Fantasy Football Week 14 Early Waiver Wire
It’s a soft week on the waiver wire, which isn’t a surprise at this point of the season. Still, there’s some value to be found for fantasy owners headed to the playoffs. As always, all players have ownership rates of 40% or less on at least two of Yahoo, ESPN and CBS.
Jeff Wilson Jr., RB, 49ers
If any player who’s widely available across the fantasy landscape is going to make a meaningful impact during the playoffs, it’ll be Wilson. Matt Breida tweaked a pre-existing injury in the 49ers’ loss to the Seahawks on Sunday, and while he likely would’ve been able to return, the team held him out given that the Seahawks were running away with a win. Going after Wilson is a bet on the upside. If Breida’s healthy he’s clearly the best back on the team, but the 49ers could decide to take it easy on him for the rest of the season. If that ends up being the case, it appears Wilson would be in control of the backfield. He got 23 touches in Week 13, totaling 134 yards from scrimmage. That alone makes him worth claiming, even with his role for the rest of the season being an unknown.
Antonio Callaway, WR, Browns
Callaway caught three passes for 84 yards in the Browns’ 29-13 loss to the Texans in Week 13. More importantly, he’s a unique weapon in Cleveland’s offense as the lone true deep threat on the team. He’s not getting a huge target share, but he’s had at least five looks from Baker Mayfield in four of the last five weeks. Given what the Browns ask of him, that’s enough to make him worth a claim in most fantasy leagues. Callaway has a touchdown or at least 80 yards in three of his last five games.
Curtis Samuel, WR, Panthers
Samuel had his best game of the season in Week 13, catching six of 11 targets for 88 yards. What’s more, Devin Funchess was active, getting three targets in the Panthers’ 24-17 loss to the Buccaneers. The Panthers have been finding ways to get Samuel worked in over the last few weeks, getting him five or more touches in three of their last four games. He has found the end zone in two of those contests, but Sunday’s performance marked his high watermark in terms of receiving yards this season. With the Panthers reeling, it’s a good bet they will turn to new weapons in the offense. Samuel should be among Cam Newton’s favorite targets for the rest of the season.
