Week 13 was headlined by the return of Josh Gordon, who looked absolutely great with Casey Heyward shadowing him, as Corey Coleman can no longer be trusted. Other big notes saw Alvin Kamara continue his march toward Mt. Olympus, Keenan Allen keeps on churning out huge box scores, and we’ve even got a potential Rob Gronkowski suspension to deal with.
Injuries were dealt to Tyrod Taylor (knee) and Matthew Stafford (hand) -- though X-rays were negative for Stafford, at least -- while Zach Ertz is dealing with a possible concussion. Of course, Antonio Brown is dealing with a toe injury and for every AB owner praying for him to play, there is another praying for him to be inactive. Here's to all of us hoping for Monday night miracles!
Below are my Week 14 waiver wire pickups, or free agents to consider adding to your fantasy football teams. Only you know how aggressive you'll need to be with FAAB given your leaguemates, so use the recommendations as a proportional springboard. I provide information on players that are owned in roughly 35% of Yahoo leagues or less so that you can make an educated decision about who to add to your squad.
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Running Backs - Week 14 Waiver Wire
Mike Davis (RB, SEA) - 7% owned (30% FAAB)
In case you didn’t make the add last week, Davis is clearly the lead back for Seattle now. Dude just needed to get healthy is all. The Eagles had allowed roughly 65 yards per game to opposing rushers on the ground, which is right in line with Davis’ 64 rushing yards on 16 carries. What we love seeing is that he also caught all four of his targets for 37 additional yards, as he has slid right into a bellcow role with 20 touches in a hard-fought game. He even got the goal-line look where he fell just short on a dive over the pile, but the usage is encouraging. He looked explosive with the ball and finished his runs hard, putting him in line for heavy usage once again come Week 14 against the Jaguars.
Peyton Barber (RB, TB) - 5% owned (10% FAAB)
With Doug Martin (concussion) on the shelf, it wasn’t last week’s carry leader in Jacquizz Rodgers who stepped into the starting role. No, it was Barber -- the goal-line vulture from Week 12. It appears that Tampa’s coaching staff wants to see what they’ve got in Barber, and he turned 23 carries and four catches into 143 total yards against the Packers in an overtime loss. It was an incredible effort considering the Bucs just lost two starting offensive linemen in Week 12 and another, center Joe Hawley, missed Sunday’s game due to illness. This effort should put Barber into at least a 50/50 split with Martin should he return for Week 14’s game against a Detroit defense that entered Week 13 ranked 23rd in rushing DVOA.
Aaron Jones (RB, GB) - 35% owned (6% FAAB)
Jones would touch the ball just once in his return to action after missing two weeks with an MCL sprain, but he made it count. The fifth-round rookie had just celebrated his 23rd birthday on Saturday and celebrated his health by winning the game for Green Bay with a 20-yard touchdown against Tampa Bay. Jamaal Williams owns this backfield right now, but Ty Montgomery is out and Jones becomes the clear handcuff with potential for a “1B” role in an offense that -- thanks to Jones’ scamper -- will likely get Aaron Rodgers back in Week 15. A Rodgers-led offense is a fantasy gold mine, which could give Jones flex value even if Williams stays healthy and in good favor with coaches.
Kerwynn Williams (RB, ARI) - 3% owned (5% FAAB)
Williams delivered 97 rushing yards on 16 totes in the place of Adrian Peterson, whose neck injury kept him sidelined against the Rams in Week 13. The Rams don’t have a great rush defense compared to a stout secondary, but it’s still encouraging to see this out of Williams considering his 69 total rushing yards on 28 carries on the season leading up to the game. For now, I’d have to think that Peterson will return since he was a game-time decision in Week 13, but AP owners will want Williams on hand just in case.
Wide Receivers - Week 14 Waiver Wire
Marquise Goodwin (WR, SF) - 32% owned (15% FAAB)
Goodwin entered play having caught just 27 of his 62 targets through 12 games, but this is a speedster who certainly runs many low-percentage routes downfield, and these were Brian Hoyer and C.J. Beathard targets. Guess what happened in his first week with Jimmy Garoppolo under center? Goodwin caught all of his targets, registering a season-high eight catches for 99 yards. Mister Marquise will play against the Texans and Titans in the next two weeks, and then fantasy owners can abandon ship before a Week 16 (championship week) matchup with the Jaguars.
Dede Westbrook (WR, JAX) - 28% owned (12% FAAB)
With Allen Hurns out again, Westbrook saw nine targets to follow up his 10 looks last week in a favorable matchup against Indy. Dede would finally cross the 50-yard threshold with 78 yards -- many of which he earned after the catch -- though he was clearly second fiddle to Marqise Lee. Fantasy owners should be good with that given how Leonard Fournette isn’t able to carry the team on his back like in the early going, so the passing game should continue to be utilized. Week 14 against Seattle should see that rushing attack challenged even more, making Westbrook a high-end flex play before three strong matchups (HOU, @SF, @TEN) to end the regular season.
Mike Wallace (WR, BAL) - 35% owned (10% FAAB)
In case anyone missed the boat the last time around, Wallace has now seen a combined 19 targets for 10 catches and 164 yards over the last two weeks and 48 targets, 30 catches, 457 yards and three touchdowns over his last seven healthy games. Joe Flacco is finally letting it rip and they’ll need Wallace against his ex-team in Pittsburgh next week before cushy matchups with Cleveland and Indianapolis to close out most fantasy seasons.
Trent Taylor (WR, SF) - 0% owned (5% FAAB)
Much like Goodwin, Taylor went from having 26-of-40 targets hauled in on the year to catching all six of his Jimmy G looks for a season-high reception total and 92 yards. Taylor always held promise as a reliable slot receiver, but having a reliable QB to complete the connection is, how you say, important? He’ll face the same premier matchups that Goodwin does, of course, and should be added in most 12-team PPR formats.
Tight Ends - Week 14 Waiver Wire
Stephen Anderson (TE, HOU) - 0% owned (8% FAAB)
Anderson stepped up with C.J. Fiedorowicz concussed yet again, catching 5-of-12 targets for 79 yards and a touchdown against the Titans. Now, we’ve seen Fiedorowicz hurt before and Anderson didn’t blow up then, but that was when Ryan Griffin was healthy. Griffin is on the injured reserve with a concussion (I hate typing that word with such frequency,) making this resulting opportunity a truly new frontier for Anderson. I’m not saying he’ll score 12 targets each time, but Week 14 against San Francisco could see him dancing in the end zone yet again. Those of you who make the add should have a dance ready too.
Ricky Seals-Jones (TE, ARI) - 28% owned (8% FAAB)
People might see the 44 scoreless yards from Sunday’s box score against the Rams and feel like the party’s over, but he made a powerful run after the catch and had a touchdown opportunity down the left sideline that Blaine Gabbert simply overthrew. He’s seen at least five targets in each of his three games and this was a tough matchup, so he’ll still be a solid TE2 against the Titans in Week 14. And he gets the Giants’ giving TE defense in the treasured Week 16 championship week.
Trey Burton (TE, PHI) - 1% owned (4% FAAB)
With Ertz in jeopardy of missing Week 14 against an admittedly good-against-the-TE Rams defense (entered Week 13 fifth in DVOA vs. TEs,) Burton becomes fantasy relevant again. He played on 70 percent of snaps in Week 9 when Ertz was out, putting up a useful 2-41-1 line against Denver. He caught four-of-seven targets for 42 yards against Seattle on Sunday night and would supersede blocker Brent Celek as the pass-catching TE to own in a (usually) high-flying Eagles offense. That PHI-LAR matchup should have a juicy point total, so it’s not the worst wagon to hitch onto if you’re desperate.
Dwayne Allen (TE, NE) - 1% owned (1% FAAB)
Sigh, I guess we have to talk about this, right? Rob Gronkowski made an absolute fool of himself (shocker) by pulling a diving headbutt that reminded me of Chris Benoit’s finishing move from the WWE. I get that he was frustrated, but c’mon son. Back to business. Allen hasn’t seen more than two targets in any game this season and is largely a blocker, so I’d expect most of Gronk’s volume to shift toward the RBs rather than having Allen change his role. Don’t add him unless you truly just need a warm body with an outside chance at being the fourth option on a red-zone play against the Dolphins in Week 14. Patriots devil magic doesn’t have any limits, I suppose.
Quarterbacks - Week 14 Streamers
Preferred streamer order (<50% owned guys): Jameis Winston vs. DET (49% owned), Josh McCown @DEN (41% owned), Jimmy Garoppolo @HOU (16% owned), Jacoby Brissett @BUF (16% owned), Brett Hundley @CLE (12% owned), Blaine Gabbert vs. TEN (4% owned), Joe Flacco @PIT (13% owned), Tom Savage vs. SF (2% owned), DeShone Kizer vs. GB (4% owned), Blake Bortles vs. SEA (34% owned).
Early Defensive Streaming Candidates
- GB (@CLE) - 32% owned
- CIN (vs. CHI) - 33% owned
- DAL (@NYG) - 9% owned
More Waiver Wire Pickups and Analysis