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With most fantasy leagues down to the last week of the regular season, fantasy managers still looking to get into the playoffs will need to make whatever moves they need to make in order to give their team the best chance at winning. Forget lottery picks, you may need wins now.
Those different scenarios will likely impact how to attack the final week of waivers in the regular season. If you're in the playoffs and have an open roster spot, maybe someone like Jameson Williams makes sense. If you're in a win-or-go-home situation, maybe you don't have that luxury.
Let's look at the top Week 14 waiver wire pickups and free agent adds for all positions. Be sure to also check out all of our fantasy football waiver wire advice, and our free new Who Should I Pickup? Waiver Wire player comparison tool to get an edge on the competition! Let's get to who the best waiver wire additions are this week. As always, the players will appear in the order in which they should be prioritized.
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Running Backs – Waiver Wire Options
James Cook, Buffalo Bills – 23% Rostered
26%. That was James Cook's previous high in snap share. In the Bills' Thursday night game against the Patriots, Cook played 43% of the team's snaps. Devin Singletary hadn't been below a 72% snap share since Week 5. He played just 44% of the team's snaps in Week 12. There was no injury at play here. While Singletary held a slight edge in playing time, Cook received more carries than Singletary, 14–13. Cook also ran more routes (16–11) than Singletary and earned more targets (6–2).
While Singletary got the touchdown, Cook out-gained Singletary 105 yards to 51. Despite Singletary getting into the end zone, Cook still out-scored Singletary, 13.5 to 11.1, in terms of half-PPR scoring. Cook was boosted by his six receptions. While a one-game sample size is probably too small to call a changing of the guard, the change in their utilization was significant, and even more importantly was the production that followed. Cook needs to be a priority add.
Zonovan Knight, New York Jets – 47% Rostered
With Michael Carter ruled out, Zonovan Knight was a workhorse of sorts. He played 47 of 85 snaps and handled 15 of the team's 20 running back carries. While many may have expected Knight to operate as the primary ball carrier after Week 12, the more surprising outcome was the near 50/50 split we saw between Knight and Ty Johnson in the passing game. Knight ran 24 routes to Johnson's 26 and finished with five targets to Johnson's seven.
What's even more impressive is how productive Knight has been in his two weeks of action. In Week 13, he finished with 90 rushing yards on those 15 carries and caught all five of his targets for 28 yards. This is after a week where he finished with 69 rushing yards on 14 carries. He also caught all three of his targets in Week 12 for 34 yards.
That's two productive performances in back-to-back weeks and regardless of Carter's status in Week 14, Knight is going to be involved. In fact, fantasy managers should expect 12–16 touches from Knight on a weekly basis. If you need a running back, Knight should be a priority add. He's got a tough matchup in Week 14 against Buffalo but then gets Detroit, Jacksonville, and Seattle in Weeks 15–17.
Joshua Kelley, Los Angeles Chargers – 3% Rostered
Joshua Kelley has been the best No. 2 running back for the Chargers all season. Prior to Week 13, Sony Michel averaged 2.9 yards per carry and Isaiah Spiller averaged 2.3 yards per carry. Joshua Kelley is at 4.3. Michel has averaged 5.9 yards per reception, Spiller has averaged 4.3 yards per reception, and Kelley is at 8.0 yards per reception.
Kelley has averaged 2.3 yards after contact per attempt, which is also better than Michel and Spiller. It's actually better than Austin Ekeler, too. Kelley also averages more yards after contact per reception, too. Kelley averages 8.4 yards after contact per reception, which is the best mark on the Chargers. In Week 13, Spiller didn't receive a single snap. Kelley played 31 snaps to Ekeler's 46. He also received six carries to Ekeler's 10. Kelley is clearly the No. 2 running back for the Chargers.
Cam Akers, Los Angeles Rams – 45% Rostered
A week after playing 16 snaps to Kyren Williams' 38, the script was flipped in Week 13. Akers played 46 of the team's 64 snaps. He had 17 of the team's 20 carries. Not only that, but Akers ran 19 routes to Williams' 11. They each received one target. Akers finished with 60 rushing yards and found the end zone twice. The offensive line in Los Angeles is a major problem. The offense is very poor. However, that said, if Akers continues to get 15 carries per game, he'll be a low-level touchdown-dependent RB3.
The hard thing about this situation is just last week, it seemed like Williams was on his way to overtaking this backfield and then Akers seemingly took it over in Week 13, but there were no signs this kind of utilization was coming. This unknown utilization makes it impossible to trust either one of them until there's some clarity, but Akers is trending in the right direction. Still, there's virtually no upside here, but if you're in a pinch, if he continues to get 15 touches per game with the goal-line touches, he could be added.
Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers – 24% Rostered
Jaylen Warren returned from a one-game absence and was minimally used in their win over the Falcons. He played just 13 of the team's 65 snaps, but he was out-touched by Benny Snell Jr. Despite Snell getting more carries than Warren, if you're looking for the handcuff in Pittsburgh, I'd still lean toward Warren.
He's held that role all season and played more snaps than Snell in his return to action. Najee Harris left last week's game early due to an abdominal injury. With the Steelers' season pretty much over and Harris having dealt with a growing number of injuries, it wouldn't be surprising to see Warren's role increase during the last few weeks of the season.
Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons – 45% Rostered
Since Cordarrelle Patterson returned to the lineup in Week 9, Tyler Allgeier has since seen his fantasy value drop. That should have been expected, but he's still getting double-digit touches every week. Since Week 9, Allgeier has 47 carries over five games and five receptions. He's averaging just over 10 touches per game. Since 90% of his touches are carries, he's extremely touchdown-dependent.
If he doesn't find the end zone, he's likely only scoring between 4–7 points, and most of the time, he'll need a touchdown to break double-digits. Unfortunately, Patterson has been the red zone back for the Falcons all season. Allgeier is a touchdown-dependent RB4, but he has back-end RB2 value in the event that Patterson was to miss any more time.
Zamir White, Las Vegas Raiders – 6% Rostered
Josh Jacobs has been on the injury report for the past two weeks with a calf injury. In fact, in both weeks, there were at least some questions as to whether or not Jacobs would suit up. While there never seemed to be too much concern, there were plenty of reports indicating he wouldn't practice much throughout the week.
Regardless, it's clear that Jacobs is clearly dealing with something. That's more than understandable considering the workload Las Vegas has laid on him. Should anything happen to Jacobs, this backfield would likely become a committee of sorts, but Zamir White would likely handle the majority of the carries.
Alexander Mattison, Minnesota Vikings – 35% Rostered
Alexander Mattison is here solely because of his handcuff value to Dalvin Cook. There are no injury concerns for Cook at this time, but it only takes one hit and one play for Mattison to become a high-end RB2 starter. Handcuff running backs are losing value as the season drags on because there are fewer weeks for the starter to get hurt and fewer weeks for the handcuff to be played, but still, if you're looking for a high-upside bench stash, there are worse ways to send that spot.
Melvin Gordon, Kansas City Chiefs – 40% Rostered
Melvin Gordon just recently signed to the Kansas City Chiefs' practice squad. While it looks like Isiah Pacheco has a good hold on the starting job for the Chiefs, Gordon adds a lot of experience to this backfield. He's a dual-threat running back and he's played a lot of good football over the years. It wouldn't be surprising to see Gordon eventually carve out a role in this offense. How fast will that happen and will it be enough time for him to be viable for fantasy managers will be the biggest questions pertaining to Gordon's fantasy value.
Mike Boone, Denver Broncos – 5% Rostered
Mike Boone was elevated from IR and activated to the 53-man roster. His role in his first game back was minimal. He played just 12 of the team's 53 snaps. He received six carries and one target. There's not too much to get excited about here, but Latavius Murray had been receiving pretty much all of the running back touches in Denver's backfield.
Melvin Gordon is in Kansas City, Javonte Williams is on IR, and Chase Edmonds is dealing with a high-ankle sprain. Should anything happen to Murray, Boone would become the guy. While the coaching staff has trusted Latavius Murray since he came over to Denver, Murray isn't some kind of transcendent type of talent where Boone can't earn more work. This is still a terrible Denver offense, so it is important to keep your expectations very much in check.
Others to Consider: Jordan Mason, San Francisco 49ers – 15% Rostered, Jerick McKinnon, Kansas City Chiefs – 41% Rostered
Wide Receivers – Waiver Wire Options
Donovan Peoples-Jones, Cleveland Browns – 55% Rostered
Two down weeks in a row, but fantasy managers shouldn't be deterred. He played 60 of the team's 63 snaps and ran 23 routes in Week 13, which was second to only Amari Cooper. Deshaun Watson, understandably, struggled in his first game action since January 3rd, 2021. The defense and special teams also contributed three touchdowns, which meant Cleveland's offense didn't need to do much.
It should be noted that Peoples-Jones returned a punt for a touchdown, so if you are in a league that attributes points for such a play, he was still able to put up a viable 11.9 half-PPR points. From Weeks 4–11, he averaged 10.2 half-PPR points and was the WR30. As Watson knocks off some of the rust, Peoples-Jones' ceiling could be higher than we've seen.
Rondale Moore, Arizona Cardinals – 53% Rostered
Rondale Moore injured his groin early in Week 11, which forced him out and did not allow him to return. This injury forced him to miss Week 12 as well. The Cardinals had a bye in Week 13, which came at a perfect time for Moore, and hopefully, the time off will allow him to get back on the field in Week 14. He's played seven full games this season, and in five of them, he's been used almost exclusively in the slot.
During those five games, he's seen 49 targets. It should be noted that none of those five games had both DeAndre Hopkins and Marquise Brown active for Arizona. Starting tight end Zach Ertz is now on IR, which should help the target competition concerns that may have existed otherwise. Arizona has spent the vast majority of their season behind on the scoreboard, so the pass attempts will continue to be there.
If Moore is back on the field in Week 14, it'll be interesting to see how he fits into the offense with Brown and Hopkins, but from what we've seen from him out of the slot, if he was dropped following his injury, he's worth the pick-up. In those five contests he played from the slot, he scored 9.6, 7.9, 19.9, 10.9, and 13.9 half-PPR points. He's a better asset in PPR-scoring leagues, but he should maintain a WR3/4 value moving forward.
Isaiah McKenzie, Buffalo Bills – 37% Rostered
This is now two games in a row where Isaiah McKenzie was used as the full-time slot receiver. A week after getting 10 targets and turning them into six receptions, 96 yards, and a score, McKenzie earned five targets last week on Thursday night against the Patriots. He finished with five receptions and 44 scoreless yards. However, more important than the final stat line was his snap share. He played 39 of the team's 75 snaps and the next closest receiver played just 16 snaps.
Right now, it looks like McKenzie is locked into the No. 3 role in the Buffalo offense. He ran 26 routes, which was just six fewer than Stefon Diggs and just seven fewer than Gabriel Davis. Fantasy managers know Diggs is going to get his, week in and week out, but Davis hasn't really cemented himself as a consistent No. 2, which means some weeks it'll be McKenzie. He's worth adding as a WR4 who has more value in full-PPR leagues.
Zay Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars – 54% Rostered
Fantasy managers were likely quite disappointed in Zay Jones' Week 13 performance, especially after his huge Week 12 stat line. Still, you shouldn't be deterred because the utilization was once again very solid. Jones played 46 of 56 snaps against the Lions and operated as the clear No. 2 receiver behind Christian Kirk. He also finished with seven targets, although he was only able to corral two of those for a measly 16 scoreless yards.
It's a drastically different outcome of just 2.6 half-PPR points after having scored 22 in Week 12 and 10.8 in Week 10 prior to their bye in Week 11. With seven targets against the Lions, Jones now has seven games with seven or more targets. He has six games with five or more receptions. He only has two games with more than 70 yards and just one touchdown on the season, making him a much better asset in PPR scoring, but Jones has had a very consistent target share each week.
Michael Gallup, Dallas Cowboys – 53% Rostered
Michael Gallup has officially become the No. 2 receiver in Dallas' offense. While Odell Beckham Jr. might yet be signed, he's unlikely to affect Gallup's fantasy value down the stretch. Through the first half of last night’s game, Michael Gallup is the leading target earner with five and has already found the end zone. His target volume has been trending in the right direction in recent weeks.
Since their Week 9 bye, Gallup has two of three games with seven or more targets. With his playing time increasing, not only does that mean more opportunities, but it means he's quite possibly fully recovered from the torn ACL he suffered last season. With Dalton Schultz playing through his own knee issue, Gallup has the chance to work as Dak Prescott's No. 2 target in this offense.
D.J. Chark, Detroit Lions – 16% Rostered
D.J. Chark has been pretty effective for the Lions this season when he's been healthy. He's played just four games where he's had a snap share over 70%, but in those four games, he's scored 13.2, 6.1, 8.6, and 12.3 half-PPR points. In those contests, he's received 25 targets or 6.25 per game. He's found the end zone in three of those four contests. There's obviously some concern when touchdowns have been such a big part of his fantasy appeal, but his utilization is positive.
He played on 64 of his team's 76 snaps in their Week 13 win over Jacksonville. He also led the team in routes run with 41. He finished second on the team with six targets and finished just shy of the century mark (98). Chark and the Lions have a generous schedule the rest of the way with only Week 15 against the Jets a negative matchup. As long as the Lions continue to use Jameson Williams sparingly, Chark could be a really solid boom-or-bust WR4 the rest of the way.
Corey Davis, New York Jets – 13% Rostered
From Weeks 1–6, Corey Davis was the WR32 and was averaging 9.4 half-PPR points. He reached double-digits in three games and scored more than 15 half-PPR points twice. He was injured in Week 7, which forced him to miss the following three games before finally returning in Week 12. He was still somewhat limited in his return to action and finished his first game back with just three targets. In Week 13, Davis was back in his starting role opposite Garrett Wilson.
He played 69 of the team's 85 snaps and finished with the second-most routes run (46/60) and targets (nine). He turned those nine targets into five receptions and 85 yards. The offense has been much more efficient with anyone but Zach Wilson under center and there's no reason to think they'll go back to him anytime soon. Fantasy managers should view Davis as the clear No. 2 in this offense and that's worth an add in deeper leagues.
Chase Claypool, Chicago Bears – 54% Rostered
In the Bears' first game without Darnell Mooney, fantasy managers saw Chase Claypool's utilization increase significantly. This was the expectation, but it was still nice to see it. Despite not always seeing a ton of games – he was below 42% of the team's snaps in his first three games with Chicago – he has seen five targets in three out of five games with the Bears.
Last week, he finished with five targets, two receptions, and 51 yards. In Week 13, he finished with six targets, five receptions, and 28 yards. This passing offense leaves a lot to be desired, but without Mooney for the rest of the season, Claypool has an opportunity to earn a larger target share, and therefore, he has a chance to have some fantasy value in deeper leagues.
Nico Collins, Houston Texans – 29% Rostered
Slowly but surely, Nico Collins is starting to take over as Houston's No. 1 receiver. That's unlikely to fully happen this season, not with Brandin Cooks still in the fold, but this is no longer a Cooks and company situation. In Collins's last four games, he has 37 total targets. That 9.25 per game average equates to 157 over 17 games. That kind of volume should keep him in play as a WR3 most weeks.
Now, the quarterback play and the dreadful offensive state of the Texans will undoubtedly create some dud weeks, but that volume is going to play for sure. Despite having 11 targets this past Sunday, he finished with just three receptions and 35 yards. However, he was able to find the end zone to salvage his day. Despite the ample target equity over the last four weeks, he has yet to break 50 yards in any of those four contests. Still, he's scored between 7.3 and 13.4 half-PPR points in the last four weeks.
Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions – 47% Rostered
Fantasy managers are going to need to keep their excitement and expectations for Jameson Williams in check. Yes, he is an elite prospect, but he's working his way back from a torn ACL and the Lions are highly unlikely to make the playoffs. With Amon-Ra St. Brown and D.J. Chark playing so well right now, there's no reason to push Williams to produce right now. Due to his talent, he's for sure going to have a splash play here or there in the last few weeks of the season, but it'll be very tough to predict.
In his first game back, Williams played just eight of 76 snaps. He finished with just one target and ran two routes. The talent is immense. The upside is incredible. Those are all reasons to love him in 2023, but it's probably not in the cards for him to be a fantasy-consistent player this season. That said, if you're in a super-deep league, taking a shot on his weekly upside where he only needs one play to make a difference could be appealing.
If you're not really in need of a "now" player, Williams would move much higher up on this list because of his upside if he were to start playing a full-snap complement, so keep that in mind. If you have good depth on your bench and you're looking for a high-upside lottery pick, it really doesn't get any better than Williams. There are questions as to whether or not he'll get the snap count to make that a reality.
Jahan Dotson, Washington Commanders – 14% Rostered
In the first three weeks of the season, Jahan Dotson played 87% of his team's snaps or more. He hurt his hamstring in Week 4 and hadn't been able to return to action until Week 10. He played just 41% in his Week 10 return and has been at a 66% and 61% snap share in Weeks 11 and 12, respectively. That number jumped up to 79% in Week 13. Since returning, his production has been very minimal – just five targets, two receptions, and 27 yards from Weeks 10–12.
However, with the increase in playing time this past weekend, fantasy managers saw his fantasy production follow. He earned nine targets and finished with five receptions, 54 yards, and one touchdown. Teammate Curtis Samuel has been phased out of the passing game over the past few weeks, which will give Dotson a shot to become Taylor Heinicke's No. 2 option in the passing game.
Others to Consider: Parris Campbell, Indianapolis – 43% Rostered, Van Jefferson, Los Angeles Rams – 30% Rostered, Skyy Moore, Kansas City Chiefs – 10% Rostered, Mack Hollins, Las Vegas Raiders – 31% Rostered, Julio Jones, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 18% Rostered, Hunter Renfrow, Las Vegas Raiders – 23% Rostered, Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers – 18% Rostered
Tight Ends – Waiver Wire Options
Greg Dulcich, Denver Broncos – 37% Rostered
All tight ends outside of Travis Kelce are a little boom or bust. All Bronco players are most definitely boom or bust. Thanks, Russell Wilson! Anyways, his dud last week, while unfortunate, shouldn't have been all that surprising given the position Greg Dulcich plays and the team he plays on. Still, his elite utilization hasn't changed. He ran 19 of a possible 22 routes in Week 13 and had seven targets and a 31.8% target share.
He finished with six receptions for 85 yards. Fantasy managers likely needed to see this kind of performance after him not having scored more than five half-PPR points in three weeks. Still, he's running a route at an elite rate and despite being a tight end, is racking up his fair share of air yards per game. Those downfield targets will result in some down weeks when they don't hit, but he's got more upside than most tight ends because of those downfield targets.
Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars – 43% Rostered
Like Dulcich, Evan Engram had struggled in his last three games, not even breaking three half-PPR points in a single game. But like Dulcich, his utilization hasn't changed. If you're looking for a more in-depth read on what his usage has looked like in those three down weeks vs. the rest of his season, you can find that here. He only had seven targets those past three weeks, prior to Week 13, but he was still the primary tight end for the Jaguars and running a route on the vast majority of Trevor Lawrence's dropbacks.
Without a change in his utilization to account for the poor three-game stretch, the assumption was it was just a down spell and he'd eventually bounce back. He had a great matchup in Week 13 and finished with seven targets, which was second on the team. He finished with five receptions, 30 yards, and a score. He has another good matchup in Week 14 against the Titans.
Others to Consider: Tyler Conklin, New York Jets – 32% Rostered, Daniel Bellinger, New York Giants – 2% Rostered
Quarterbacks – Waiver Wire Options
Daniel Jones, New York Giants – 59% Rostered
Daniel Jones has averaged 16.9 fantasy points per game, which is good for 11th among quarterbacks and is tied with Trevor Lawrence. He's got a really tough matchup in Week 14 against Philadelphia but has a pretty nice playoff schedule in Weeks 15–17. The Giants will face off against Washington in Week 15, who have allowed the 14th-most points to quarterbacks this season.
The Giants played the Commanders in Week 13 and Jones finished with 17.1 points. In Week 16, they'll play Minnesota, which has allowed the sixth-most points to quarterbacks this season. If you're streaming quarterbacks, Jones shouldn't be a priority for his Week 14 matchup, but his Weeks 15 and 16 matchups are appealing if you're able to add him early.
Jared Goff, Detroit Lions – 50% Rostered
Jared Goff has averaged 15 points per game this season. He's been a bit up and down, however. From Weeks 5–11 (Week 6 bye), Goff had just one game with 15 or more points and three games with fewer than seven points. It was a rough stretch for sure, but he's coming off back-to-back good performances of 17.6 points against Buffalo and 21.6 points this past week against Jacksonville.
He started out hot, scoring more than 26 points in two of his first four weeks. Goff has a great rest-of-the-season schedule and should be a good addition for anyone streaming quarterbacks. He has Week 14 against Minnesota, who has given up the sixth-most points to quarterbacks this season. His Week 15 matchup isn't a good one against the Jets but it comes back with the Panthers in Week 16 and the Bears in Week 17.
Mike White, New York Jets – 18% Rostered
Full disclaimer, Mike White has a really hard matchup in Week 14 against Buffalo. Avoid him in Week 14. However, in Week 15 he has Detroit, Jacksonville in Week 16, and Seattle in Week 17. Detroit has allowed the most points to quarterbacks this season, Jacksonville has allowed the seventh-most points to quarterbacks this season, and Seattle has allowed the 13th-most points to quarterbacks.
That is about as great a playoff schedule as possible. His three receivers are healthy and the running game isn't being depended upon as much since Breece Hall went down. White would be higher on this list if we absolutely knew Zach Wilson doesn't find his way back into the starting lineup. That seems unlikely, but who knows? If you're willing to roll the dice, feel free to target White above Jones and Goff.
Others to Consider: Taylor Heinicke, Washington Commanders – 14% Rostered, Marcus Mariota, Atlanta Falcons – 35% Rostered, Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans – 17% Rostered,
Team Defenses – Waiver Wire Options
Kansas City Chiefs – 65% Rostered
Their 65% rostership percentage is typically too high to make this article, but their final stretch deserves mention and if they're available, rectify that immediately. The Chiefs will face off against Denver in Week 14, Houston in Week 15, Seattle in Week 16, and Denver again in Week 17. The Broncos offense is giving up the sixth-most points to fantasy defenses this season and Houston is giving up the third-most through 12 weeks.
After Houston's Week 13 showing, they'll likely move up to No. 1, which is of course actually being the worst. Even the Seahawks are a decent enough matchup, allowing the 17th-most points, but the Chiefs will be favored in all four games, which should give their defense plenty of opportunities to rush the quarterback and generate turnovers.
Green Bay Packers – 49% Rostered
They are on bye in Week 14, but if you have the roster space and can afford to hold a defense for a week, they come back to action in Week 15 at home against the Los Angeles Rams. They've allowed the most fantasy points to defenses this season and with an extra week to prepare, Green Bay's defense will be in a great position to produce for needy fantasy managers.
Las Vegas Raiders – 11% Rostered
The Raiders' defense has been so bad this season, but they just had a pretty good showing against Justin Herbert and the Chargers. There's no selling the Raiders' defense, but they do get the Los Angeles Rams in Week 14. They'll be without Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, Allen Robinson, and basically their entire offensive line. The Raiders' defense isn't a talented unit as a whole, but the matchup really doesn't get any better than this.
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