Fantasy Football ‘24: Waiver Wire, Week 14 edition

Welcome to the Fantasy Football Waiver Wire for Week 14! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving weekend. It was an exercise in food and football gluttony for many, including me. This week, life gets back to normal.

Or does it? For many fantasy footballers, Week 14 is the final contest before the playoffs start. If you’re already in, well done. Lots of managers need one more win or points above a threshold to secure a berth. And it’s not going to be an easy sea to navigate, because for the second time in three weeks, six NFL teams have a Bye in Week 14. We’ve got our work cut out for us. Thanks, Rog.

I’m going to do something a little different this week. Because of the unfortunate timing of those six Byes, I’m going to focus mainly on streaming options for this week at the “onesie” positions of QB, TE, PK and D/ST. Yes, some of the players I’m going to mention at those positions are good pickups for the duration, but the goal for many of you is to make it through THIS week. For RBs and WRs it will be more of the usual approach.

Note that I’m writing this column BEFORE the Week 13 Monday night game (CLE@DEN).

Some players discussed won’t be available in your league. I try to list players who are available in more than 50% of leagues. But what does that even mean? A 10-team league with six bench spots will have a much larger Free Agent pool than a 14-team league with eight. Most leagues fall somewhere in between. This isn’t “one size fits all.” By way of example, I won’t list Bo Nix, Drake Maye, or Gus Edwards, among others who probably aren’t available in any of your leagues. All are priority pickups if available (although note that Maye and Nix both have Byes this week).

WEEK 14 BYES: BAL, DEN, HOU, NE, IND, WAS

Week 14 Waiver Wire

Quarterback: Need a replacement for Lamar Jackson, Jayden Daniels, Anthony Richardson, C.J. Stroud, Bo Nix, or Drake Maye this week? I bet you do. Here are your best options:

Russell Wilson (vs. CLE). Wilson won’t be available in 2-quarterback/Superflex leagues, but he might be in some 1-quarterback leagues. After a couple of quiet games, Wilson lit up the Bengals in Week 13 for 414 passing yards and three TDs. Wilson didn’t do a lot against the Browns in Week 12, but that was in the snow. He’s a good bet for solid numbers at home this week. The Browns are a middle-of-the-pack defense with just one INT through Week 12.

Will Levis (vs. JAC). The Jaguars did a decent job against C.J. Stroud this past week, but that’s no longer an impressive thing to say. Levis is coming off a decent outing at the Commanders thanks to extended garbage time in a blowout loss, and has a chance to put up even better numbers at home this week against one of the league’s most generous pass defenses. The Jags have yielded the second most passing yards and TD passes to opposing QBs, and the most fantasy points per game (FPPG).

Other options: Derek Carr (@NYG), Aidan O’Connell (@TB), and Sam Darnold (vs. ATL).

I can’t leave this section without mentioning Michael Penix, Jr. There isn’t much fantasy season left and we have no idea if (a) he will get any starts over struggling starter Kirk Cousins or (b) he’d be fantasy-viable if he did. Most rookie quarterbacks need a few games, at least. Still, if you’ve got the bench space he’s an intriguing stash given the weapons on Atlanta and a favorable schedule over the next four weeks.

Running Back:

Jordan Mason. If Mason got dropped in your league after Christian McCaffrey came back, he’s a top priority add. If you’ve been saving up your free agent acquisition budget (FAAB), now would be the time to empty the piggy bank to get him. It’s highly unlikely that we’ll see CMC back this season, and we already saw what Mason can do in the lead role on this offense. He’s a must-add if available. Rookie Isaac Guerendo should also be on your radar as a stash, as he would be the next man up after Mason.

Kimani Vidal. Gus Edwards is averaging just 3.4 yards per carry this season behind a very good offensive line, and has added a grand total of only two catches for three yards. He’ll likely continue to be the early-down back but there’s more running back value to be had in this offense. Hassan Haskins fumbled on his first carry on Sunday and didn’t see another touch. Vidal saw about a quarter of the snaps on Sunday, but didn’t do a lot with his opportunities (and he struggled in pass protection). The matchup this week is rough (@KC) to boot. Still, he’s worth an add given that J.K. Dobbins won’t return before Week 17 (at the earliest).

Jeremy McNichols and Chris Rodriguez. Austin Ekeler has been put on IR, and while Brian Robinson, Jr. is the clear lead back, he’s had a myriad of minor injuries this season, and McNichols and/or Rodriguez will have some value as a change-of-pace option even if Robinson can stay healthy through the fantasy playoffs. The issue here is that there are two players seeing snaps behind Robinson. Of the two, I prefer McNichols, but you can stash either one.

Blake Corum. Kyren Williams isn’t giving way, despite a lot of inefficiency this season, but Corum just matched his high for carries (eight), which went for a season-best 42 yards. The Rams host the Bills in Week 14, and Buffalo has struggled vs. the run.

Ameer Abdullah. I probably wouldn’t touch this backfield. The Raiders have one of the worst rushing offenses in the league and with Alexander Mattison and/or Zamir White possibly returning this week, the rotation is unclear. You know who led the Raiders in carries this past week? Practice squad call-up Sincere McCormick. And he ran well, against the league’s No. 1 run defense. If you had never heard of him before Black Friday, get in line. Pick him up? Or maybe Mattison? Hmm. So like I said, I’d probably just stay away from this whole situation, unless you’re truly desperate. A road game at the Bucs on tap in Week 14 isn’t favorable either.

Here is my updated weekly list of RBs to grab if you need depth with upside (and I like them more or less in this order): Tyler Allgeier, Ray Davis, Jr., Braelon Allen, Tank Bigsby, Tyjae Spears, Zach Charbonnet, Trey Benson, Jaleel McLaughlin, and Roschon Johnson. All are one injury away from what could be a significant role. I’ve said it over and over but I’ll say it again: You want a couple of these guys on your roster at all times.

Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images

Wide Receiver:

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. From the column last week: I’m listing these two together because I can shorten both of their annoyingly long names to three letters. No, that’s not the reason. I’m pairing NWI and MVS because in both cases there has been some recent repeated success that I’m having trouble buying into but cannot deny. NWI has TDs in six of his last seven games. Six of seven! How many WRs can you say that about? I have no idea, but it’s very, very few. Like, it’s almost certainly zero. And MVS has hit for at least one long TD in back-to back-games and is an intriguing Flex option for those seeking upside, given the injuries to the Saints’ other wideouts.

Guess what? NWI added two more TDs on Sunday (on just three catches), making it at least one TD in seven of his last eight games, and MVS scored again and now has four TDs in his last three games. MVS? NWI? WT_! TD regression is likely coming for both guys, but fantasy points are, well, just that: Fantasy points.

Romeo Doubs. He should be back for Week 14, in a favorable Thursday night marquee matchup against the Lions, who have suffered a number of significant injuries on defense and struggle vs. outside receivers.

Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman, and Elijah Moore. Take your pick. All three are worth a roster spot and are potential Flex plays (Tillman is out again for the Week 13 MNF game with a concussion, but could return next week).

Others to consider for WR depth: Joshua Palmer and Quentin Johnston, Devaughn Vele, Noah Brown, Xavier Legette and Adam Thielen, Brandin Cooks, and Demario Douglas.

Tight End:

Will Dissly (@KC). Dissly is coming off a goose egg, but I’ll jump back in. The Chiefs have struggled against tight ends all season (the latest being Brock Bowers), and are Bottom-5 in terms of FPPG allowed to the position. The Chargers are going to need to throw plenty in this one. Dissly is worth a shot if your starting tight end is on a Bye.

Grant Calcaterra (vs. CAR). Dallas Goedert got hurt again on Sunday night, and that opens the door. Calcaterra didn’t do a whole lot when Goedert was injured earlier in the season, but this matchup makes him more intriguing. The Panthers have allowed the most FPPG and TD catches (nine) to opposing tight ends.

Others: Cole Kmet (@SF), Dawson Knox (@LAR, assuming Dalton Kincaid does not return), Noah Gray (vs. LAC), and Juwan Johnson (@NYG).

PK and D/ST Streamers, Week 14 (ranked outside the Top-12 for the season):

PK: B. Grupe (@NYG), N. Folk (vs. JAC), J. P. Romo (vs. ATL), and C. McLaughlin (vs. LV).

D/ST: TEN (vs. JAC), NO (@NYG), KC (vs. LAC), and TB (vs. LV).

That’s all I’ve got. Good luck with your waiver claims!

***This column appears each Monday right here at Big Blue View. Each Thursday, my weekly fantasy preview with my rides, fades and sleepers (start/sit) appears here, and on Fridays you can find my weekly Giants Props of the week, also right here. ***