Waiver Wire Pickups & FAAB Advice for Week 14 - Fantasy Playoffs or Bust!
Well, this is it. It's the last chance you have to get into the fantasy playoffs.
Don't worry—you got this.
If you've already secured a playoff berth, remember this is the last week for byes, so think carefully about dropping someone you could need down the stretch to grab the W this week. Start thinking about the long game.
Oh, and it's okay to play spoiler for someone else, too. If you see someone on the wire that shouldn't be, just because you can't start them doesn't mean you shouldn't grab them if you have the bench space. Just don't tell anyone you heard that here….
The Colts, Dolphins, Patriots and Eagles are all on bye this week. Let's dive in!
Quarterbacks - Waiver Wire Adds
Taysom Hill (NO)
Taysom Hill may not be a great real-life quarterback, but he is a phenomenal fantasy quarterback. Hill threw not one, not two, not three, but FOUR picks Thursday night vs. the Cowboys, and he still finished the week as a Top 5 fantasy QB with 24.7 fantasy points. In fact, in five career-starts, Hill has not finished with fewer than 18.5 fantasy points. His rushing makes him a solid floor play every week, but he faces the Jets, which means we can likely expect the ceiling. The Jets have allowed 23.6 points per game to opposing QBs across the last four contests. Don't worry about Hill's injured finger. He can run all over the Jets, too, as they have allowed 133.4 rushing yards per game this season- the 3rd most in the league. Hill is still available in 66% of leagues.
FAAB: 6%
Taylor Heinecke (WFT)
After their victory vs. the Raiders on Sunday, is it finally okay to say Taylor Heinecke is a good quarterback? He's someone I would be willing to roll this week if I have Jalen Hurts on bye. Dallas has surrendered an average of 23.6 fantasy points per game to opposing QBs this season. Washington will play Dallas tough, and as long as Heinicke can prevent the takeaways, he should have some success. Heinicke is available in 61% of leagues.
FAAB: 1%
More QB: Ben Roethlisberger (PIT)
Running Backs - Waiver Wire Adds
Dontrell Hilliard (TEN)
Tennessee is completely beat up. Not only have they been without Derrick Henry and Julio Jones, but AJ Brown was also officially added to the IR last weekend. Jones has officially been designated to return from the IR this week, but he could remain limited. I mean, let's face it. He's not exactly the most dependable. Dontrell Hilliard has been the guy picking up the slack for two weeks now, and he was highly efficient again in his last game vs. New England. Hilliard ran the ball 12 times for 130 yards and a score, and he also caught one of his two targets for two yards and lost a fumble. We have to wait and see how Tennessee will use this split backfield, but my guess is there are plenty of opportunities to go around. The Titans are coming off a much-needed bye and have a tasty matchup with Jacksonville. He's available in 60% of leagues.
FAAB: 11%
D’Onta Foreman (TEN)
Tennessee will never be able to replace Derrick Henry, but they may have found a couple of RBs that can combine to come close. Dontrell Hilliard had the bigger fantasy day due to finding the end zone, but D'Onta Foreman was still heavily involved, carrying the ball 19 times for 109 yards vs. New England before the bye. He also caught one target for five yards and lost a fumble. With a beat-up receiving corps, it makes sense that Tennessee will continue to lean on their run game, and Foreman should be added in all leagues. He's available in 60% of leagues.
FAAB: 11%
Adrian Peterson (SEA)
Yep, here he is again. Look, it's not flashy, but Peterson led the team with 11 carries for and scored a TD vs. San Francisco. His value will be touchdown-or-bust as those 11 carries turned into only 16 yards, but he's still worth having in deeper leagues. Next is a Houston run defense that has surrendered 13 touchdowns to opposing running backs in 12 games. After being dropped by many fantasy managers, Peterson is available in 85% of leagues.
FAAB: 4%
Rashaad Penny (SEA)
We’ve always wondered what Rashaad Penny could do if he could just stay healthy, and Sunday’s glimpse was encouraging. Penny led the backfield playing 41% of the team’s snaps and logging ten carries. It’s a soft matchup ahead vs. the Texans, and Penny could be worth throwing some FAAB on in deeper leagues. He’s 94% available.
FAAB: 4%
Boston Scott (PHI)
Philadelphia has committed to running the ball. What they haven't committed to is who is running the ball. But now that Miles Sanders could be out with an ankle injury, it could be time to throw some FAAB on Boston Scott. In Week 13, Scott was active but hadn't practiced all week due to an illness. He played only three snaps, but we can write that off in this case. Before Week 13, Boston Scott had played no less than 33% of the snaps since Week 7, and in Week 12, he played 50% of them while leading the committee with 15 rushes as Jordan Howard and Miles Sanders combined for only 17. Howard could be back from his knee injury after the bye, which could muddy this backfield, but I still like the idea of Boston Scott as a bench stash down the stretch. Scott is available in 59% of leagues.
FAAB: 4%
Kenneth Gainwell (PHI)
Speaking of Philadelphia run committees, Gainwell played 38% of the snaps on Sunday behind Miles Sanders. Gainwell finished the day with 19.7 PPR points vs. the Jets, and with uncertainty surrounding the health of Miles Sanders and Jordan Howard, Gainwell is also worth a bench stash returning from a bye. He's available in most deeper leagues as he's 78% available.
FAAB: 3%
Rex Burkhead (HOU)
Rex Burkhead led the Texans in snaps again this week and now has 30 carries across his last two games. The Seahawks are a soft matchup, and if you’re desperate, Burkhead could get you a few points in PPR leagues.
FAAB: 1%
More RB: Tevin Coleman (NYJ), Ronald Jones Jr. (TB), Jordan Howard (PHI)
Wide Receivers - Waiver Wire Adds
Russell Gage (ATL)
With no Calvin Ridley, Russell Gage has moved into the WR1 spot. Across the last three contests, Gage has seen 27 targets. He had his best game of the season in Sunday's contest vs. the Bucs defense, catching 11 of his 12 targets for 130 yards. That was good enough for 22 PPR points even without scoring a touchdown. Defenses are removing Kyle Pitts and are worried about stopping versatile weapon Cordarelle Patterson (good luck). Gage will continue to be a good play in a pass-heavy offense averaging 39.3 pass attempts per game and is often in negative game scripts. Gage is available in 60% of leagues.
FAAB: 11%
Amon-Ra St. Brown (DET)
Guys, the Detroit Lions WON A GAME! And it happened to coincide with St. Brown's best game of the season. Coincidence? Maybe. But, if it ain't broke…
St. Brown caught 10 of his 12 yards for 86 yards and a touchdown and was a centerpiece in this offense. He's available in 96% of leagues. It's not an easy matchup with Denver ahead, but I don't care. I believe!!
FAAB: 4%
KJ Osborn (MIN)
Adam Thielen left the game on Sunday with a high-ankle sprain. We have yet to hear how long he will be out, but it's almost certain he will need to miss this Thursday vs. Pittsburgh. Osborne saw seven targets and had four grabs for 47 yards and a score with no Adam Thielen, and he is in line for more work this week vs. a Pittsburgh secondary that has allowed 34.8 fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers across the last four contests. Osborn is available in 96% of leagues.
FAAB: 3%
Marquez Valdes-Scantling (GB)
Valdes-Scantling has seen a whopping 19 targets across the past two contests for 183 yards and a score. Randall Cobb left last Sunday’s game with a groin injury, Robert Tonyan is out for the season, and the Packers will be rested coming off a bye to face a Chicago team they have dominated in the last five in a row.
FAAB: 3%
More WR: Kendrick Bourne (NE), Tim Patrick (BUF), Josh Reynolds (DET), Laviska Shenault (JAX)
Tight Ends - Waiver Wire Adds
Ricky Seals-Jones (WFT)
Seals-Jones is a strong add now that we know Logan Thomas will be out for at least a few weeks, if not the season. Seals-Jones will again slide into the TE slot in a system that continues to target the tight end. Is there a better fantasy schedule ahead of facing the Cowboys once and the Eagles twice? The Eagles are league-worst vs. tight ends, even surrendering a touchdown to the Jets' Ryan Griffin last Sunday. Seals-Jones is available in 95% of leagues.
FAAB: 6%
Tyler Conklin (MIN)
As mentioned above, Adam Thielen could be out for a while with a high ankle sprain, bringing Tyler Conklin back into the TE conversation. Conklin saw nine targets in Sunday's loss to the Lions, second only to Justin Jefferson. On the season, he's third in line for targets behind Jefferson and Thielen with a 14% share. Conklin has 14 red-zone targets on the season, tied with Mark Andrews and Hunter Henry. He's available in 70% of leagues.
FAAB: 6%
Cole Kmet (CHI)
Kmet has been featured in this article more than a few times, and he's going to stay here until he's more than 24% rostered. Kmet has seen 18 targets across the last two games with Andy Dalton. He continues to play 90% of the team's snaps with an 18% target share, second only to Darnell Mooney—and his 62.5% catch rate is superior to Mooney's 56.7%.
FAAB: 4%
More TE: Jared Cook (LAC), Gerald Everett (SEA), James O’Shaughnessy (JAX)
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