice, both times with no return.

Simmons will take a 46-yard net every time. Robbins also had a 44-yarder that only resulted in a 3-yard return and a 41-yarder that was fair caught, so overall, it was his best of three games.

But as Bengals fans know, one bad punt can be the difference between winning and losing.

During the NFL Draft, new Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen was busy searching for impact players to begin the rebuild of his team. In the third round, he selected wide receiver Josh Downs from the University of North Carolina. And after just three weeks, NFL fans and fantasy football managers alike are seeing what Steichen saw in Downs, who has emerged as a key cog in the Colts’ passing attack.

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Should Josh Downs Be a Fantasy Waiver Wire Add in Week 4?

Downs showed plenty of promise as a prospect, finishing with over 1,000 yards receiving in his final two years in college. His combination of size, skill, and ability made him the ideal selection for a team that was in need of a slot receiver. At the time of the draft, the Colts had little to no depth behind Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce.

The Colts are much more talented on the offensive side of the ball this year versus previous years, due mostly to the efforts of superstar rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson.

But even without Richardson last Sunday, Downs was able to produce with backup Gardner Minshew starting at quarterback. Richardson missed last week with a concussion, but he is trending in the right direction to return to action in Week 4.

The Colts have only one receiver that has earned 25 targets or more, and that is Pittman with 34. The player with the second most targets is Downs with 24, which is twice as many targets as Pierce.

MORE: Fantasy Week 4 Buy Low, Sell High

Downs has been a steady contributor for his offense, averaging six receptions for 48 yards in every game so far this season. While those aren’t massive numbers, they can give you 10 fantasy points in PPR leagues, which is great production for your third receiver spot or flex position on your roster.

Fantasy managers are already struggling with key injuries affecting wide receivers in fantasy football, including Jaylen Waddle, Mike Williams, Brandin Cooks, and Brandon Aiyuk. You can expect many other fantasy teams to be active on the waiver wire searching for replacement receivers.

If Tank Dell is available on waivers, he should be the priority add. But if you missed out on Dell or one of the Chargers receivers, Downs is a terrific consolation prize. He will provide your fantasy roster with the value of a safe floor amidst the unpredictability of fantasy football.