Week 14 is the final week of the fantasy football regular season. If you need a win to get into your league’s playoffs, well, then the playoffs have already begun. For those of you with a playoff spot already secured, congratulations, but the job isn’t finished. The Week 14 waiver wire is likely the last time every team in your league to add/drop players to and from their roster. Make your claims count and I’ll see you right back here next week.
Week 14 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire By Position
Running Back
Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans
Earlier this week, I posted on Twitter/X that Tyjae Spears continues to be a staple in my waiver wire piece. In all but two weeks of this waiver wire column, Spears has come up as a strong waiver wire addition to any roster. In Week 13, it’s the last call to pick up Spears. He’s still not quite playing in a full-time role for the Titans, but he did see his largest workload yet this past weekend. Derrick Henry did leave for a concussion evaluation which led to a season-high 20 touches, including 16 carries, for 88 total yards. No other Titans running back has touched the ball this season. Regardless of Henry’s health, Spears must be on rosters.
Ezekiel Elliott, New England Patriots
The New England Patriots just got blanked by the Los Angeles Chargers. It feels wrong to invest in any part of their offense ahead of Week 14. However, in the wake of the injury to Rhamondre Stevenson’s ankle, Elliott should slide into a much larger role. I know the offense and ceiling is generally unappealing, but the volume is worth chasing here. Even with Stevenson active, Zeke has drawn just over 15 touches per game over the Patriots’ last three contests. I don’t think Zeke is a league-winner, but he’s worth adding off of the Week 14 waiver wire even if it means preventing your opponents from getting him.
Other Running Backs to Consider
- D’Ernest Johnson is a higher priority handcuff behind Travis Etienne on the Jacksonville Jaguars due to Etienne’s recent rib injury. Etienne still logged 15 touches to Johnson’s six in Week 13. However, now, with a possible severe injury to quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, the Jaguars could look to lean on their run game more with C.J. Beathard under center. Johnson is a priority bench stash for me off of the Week 14 waiver wire.
- Roschon Johnson is a name to remember on the Week 14 waiver wire despite having a bye in Week 13. The last time we saw Johnson play, he logged a season-high 10 carries adding five receptions for another season-high of 75 yards. I’m not entirely confident the Chicago Bears move forward with him as their leadback, though. If D’Onta Foreman, Khalil Herbert, and Johnson are all available, they could all fight for touches, even with quarterback Justin Fields, any given week. Johnson is worth stashing in case he does emerge and proves valuable for the playoffs.
- Handcuff Running Backs are those that serve as the obvious backup on their own team, as well as the stud on your team’s roster. As you dive into the fantasy football playoffs, you’ll be happy to have key handcuffs on your roster. Players like Elijah Mitchell (SF), Kenneth Gainwell (PHI), and Rico Dowdle (DAL) come to mind.
Wide Receiver
Elijah Moore, Cleveland Browns
Catching four passes for 83 yards is a respectable effort any given week from a wide receiver. That’s a solid 12.3 PPR points. Now, imagine if Elijah Moore had caught any more of his 12 targets this past Sunday. Granted, Moore’s high volume in the passing game is likely a result of Amari Cooper exiting with a concussion, among other injuries, though he does have a brief, successful history with Joe Flacco as his quarterback. In seven games prior with Flacco, on the New York Jets, Moore averaged seven targets per game with at least 40 yards in all but one of them. At this point in the season, we should consider ourselves lucky to have a high-volume option to scoop up off of the Week 14 waiver wire if needed.
Noah Brown, Houston Texans
After losing rookie Tank Dell to a broken leg/ankle, Noah Brown looks like he could have a sizeable role once again this season. In the Texans’ three games out of their Week 7 bye, Brown emerged as a favorite for quarterback C.J. Stroud in the passing game. He racked up a whopping 382 receiving yards over three games on 19 targets. In one of these games where Nico Collins was out due to injury, Brown caught seven of eight targets for 172 yards. Dell leaves behind 18.8% of the team targets I expect Brown to command a chunk of. The Texans play the Tennessee Titans twice during the fantasy football playoffs. Their defense allows the sixth-most points to opposing wide receivers.
Jonathan Mingo, Carolina Panthers
You may find yourself ignoring, or perhaps just overlooking, the 2023 Carolina Panthers heading into Week 14. They have just one win and don’t own their own 2024 first-round pick. It’s hard to watch them with all of this in mind. However, in interim head coach Chris Tabor’s first game calling the shots, Jonathan Mingo played the most snaps amongst Panthers wide receivers. More importantly, his 10 targets were a season-high accounting for 38.4% of the team target share. The workload and volume is all well and good, but it still yielded just 12.9 PPR points. That’s back-to-back double-digit games for Mingo, though. You may feel silly adding the rookie receiver on the worst NFL team to your fantasy roster, but he could be a plug-and-play asset down the stretch.
Other Wide Receivers to Consider
- Curtis Samuel is a Week 14 waiver wire add for those with a fantasy playoff spot already secured. The Washington Commanders are one of two teams on bye this week. Samuel has 29.5 PPR points on 17 total targets in his last two games. Assuming the Commanders continue with a pass-heavy game script against the Rams and Jets out of their bye, Samuel should remain a high-end flex receiver.
- Joshua Palmer is still a player I’m stashing with anticipation that he returns to a big role on the Los Angeles Chargers offense. Palmer is a proven reliable target for Justin Herbert who could definitely use one beyond Keenan Allen. After scoring just six points in Week 13, the Chargers could use any sort of spark to jumpstart their offensive production. Add Palmer now on the Week 14 waiver wire as an option for your playoff rosters. He had four straight games of seven targets before going on Injured Reserve.
- Rashid Shaheed is still working to return from a quad injury that held him out in Week 13. It’s yet to be seen if Derek Carr will be his quarterback as he recovers from multiple injuries of his own. We’ve seen backup quarterback Jameis Winston be a bit more willing to throw the ball deep this season. Shaheed only needs one play to make starting him count in any fantasy football format. He’s a deeper league add for now on the Week 14 waiver wire. I would keep an eye on him in 10 and 12-team leagues, though.
Tight End
Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens
Hopefully, you haven’t forgotten about Isaiah Likely during his bye week. He and the Ravens are back in action in Week 14. Likely returns with an extremely valuable matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. They’re allowing the second-most fantasy points to tight ends. That includes a notable 11.9 yards per reception to the position. Likely also gets a fine Week 15 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars who rank just inside the top 10 in points allowed to the position. Likely’s 20% target share in his first game without Mark Andrews should be enough to pick him up off of the waiver wire.
Brevin Jordan, Houston Texans
Jordan’s 9.4 PPR points in Week 13 ranked him as the TE10 on the week. He caught three of his four targets for 64 yards. If we hear Dalton Schultz is returning from a hamstring injury, I’ll be downgrading Brevin Jordan for Week 14. However, with the loss of rookie phenom, Tank Dell, at wide receiver, we could see the Texans find ways to get both Jordan and Schultz mixed in, especially in red zone packages. Like most weeks, a player like Brevin Jordan is going to be touchdown-dependent for fantasy football. Great news! His Week 14 opponent, the New York Jets, are tied for most touchdowns allowed (7) to tight ends this season.
Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
In his last seven games, Cade Otton has four or more receptions in five of them. He’s only scored double-digit fantasy points once since Week 7, but, including that game, Otton has scored above 8.5 in five of the last seven, as well. Unfortunately, Otton has a fat goose egg, 0.0 points, to show for Week 13. It’s hard for Otton to carve out a role in an offense that primarily runs through Mike Evans and Rachaad White. However, I’m willing to throw a dart at a tight end pacing for over 75 targets this season,
Quarterback
Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
Before you go looking for the best streaming option of the week, just double-check to see if Jordan Love is available on your league’s Week 14 waiver wire. Following three straight games of 20.0 or more fantasy points, we can trust Jordan Love in our lineups again. Consider, too, that his 23.68 points on Sunday Night against the Kansas City Chiefs are his third-highest fantasy score of the year. Love, surrounded by a solid group of young player-makers, is borderline matchup-proof. Luckily, his next two matchups, against the New York Giants and the beat-up Tampa Bay Buccaneers, shouldn’t be as threatening as the Chiefs seemed to be.
Joshua Dobbs, Minnesota Vikings
Let me start by saying that Joshua Dobbs could be sitting on the Minnesota Vikings bench as soon as Week 14. Following his four-interception game in Week 12 before their bye, the Vikings announced that may turn to Nick Mullens at quarterback. I’ll believe that when I see it. Let’s hope the Vikings can brush it off as a bad game and give Dobbs another chance. In three games prior, he averaged over seven rush attempts per game and accounted for seven total touchdowns, three of which he ran for. If Dobbs does get the nod in Week 14, it will be his first game with Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson, and Jordan Addison to throw to. That, plus his rushing upside, makes him an appealing start any given week.
Gardner Minshew, Indianapolis Colts
In his last two games, Gardner Minshew has thrown the ball 41 and 42 times respectively. Minshew’s volume isn’t translating to elite fantasy production, however, he does have a more stable floor. He’s averaging 17.16 points since the Colts’ Week 11 bye. More importantly, Minshew has the Colts in a serious hunt for a playoff spot at 7-5, just one game behind the Jacksonville Jaguars for the AFC South title. Up next is a road date with the Cincinnati Bengals. I expect Minshew to continue slingin’ it on Sunday against a team that just gave up 25.15 points to Trevor Lawrence last night.
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
This Week 14 waiver wire suggestion is actually for those already expecting to play in Week 15. That’s the opening round of the fantasy football playoffs. If you’re going to be streaming quarterbacks during your title run, Stafford has the best matchup in the first round. He and the Rams host the Washington Commanders. They’re allowing the second-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. That includes a league-high 30 passing touchdowns in 13 games. That’s nearly 2.5 per game. Again, this is for the teams that need a high-upside quarterback for Week 15. Stafford is your guy.