Week 14 Waiver Wire (Fantasy Football)
It’s Week 14, and for most fantasy owners, we know whether or not we are in the playoffs. If you have a first-round bye, congratulations. The rest of us have to watch the Week 14 slate while chewing our fingernails off and hoping to make it to the next round. Hopefully, you have prepared for your roster’s playoff schedule, but you may still need to find the best matchups to fight through to Week 15.
Be sure to listen to The Fantasy Footballers Week 14 Waiver Wire episode to hear Andy, Mike, and Jason’s opinion on each of these players and who you should target on the waiver wire. Remember to keep the rest of the season in mind as you make your selections.
All percentages owned are based on Yahoo!
WR
James Washington had himself a game with Devlin “Duck” Hodges under center. Despite the collegiate connection between Washington and Mason Rudolph, Hodges appears to be the ticket for Washington’s fantasy relevance. He had four catches on four targets for his second 100% catch rate game this year with 111 yards and a touchdown against the Browns. His yards per target stretched from 17.25 in Week 9 to 27.75 on Sunday. Even if JuJu Smith-Schuster returns to play this fantasy season, Washington appears to be the WR2 in the offense with Hodges as the QB. He is 23% owned and will face the porous Arizona defense this week, followed by Buffalo and finally the Jets in Week 16.
Jaguars’ WR Chris Conley is quietly making his presence known in the offense that runs three wide receivers and no tight end. He had four receptions on five targets for 57 yards, but has struggled to find the end zone. He is one touchdown away from a boom performance and he will face Oakland and then Atlanta in Weeks 15 and 16 with Gardner Minshew back at QB.
Probably Owned (but worth checking)
NYJ Robby Anderson (58% owned)
MIA, @BAL, PIT
NYG Sterling Shepard (58% owned)
@PHI, MIA, @WAS
Main Waiver Wire Pickups
PIT James Washington (23% owned)
@ARI, BUF, @NYJ
BUF Cole Beasley (32% owned)
BAL, @PIT, @NE
CHI Anthony Miller (14% owned)
DAL (Thurs), @GB, KC
TEN A.J. Brown (25% owned)
@OAK, HOU, NO
CIN Auden Tate (10% owned) & John Ross (7% owned)
@CLE, NE, @MIA
IND Zach Pascal (17% owned)
@TB, @NO, CAR
RB
Go put in a claim for Alexander Mattison right now if he is not already rostered. Dalvin Cook exited Monday night’s game with a shoulder injury and his future is uncertain. He should be the main waiver wire add heading into Week 15. After Cook was sidelined, the Vikings leaned heavily on Mattison to continue their run-heavy offense. He looked explosive and will see volume if Cook has to miss time.
Other than that, I would love to tell you that the running back situation in fantasy football is suddenly crystal clear and I know exactly who is going to be seeing all of the volume. I would, of course, be lying through my teeth since coaches like to change their minds on who will be getting the touches. Just ask Ronald Jones and Jonathan Williams.
One thing is clear, Raheem Mostert is a must-add and Tevin Coleman may very well have lost his job. Mostert is currently 14% owned, but I don’t see that lasting for long after Sunday’s performance. But still, there is uncertainty with the backfield if Matt Breida returns this week from injury. It may be worth grabbing Mostert to stash him and see what happens with Breida down the stretch.
If LeSean McCoy or Derrius Guice are available in your league, I would highly recommend scooping them up. McCoy will benefit from an injured Darrel Williams and Guice is finally healthy and producing at a high level for the Redskins.
Rookie RB Benny Snell continues to shine while James Conner remains sidelined with a shoulder injury. He rushed 16 times for 63 yards and a touchdown and also hauled in a target for four yards. His productivity will depend on Conner’s status, so keep your eye on the Week 14 inactives. The Steelers will face Arizona, Buffalo, and the Jets for the playoffs.
Probably Owned (but worth checking)
KC LeSean McCoy (62% owned)
@NE, DEN, @CHI
Main Waiver Wire Pickups
MIN Alexander Mattison (30% owned)
DET, @LAC, GB
SEA Rashaad Penny (55% owned)
@LAR, @CAR, ARI
KC Darwin Thompson (5% owned)
@NE, DEN, @CHI
WAS Derrius Guice (50% owned)
@GB, PHI, NYG
SF Raheem Mostert (14% owned)
@NO, ATL, LAR
PIT Benny Snell (34% owned)
@ARI, BUF, @NYJ
TE
Arizona continues their trek as the worst defense against tight ends in the NFL. Not just bad… more than twice as bad as 31st worst Seahawks who have allowed five touchdowns and the Raiders with eight to the position. The Cardinals have allowed 13. With an injured Gerald Everett, Higbee hauled in seven receptions on eight targets for 107 yards and a touchdown against Arizona. If Everett misses another game, he is worth a look if you need help at TE as the Rams face the Seahawks this week. I don’t expect it to be another huge game, but he has the opportunity to put up points.
Speaking of Arizona, Vance McDonald (50% owned) will matchup against the Swiss cheese defense in Week 14. If the trend continues, McDonald should have the chance to get back into fantasy owners’ good graces, but he is still risky with a 3rd string quarterback at the helm.
Probably Owned (but worth checking)
IND Jack Doyle (58% owned)
@TB, @NO, CAR
SEA Jacob Hollister (57% owned)
@LAR, @CAR, ARI
PHI Dallas Goedert (64% owned)
NYG, @WAS, DAL
MIN Kyle Rudolph (57% owned)
DET, @LAC, GB
Main Waiver Wire Pickups
PIT Vance McDonald (50% owned)
@ARI, BUF, @NYJ
MIA Mike Gesicki (19% owned)
@NYJ, @NYG, CIN
LAR Tyler Higbee (11% owned)
SEA, @DAL, @SF
CAR Ian Thomas (0% owned)
@ATL, SEA, @IND
HOU Darren Fells (38% owned)
DEN, @TEN, @TB
Remember to listen to the Week 14 Waiver Wire episode for a full breakdown of these players and who The Fantasy Footballers think you should target. Also, don’t miss their “Full Stream Ahead” picks for QB and DST.