This is the Waiver Wire Week 14! Week 14 was already shaping up to be an extremely tricky one to navigate. For the second time this season, six teams are on byes. Byemaggedon Part Two is already a massive blow to fantasy lineups, but we have to factor in one of the worst Sundays of injuries we have seen all season. Oh, and the icing on the cake: this is the last week of the regular season in most home leagues and the last week of waivers for many high-stakes formats. Fantasy players are facing tough decisions about who they should add and cut.
Let’s take a step back and look at the big picture.
Teams on Byes:
Atlanta
Chicago
Green Bay
Indianapolis
New Orleans
Washington
Now, the injuries:
Lamar Jackson, QB | Baltimore: Will miss at least a few weeks
Jimmy Garoppolo, QB | San Francisco: DONE FOR THE SEASON
Trevor Lawrence, QB | Jacksonville: Unknown
Tua Tagovailoa, QB | Miami: He could miss a few weeks or play through it.
Ken Walker, RB | Seattle: Probably out Week 14
Courtland Sutton, WR | Denver: Hamstring Injury
Treylon Burks, WR | Tennessee: Concussion Protocol
Jakobi Meyers, WR | New England: Concussion Protocol
Jaylen Waddle, WR | Miami: Played through an injury
Hayden Hurst, TE | Cincinnati: Calf Injury
In this article, I always write about being one or two weeks ahead, but the unpredictability and timing of these injuries certainly could not have come at the worst time. Looking at those two lists side by side is daunting, but no one ever won anything in fantasy football by panicking. Leagues could be decided by how fantasy players adjust to this week.
A quick note for high-stakes players: If this is the final week of waivers for you in high-stakes formats, take the FAAB dollars down to 0. You cannot take it with you. If you are a playoff team and need to prepare for a three-week sprint, try and roster two defenses. This will give you optimal matchups and prevent your competition from having an ideal streamer. Make sure and have at least two of the one-off positions (QB, TE). If the waiver wire is bare, rostering a backup QB on your team is a viable strategy. If your format does not utilize a team kicker, then carrying a second kicker is the practical move.
Take the extra time to grind this week. Waivers will be over and done with for everyone in about a month and, for some, this week. Save the mental fatigue for the offseason. Let’s go win some titles and some money!
(ALL PLAYERS ARE ROSTERED IN 25 PERCENT OR LESS OF YAHOO LEAGUES)
Quarterbacks
Mike White | New York Jets
Jimmy Garoppolo teams meet your replacement. Mike White has now passed for 315 yards and 369 yards in back-to-back games. He has multiple pass catchers including budding star Garrett Wilson. I will look to add White on teams even if they do not need a QB to prevent my opponents from being able to stream him. The Jets have an easy playoff schedule. Fantasy football does not have to be complicated. This is a no-brainer.
Kenny Pickett | Pittsburgh
Pickett had a disappointing fantasy output but won a tight game over Atlanta. He also did not throw any interceptions and added seven rushing attempts.
Tyler Huntley | Baltimore
Lamar Jackson managers should prioritize Huntley. Huntley stepped in yesterday and passed for 187 yards and added 41 yards on the ground with a TD. Last season, Huntley had multiple QB1 performances when he filled in for Jackson. I am not sure how many games Huntley will start, but he is a low-end QB1 in all of them based on his rushing ability. Huntley will be a popular trade target for QB-needy teams this off-season if he delivers once again. He is a good addition for dynasty managers.
Ryan Tannehill | Tennessee
Tannehill has a juicy matchup against Jacksonville this week and a nice Week 16 matchup against Houston. He took a step back production-wise with only 141 yards passing in Sunday’s loss to Philadelphia but had passed for 624 yards the previous two games. If you are streaming QBs, Tannehill is an option.
Running Backs
James Cook | Buffalo
I have begged everyone to add James Cook for weeks now, and Cook SZN could finally be here. Well, maybe not SZN level, but Flex-worthy James Cook is here, which is still very exciting. This past week, Cook rushed for 64 yards but, more importantly, added six receptions for 41 yards.
James Cook Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile
His six receptions are a season-high and an auspicious sign for fantasy managers. If he can maintain this role, he is a weekly start for most fantasy managers.
Jordan Mason | San Francisco
My prediction of Tyrion Davis-Price being the new handcuff to Christian McCaffrey was incorrect. Mason ran eight times for 51 yards. With the Garoppolo injury, there is a good chance that San Francisco will become even more run-heavy. Mason is now one of the more valuable handcuffs in football, and if McCaffrey were ever to miss a week, he would be a locked-in RB2.
Travis Homer, Deejay Dallas, and Tony Jones | Seattle
Ken Walker is set to miss some time, and his replacement Deejay Dallas is also banged up. I would add Dallas if he can go, but I am mostly interested in Homer. I view him as one of the better waiver wire additions this week. He is a very capable pass catcher and was ahead of Dallas earlier in this season on the depth chart. Homer also missed this week with an injury, but he is expected back. I would prioritize my preference as Homer, then Dallas, then Jones. Based on the newness of the injury and the lack of information we have, Homer could be the better add and could cost less FAAB money. If you have FAAB left and can swing it, adding Homer AND Dallas makes a lot of sense. This is a choppy situation, so monitor the Monday and Tuesday practice reports.
Chuba Hubbard | Carolina
Hubbard is coming off his highest rushing total of the season with 65 yards in Carolina’s Week 12 win over Denver. He had an even split with D’Onta Foreman. Foreman is the better bet if you want to start a Carolina RB this week, but do not underestimate self-scouting. Could Carolina want to see more from Hubbard? There is a chance he takes a larger role in the offense this week and if he shows some juice, he could be the better back for the rest of the season.
Ty Johnson | New York Jets
Zonovan Knight is now rostered in every league that matters, but Johnson is widely available. He has now scored double-digit PPR points in back-to-back games and offers a weekly floor due to his pass-catching ability in any game Michael Carter is out.
Jaylen Warren | Pittsburgh
Dontrell Hilliard | Tennessee
Matt Breida | New York Giants
JaMycal Hasty | Jacksonville
Kenneth Gainwell | Philadelphia
Zamir White | Las Vegas
At this point of the season, if you are not rostering your own handcuff RB, now is the time to do so. Samaje Perine‘s past two weeks’ success should be a good lesson for NFL backups’ ability to perform and put up fantasy points. In leagues with locked waiver wires, this is imperative.
Tight Ends
Noah Fant | Seattle
Fant has quietly been on a solid run with 12 catches in his last four games. He could see a bump in usage if the Seahawks become more pass-happy with Ken Walker out.
Noah Fant Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile
Fant had his best game of the season on Sunday with four catches for 42 yards and a TD. He is solidly a mid-level TE2 moving forward.
Daniel Bellinger | New York Giants
Bellinger returned from an eye injury this week and caught all five of his targets for 24 yards. He was a popular waiver wire addition earlier in the season and should pick up where he left off as an upside TE2. He will be on the field a lot, and the Giants are desperate for pass-catching options.
Chig Okonkwo | Tennessee Titans
Dynasty managers should prioritize Okwonko. He tied for a team-high with five targets and led The Titans receivers with four catches and 68 yards receiving which are both season highs. With no Treylon Burks, Okwonko could be a sneaky TE streamer in a plus matchup this week against a Jacksonville defense that was just shredded against Detroit. He is an extremely athletic TE and could see his fantasy stock rise significantly this off-season.
Wide Receivers
Odell Beckham | Free Agent
Beckham watch continues. The Cowboys and Giants are the most likely destinations. If he signs with Dallas, he can play for a red-hot offense. He should have a weekly target floor if he plays for the Giants.
D.J. Chark | Detroit
Chark returned in a big way catching five passes and a season-high 98 yards receiving. Jameson Williams should continue to see his role grow, but with his management of snaps and low routes run, Chark is clearly the player to prioritize. He can be a WR4 with upside moving forward.
Demarcus Robinson | Baltimore
Robinson had another solid performance with seven catches for 41 yards. In three of his last five games, he has had eight or more targets and at least six catches. The problem is that he posted complete fantasy duds in his other two games with 29 yards COMBINED. He is more of a break glass in case of emergency type bench play for WR-needy teams.
Corey Davis | New York Jets
Davis saw a season-high ten targets. He caught five of them for 85 yards. Davis now has five games with 52 or more receiving yards. The Jets have a cushy fantasy playoff schedule, and Davis should be playing second fiddle to Garrett Wilson in the passing game. Elijah Moore also saw six targets, but Davis is playing a much larger role and should be prioritized.
Trent Sherfield | Miami
Jaylen Waddle is banged up and the TE position is seemingly nonexistent most weeks for Miami. Sherfield scored on a 75-yard TD catch and would have the most to gain if Waddle were to miss anytime. Waddle managers should consider adding Sherfield.
Jameson Williams | Detroit
Williams only ran two routes in Detroit’s win over Jacksonville. Expect that number to rise dramatically over the next few weeks. Williams should be prioritized by contending teams that could use a lottery ticket type who could put them over the top in the semi-finals and fantasy finals. Williams having a few boom weeks to end the season is possible. He simply needs the usage.
Julio Jones | Tampa Bay
Jones is available in many leagues. He is the clear No. 3 WR to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, but if either were to miss time, Jones would be a WR3. Even as the No. 3 WR, a healthy Julio Jones would be a preferred desperation start over a player like Robinson or Sherfield.
Jahan Dotson | Washington
Dotson is back from injury in a big way. He caught five passes for 54 yards and a TD giving him five now on the season. Dotson also saw a season-high nine targets. Washington tied with New York and is in the NFC playoff hunt. Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel are also part of a crowded WR corps but expect Dotson to see five or more targets every week going forward.
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