Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry

Episode Title: Week 4 Waiver Wire: Trey Benson, Darnell Mooney + Jaxson Dart Named Giants Starter
Date: September 23, 2025
Host: Matthew Berry (with Connor Rogers & Jay Croucher)

Episode Overview

This episode is a classic Waiver Wire Tuesday, focusing on the must-adds as fantasy football managers look toward Week 4. After a wild Monday Night Football and a rash of injuries, Matthew Berry, Connor Rogers, and Jay Croucher break down the top waiver priorities at running back, wide receiver, and quarterback—including the fallout from James Conner’s injury, under-the-radar pass catchers, and the Giants naming Jaxson Dart as the starting quarterback. Throughout, the trio delivers actionable strategy with their familiar banter, humor, and insights into roster construction, player ceilings, and lineup decisions.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Waiver Wire Priority: Running Backs

Trey Benson Takes Over in Arizona

• James Conner Injury Impact
  • “Yes, it is Trey Benson time in Arizona. And more importantly, this is one of those guys, like, if you've been saving your number one waiver pick, if you've been saving all your fab money, this is the kind of player you go blow any of that on because he's potentially a league winner.” —Matthew Berry [05:00]
• 87% snap rate post-Conner injury, 6 yards per carry so far in 2025; “not the most efficient workload in the next couple of weeks… but the volume is going to be there for Trey Benson.” —Matthew Berry [04:40]
• Lineup context: Cardinals have solid upcoming schedule (Seattle, Tennessee, Indy, Green Bay).
• Caveat: “He's always trying to break one… Because he's so explosive and that's exciting, but I think it's one of the reasons why at least initially they went with a veteran Conner…” —Matthew Berry [06:18]
• PPR Note: “Trey Benson… has a 12.5% target share so far this year in a part-time role…” —Matthew Berry [07:15]
• Comparison Question: Gentry or Benson? "I'd still take Genty because he's Ashton Genti, sure." —Jay Croucher [08:13]

Other RB Stashes

• Blake Corum—explosive, handcuff to injury-prone Kyron Williams; “might have four weeks this year where it's like thank God I had Blake Corum.” —Connor Rogers [13:55]
• Woody Marks (Texans): pass-catcher, snaps trending up, “looks like he's got some juice in a way that Nick Chubb just doesn't.” —Matthew Berry [11:10]
• Ollie Gordon (Dolphins): Significant red zone usage, “needs to be rostered in more leagues.” —Matthew Berry [12:02]
• Kareem Hunt (Chiefs): “Nothing exciting… but he's getting almost 50% of the Chiefs running back touches.” —Matthew Berry [12:26]
• Chris Rodriguez (Commanders): Led Commanders in week 3 rushes, part of a 3-headed committee.

Roster Construction Advice

• Detailed discussion on who to drop, prioritizing handcuffs and upside based on league depth and roster (see [13:59–15:06]).

2. Waiver Wire Priority: Wide Receivers

Darnell Mooney (Falcons)

• Available in 55% of leagues
• 11 targets in Week 3: “Falcons passing offense was absolutely miserable… but from a fantasy perspective, they're easy to understand in terms of their usage: Drake London, Darnell Mooney, and Kyle Pitts.” —Jay Croucher [15:40]
• Caution: Penix (QB) struggling; coaching staff reportedly under pressure about a switch.
• “Mooney, look, 27% target share in week three, 91% route participation since returning. But like he still hasn't… it hasn't translated into fantasy production. He's playing Washington this week, which helps.” —Matthew Berry [20:06]

Alec I. O. Manor (Titans)

• 79% available
• “He has taken over the wide receiver one role in Cam Ward's Tennessee offense… the reality is he's the number one wide receiver for a quarterback with talent and upside who is growing each week.” —Jay Croucher [21:25]
• Out-targeting Calvin Ridley, heavy utilization, schedule opens up: Houston, Arizona, Las Vegas, New England.
• “If he's out there, there's a lot of players you'd probably drop for him.” —Connor Rogers [31:00]

Trey Tucker (Raiders)

• 96% available
• Massive week (33% target share); deep-threat, high aDOT, “the cardio king until week three…” —Connor Rogers [24:19]
• Caution: “It is going to be boom or bust, but playing the Bears this week at home…” —Matthew Berry [24:21]
• Comparison: “He's like bad, tame Gabe Davis is how I think of him.” —Jay Croucher [25:43]

Other WR Deep Adds

• Christian Kirk (Texans)
  PPR floor, not flashy, “more of a desperation [add].” —Matthew Berry [27:12]
• Sterling Shepard (Bucs) Volume opens due to Mike Evans injury, “is going to be more of the slot guy… more of a floor play than an upside play.” —Matthew Berry [30:10]
• Noted quick hits: Luther Burden (deep leagues, role increasing), Tyquan Thornton (air yards leader for Chiefs), Jalen Tolbert (Dallas WR2 while CeeDee Lamb is hurt), Parker Washington, Torrey Horton (leverage injuries or changing roles).

3. Waiver Wire Priority: Quarterbacks

Jaxson Dart (Giants new starter)

• Breaking News: “Jackson Dart will make his career debut starting debut on Sunday against the Chargers.” —Connor Rogers [33:33]
• Immediate fantasy relevance due to rushing upside—design runs featured in the Daboll offense.
• “Dart, who is younger, faster, looks, you know, more athletic than Russell Wilson does at this stage of his career. Like I think Dart is going to be a borderline top 12 fantasy quarterback.” —Matthew Berry [34:19]
• Schedule warning: After Chargers & Saints, faces tough stretch vs. Eagles, Broncos, Eagles, 49ers.
• Ideal for Superflex/2QB leagues—potential league-winner upside.

Other Streamer & Stash Options

• Geno Smith: “Available in over 72% of leagues,” solid streamer this week. —Matthew Berry [41:35]
• Marcus Mariota (if starting for Bears), Tyrod Taylor (at Miami) (if Fields misses time).
• “If I needed a quarterback for the rest of the season, give me Jackson Dart over Geno Smith or any of these guys this week or for the rest of the year.” —Matthew Berry [43:12]

4. Tight End Targets

• Brenton Strange
• Chigoziem Okonkwo
• Isaiah Likely
• Dalton Schultz
• Oronde Gadsden (Chargers): “Targeted on 47% of his routes in season debut last week… always liked at Syracuse, talented player.” —Matthew Berry [41:35]

5. Drop List & Injury Updates

Drop Recommendations:

• Joe Burrow, C.J. Stroud, Tyrone Tracy, Joe Mixon, Caleb Johnson, Braylon Allen, Evan Engram—“Welcome to Dumpsville, population U.” —Matthew Berry [43:47]

Key Injury News:

• Mike Evans (Bucs) hamstring, out 3-4 weeks; “doesn’t sound moderate… this is a bummer.” —Matthew Berry [29:30]
• Watch status: Chris Godwin (Bucs)—likely back; Terry McLaurin (Washington) “uncertain to play Sunday due to quad injury.” —Reported [38:46]

Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

• On Kyler Murray:
  “Is Kyler Murray the worst good player in the NFL? If that makes any sense at all. Do you know what I mean?” —Matthew Berry [08:59]

• On Jaxson Dart:
  “Design quarterback runs are part of the offense that Brian Daboll is running this year. And so Jaxson Dart… I think Dart is going to be a borderline top 12 fantasy quarterback.” —Matthew Berry [34:16]

• On Waiver Context:
  “Trey Benson is the clear shining star. That's the guy that you go and be aggressive to get.” —Matthew Berry [10:23]
  “Jackson Dart is similar to Trey Benson… blow your budget… I think Jackson Dart is going to be that good fantasy wise.” —Matthew Berry [37:41]

• On roster management:
  “If you have Kyron, [Blake] Corum is one of the most valuable handcuffs in the entire league.” —Connor Rogers [13:28]

• On the pain of fantasy football:
  “26 and 5. And that's amazing… and yet I'm depressed this morning because I lost to Denny… that's what fantasy does to you.” —Matthew Berry [53:40]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Trey Benson & RB Waivers: [02:53–10:23]
• RB Stash Discussion/Roster Construction: [13:28–15:24]
• Wide Receivers - Mooney, Manor, Tucker: [15:24–26:43]
• Deeper WR/Drops: [30:59–32:54]
• Quarterbacks – Jaxson Dart & Streamers: [33:33–43:12]
• Tight End Waivers: [41:17–42:44]
• Injuries/Drops recap: [43:12–44:00]
• Fantasy League Recap (Berry’s woes): [48:16–53:40]
• Monday Night Football Recap: [47:17–52:57]

Recommendations Recap

• Top Waiver Adds:

  • RB: Trey Benson (must-add), Blake Corum, Woody Marks, Ollie Gordon, Kareem Hunt, Chris Rodriguez
  • WR: Darnell Mooney, Alec I. O. Manor, Trey Tucker, Christian Kirk, Sterling Shepard (+ deep stashes: Luther Burden, Tyquan Thornton, Jalen Tolbert, Parker Washington, Torrey Horton)
  • QB: Jaxson Dart (Superflex/2QB), Geno Smith, Marcus Mariota (watch status), Tyrod Taylor (watch)
  • TE: Brenton Strange, Chig Okonkwo, Isaiah Likely, Dalton Schultz, Oronde Gadsden

• Drops:
  Joe Burrow, C.J. Stroud, various injured/non-producing RBs and TEs listed above

Tone & Closing Thoughts

The episode is fast-paced, detail-obsessed, and filled with signature humor and rapport. Berry's advice always weighs league context, upside, and injury risk. The waiver wire is thin, but Benson and Dart are clear splash plays, and finding emerging WRs is key. The episode contains commiseration over Berry’s fantasy struggles and relatable reflections on injury heartbreak, making for both an informative and entertaining hour.

“Go get yourself some Jackson Dart. For Jay and Connor, I'm Matthew… at least my Gibbs bet cashed last night. Peace out.” —Matthew Berry [57:47]