Fantasy football last-minute pickups: Justin Fields and emerging running backs, tight ends

It's Week 4 of the fantasy football season, and with all the injuries across the league, plus the inconsistent scoring at key positions, managers (like myself) are looking for streaming options to give their lineups a boost.

There is some emerging talent at the running back position, including a couple of rookies who are seeing a boost in volume and production. There are also multiple tight ends worth a look this week, but let's start with three quarterbacks who fit in deeper-league lineups.

Players listed below are deeper-league targets, rostered in less than 50% of ESPN leagues entering this week's waiver period. Although you might notice overlap with Eric Moody's waiver wire column that publishes on Mondays, an important distinction is that the options mentioned in this column are solely for this week's matchups and not based on the players' values for the remainder of the season.

Quarterbacks

Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers (31.9% rostered; at Colts)

The Week 3 tape on Fields is good. He posted a season-high 18.4 fantasy points in the win over the Chargers, throwing the ball with efficiency (78.1% completion rate), while also creating more explosive plays in the pass game. Fields finished with 245 yards and score through the air, while adding a rushing touchdown. We know Fields brings a dual-threat element to the lineup, as has logged at least six carries in all three games played this season, but it's the boost in the passing totals that makes him a solid streaming option against a Colts defense that just surrendered 363 passing yards to rookie Caleb Williams.

Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings (40.0% rostered; at Packers)

Darnold is scheduled to have an MRI on his knee after briefly exiting the Week 3 victory versus Houston, so we need to monitor that. However, if he's cleared to go, Darnold makes the cut because the production is there. And it's climbing. Darnold is the only player in the NFL who has thrown for multiple touchdowns in all three games this season, and he's posted 19 or more fantasy points in the past two weeks versus quality competition. Playing in one of the more QB-friendly pass systems in the pros, with the league's best receiver in Justin Jefferson, Darnold remains one of my top streaming options against the Packers in Week 4.

Andy Dalton, Carolina Panthers (7.9% rostered; vs. Bengals)

In his first start since replacing Bryce Young, Dalton immediately made the Panthers offense more explosive and much more fantasy-relevant during the Week 3 win over the Raiders. Sure, that's a really strong matchup against Vegas. I get it. But Dalton dropped 24.56 points in the game, throwing for 319 yards and three touchdowns. And he completed six passes of 20 or more yards. Remember Diontae Johnson? He caught eight passes from Dalton, which was good for 122 yards and a score. Now, I would like to see more from Dalton, and he gets a tougher matchup on Sunday versus the Bengals, but if you play in a deeper league? It could be worth the risk based on the veteran's ability to run the Panthers' system at a high level.

Running backs

Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (50.4% rostered; vs. Eagles)

We can all see it with Irving, right? He's running with much more juice than teammate Rachaad White, and the numbers back it up. Irving, who scored 11.4 fantasy points (on 12 touches) in the Week 3 against Denver, is averaging 6.2 YPC, compared to White's 2.1, and he can be an outlet in the pass game for quarterback Baker Mayfield, too. In deeper leagues, Irving fits as a flex option for the Week 4 matchup with the Eagles.

Braelon Allen, New York Jets (43.9% rostered; vs. Broncos)

Allen has steadily seen his volume rise over the past two weeks, and he's playing at a much faster clip than we saw on his college tape. Downhill, with speed, at 235 pounds -- that works. Allen, who had 11 carries in the Week 3 win over the Patriots, has now seen at least nine touches in each of the past two games, and he's averaging 5.1 YPC. As the No. 2 behind Breece Hall, Allen should be a target for deeper-league managers only, but there's enough here to give him a look for the Week 4 game versus Denver.

Cam Akers, Houston Texans (37.5% rostered; vs. Jaguars)

Akers' value is tied to the health of Joe Mixon (ankle), so we have to keep an eye on the injury reports this week. If Mixon is still down, though, Akers can be streamed for Sunday's game vs. the Jags. Akers scored 9.9 points in the Week 3 loss to the Vikings, and while the game flow limited his rushing totals (nine carries), he did catch a touchdown from quarterback C.J. Stroud on a low red zone throw. If Akers is asked to lead the Houston backfield again this week, you can slot him in as a flex option.

Roschon Johnson, Chicago Bears (10.6% rostered; vs. Rams)

Johnson saw his role increase in the Week 3 loss to the Colts, totaling 10.2 fantasy points on 12 touches. Yes, the Bears running game is a tough watch right now, but Johnson does have the north/south ability to create his own daylight, which could lead to low red zone carries. Plus, he logged four receptions in the Indianapolis game. It might be a little early to take a shot on Johnson, but the Bears need to find ways to manufacture rushing production.

Wide receivers

Jauan Jennings, San Francisco 49ers (79.0%; vs. Patriots)

As expected, Jennings was the most-added player (and not just a streamer) this week after he dropped a whopping 46.5 points on the Rams. With Deebo Samuel Sr. out (hamstring), Jennings saw his role explode, as he caught 11 of a team-high 12 targets and scored three touchdowns. Jennings, who finished the day with 175 yards receiving, should be started in all formats this weekend against the Patriots. If he is somehow still available in your league, waste no time in picking him up.

Michael Wilson, Arizona Cardinals (13.3% rostered; vs. Commanders)

With a really good Week 4 matchup versus the Commanders secondary, I like Wilson as the No. 2 target for Kyler Murray opposite of Marvin Harrison Jr. Wilson's slow start in Weeks 1 and 2 did create some concern, but he caught eight of nine targets in Week 3 against the Lions, while tying Harrison for the team lead with 64 yards receiving. With a jump in volume, plus the favorable matchup, Wilson has deeper-league appeal this week.

DeMario Douglas, New England Patriots (28.9% rostered; at 49ers)

Douglas has the skill set to be a productive slot target in the Patriots pass game. And we saw that last Thursday night, as Douglas caught seven of nine targets against the Jets, while adding a rushing attempt for nine yards. However, Douglas had just three targets in Week 1 and he was completely shut out in the Week 2 loss to Seattle. I would feel more comfortable here if Douglas was producing consistent numbers, but if you're digging deep, he does fit as an underneath target for Jacoby Brissett against the Niners this week.

Tutu Atwell, Los Angeles Rams (6.4% rostered; at Bears)

Without his top two targets, Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford played as a ball distributor in Sunday's comeback win over the 49ers. And while that works, it's brutal for fantasy football. With no L.A. receiver clearly emerging in that game, I'll settle on Atwell given his big-play upside. He caught four of five targets for 93 yards (13.3 points) and has seen nine targets over his past two games. He's a boom/bust option in deeper leagues.

Tight ends