9 Fantasy Football Stash Candidates Ahead of Week 4

Week 3 added another wave of wrinkles to the fantasy landscape, with injuries, role shifts, and a few surprising depth chart shakeups creating new opportunities. These are the kinds of moments that make stashing players so important — finding value before it hits the waiver wire frenzy. This week’s list includes rookies carving out bigger roles, veterans sneaking back into relevance, and a few lottery-ticket types who could return value if situations break their way. None of these players are automatic starters yet, but all of them are worth a spot on your bench before your leaguemates catch up.

Editor's Note: Check out the Week 4 Waiver Wire Watch!

Ollie Gordon, RB - Dolphins (20%)

Ollie Gordon’s role in the short-yardage game was clear from the opening possession of Thursday Night Football, when he was tasked with three runs from within the 12-yard line, turning his last one into a two-yard touchdown. While Gordon saw the field for only 15 snaps, he had nine rushes on the day, and the increase in usage was certainly no fluke; head coach Mike McDaniel made it clear that he planned to get the rookie more involved from the outset. After the game, McDaniel doubled-down, saying that his success “puts competitive pressure on Jaylen Wright”, which might be coach-speak for “that guy’s not playing for a while”. If De’Von Achane went down, Wright would undoubtedly see the field, but it’s clear Gordon is a lone bright spot on a team circling the drain.

Chris Rodriguez, RB - Commanders (5%)

In the first game post-Austin Ekeler, the Commanders’ backfield was split almost completely evenly between Jacory Croskey-Merritt (23 snaps), Chris Rodriguez (22), and Jeremy McNichols (15). Though McNichols did rip off the best run of the game, almost all of his usage came on third-downs and the two-minute drill, signaling his role for the immediate future, while the former two split early-down and short-yardage situations (each had two rushes from within the 10-yard line). Rodriguez is the purest type of “stash”, as we still need some things to break in his direction, but he’s attached to a great offense and was handed a decent workload after two straight healthy scratches.

Miles Sanders, RB - Cowboys (4%)

This is gross, but it must be done. With Javonte Williams’ rushing share dropping from week to week, and the team wanting no part of rookie fifth-rounder Jaydon Blue, Miles Sanders is someone we need to keep on our radar. Through three games, we have seen Williams’ rush attempt share move from 68.2% to 64.3% to 50.0% this last week, while Sanders has jumped from 18.2% to 45.0%. Will every game be a blowout loss for the Cowboys that squeezes Sanders onto the field? No, probably not, but they have given up 92 points through three weeks with a defense that looks sorely in need of pass-rushing help. Sanders is worth a deep bench spot while we see how this plays itself out.

DJ Giddens, RB - Colts (4%)

This is purely a “handcuff” type stash as Jonathan Taylor continues to play God Mode through the first section of the 2025 season, but rookie D.J. Giddens has solidified himself as the RB2 in Indianapolis. Through three weeks, Taylor leads the NFL with 60 carries, and this includes two blowout wins in which he carried the ball a combined four times in fourth quarters. Though Tyler Goodson did make his season debut on Sunday, his two touches came with less than 5:00 on the clock in a game the Colts were up 41-20. There’s really no reason for either back to cut into Taylor’s workload in typical situations, but Giddens looks like the option to lean on should JT miss any time.

Tyquan Thornton, WR - Chiefs (3%)

Heading into the 2025 season, Tyquan Thornton’s career-highs amounted to 247 yards on 22 receptions, back as a 2022 rookie for the New England Patriots. Brought in off the streets as a depth piece/practice squad player in November of last year, Thornton’s role has probably been more meaningful than anyone with the Chiefs had planned on, mainly due to suspensions and unforeseen injuries elsewhere in the wide receiver room. Well, since his inclusion in Week 1’s version of this article, he has gone on to accrue a 7-130-2 stat line, including this insane catch to put away the Giants on Sunday Night Football.

Full disclosure, I did call him a potential “unrealized air yards king” but he has come down with some of those deep tosses as Patrick Mahomes’ main target down the field, so the egg’s squarely on my face. Xavier Worthy and, later, Rashee Rice will be returning to the lineup shortly, but Thornton remains an interesting 25-year-old stash who might sneak his way into a career year.

Elic Ayomanor, WR - Titans (22%)

We highlighted Elic Ayomanor last week, and he’s still worth stashing before his roster percentage climbs. Tennessee has run just three snaps with a lead all season, forcing Cam Ward to throw more than he should, and Ayomanor has been the clear beneficiary. The rookie is second on the team with 18 targets, already owns both of Ward’s passing touchdowns, and continues to play ahead of Van Jefferson. Ward’s accuracy (54.5%) and yardage (168.7 per game) need to improve, but once the passing game finds its footing, Ayomanor is positioned to grow into a steady role.

Jalen Coker, WR - Panthers (8%)

Pre-season darling Jalen Coker was set to compete with basically everyone not named Tetairoa McMillan for targets this year, but because he had to start the season on IR, the Panthers had to scramble. What they eventually settled on was featuring an aging Hunter Renfrow and sophomore Xavier Legette, who earned eight yards across fifteen targets through the first two weeks. With Legette missing Week 3 due to a hamstring injury, the team also introduced Brycen Tremayne, a 2023 UDFA who now has six career catches. Coker was arguably the best receiver on the team in the back-half of the 2024 season, and though we don’t want the No. 3 pass-catcher on the Panthers’ passing attack, there’s a good chance he returns as the No. 2. He is set to return in a few weeks, but if you have a free IR spot, go get em.

Carson Wentz, QB - Vikings (6%)

Week 1 of the Carson Wentz Vikings era sure went better than expected. Though most of the 48-10 shellacking of the Cincinnati Bengals came by way of the defense, Wentz had himself a perfectly acceptable fantasy day. Especially when you consider he wasn’t tasked with a single drop back in the fourth quarter of the blowout. Deep-league managers will be happy to hear that the Vikes jump across the pond this week for back-to-back international games, which likely means we won’t be seeing a “recovering” J.J. McCarthy until at least Week 7, after the team’s bye. This gives Wentz a couple more games to spin it to Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson, and a returning Jordan Addison against a surprisingly brittle Steelers defense and a much better-looking Browns unit.

Oronde Gadsden, TE - Chargers (1%)

Oronde Gadsden didn’t see the field in Weeks 1 and 2, but his debut in Week 3 was enough to raise eyebrows. The rookie lined up in the slot on nearly half his routes and caught five of seven targets for 46 yards, with two other looks coming in the red zone and deep downfield. Just as importantly, two of his receptions came on the game-winning drive, signaling trust from the coaching staff in a high-leverage spot. With Will Dissly likely sidelined another week, Gadsden has a chance to build on that usage. He’s available in virtually every league and makes for a forward-looking stash.