RADIO
Kyle's must-have fantasy football bench stashes and waiver wire sleepers ahead of Week 14 (2022). He picks high-upside NFL players to stash on your fantasy teams.
In most fantasy formats, we are just one week away from the start of the playoffs! Even though most playoff teams in fantasy should ride the wave of the guys who got them there, there are always exceptions. Injuries are still a factor even this late in the season and we should be mindful of picking up emerging players we may not even need just to keep our potential playoff opponents from taking advantage and playing them against us. Here in Week 14, there are six NFL teams on a bye, including the Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints, and Washington Commanders. The good news is this is the final week of NFL bye weeks.
If your league has an injured reserve, then it is easier to stash away players with upside, but if it does not, you may not have the option of stashing away players this week if you are forced to field the best possible starting lineup. There have been some good players mentioned in these articles every week who are now starting for their perspective teams and providing some great value as pickups for fantasy squads everywhere. If you have already clinched a playoff bye, then you need not worry as much about finding immediate contributors and can think 2-3 weeks out from now.
Week to week, it is my job to keep my ear to the ground of all that is going on with 32 teams to help you bargain hunt for some free options on your league's waiver wire with the key being to stay ahead of your league mates by being early with your pickups versus having to spend up later with FAAB or waiver priority. A favorite stash who was in this article every week to start the season was Rachaad White and now those who remained patient shall have their faith rewarded. As injuries occur across the league, openings will occur for others who will step up in their place. Here are some top players to stash away before Week 14 begins.
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Weekend Waiver Wire Stashes Before Week 14
Tyler Huntley, Baltimore Ravens - 27% rostered
If you are rostering Lamar Jackson or have Justin Fields on a bye this week, Huntley could be a great option to start if you are in a pinch. Lamar Jackson is likely to be sidelined for this week's upcoming contest with the Pittsburgh Steelers after suffering a knee injury in Week 13. Huntley started five games last season and showed some serious potential as a dual-threat quarterback. In Week 15 of 2021, Huntley was the overall QB1 on the week with 35.9 fantasy points against the Green Bay Packers.
If you are in a dynasty or keeper league as well, Huntley is a player worth keeping an eye on should the Ravens re-sign Lamar Jackson in the offseason or trade him elsewhere. Huntley is a restricted free agent in 2023 and there could be a team in the market for his services. It is unknown at this time just how long Jackson will be sidelined and Huntley could have some serious starting power for fantasy. Coming up in Weeks 15 through 17, the Ravens play the Browns and Falcons followed by the Steelers, which are all pretty solid matchups for Huntley to produce.
Last week in 2.5 quarters against a stout Broncos defense, Huntley lead the Ravens to a 10-9 victory in the final minute. His stats on the contest: 27 of 32 (84.4% comp) for 187 yards, 0 TDs, and 1 INT. He rushed 10 times for 41 yards and a TD, good for 16.6 fantasy points and a QB15 finish, which is not bad for barely playing half of the game.
Elijah Moore, New York Jets - 27% rostered
A player who many fantasy analysts had poised for a breakout before the start of the season, Elijah Moore was banished to the bench after complaining about his lack of targets even when the Jets were winning. This problem was magnified by Zach Wilson's poor quarterback play and Moore was dropped in just about all but the deepest of fantasy leagues.
The good news for Moore is that Mike White is likely going to be the Jets starting quarterback for the rest of the season. In just two starts, White has already thrown for 684 passing yards and three TDs. With Wilson now out of the way, any changes made to the Jets' QB situation are a huge plus for any of the New York pass catchers who have nowhere to go but up. Moore saw six targets in a Week 13 loss at Minnesota, but he was only able to haul in two of them for a paltry seven yards. Nonetheless, Moore is a talented player who could have some fantasy value if the targets continue.
Travis Homer, Seattle Seahawks - 24% rostered
Homer has largely been buried in the Seahawks' RB depth chart during his time with the team, but he is a solid pass catcher. This week, rookie running back Kenneth Walker is a true game-time decision and it is unknown if DeeJay Dallas will play, which opens the door for Homer against a struggling Carolina Panthers team.
In four years, Homer has just 73 rushing attempts for 422 yards and one TD. He does have 46 receptions for 431 yards and two TDs. If the above two backs on the Seattle depth chart cannot go on Sunday, Homer could be a great play as your RB2 or Flex spot if you are in a pinch. Continue to keep an eye on the injury reports before Seattle's 4:25 pm ET kickoff on Sunday, but Homer is a player worth rostering.
Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals - 12% rostered
McBride was a second-round pick of the Cardinals in the 2022 NFL Draft but was largely buried behind Zach Ertz on the team's depth chart. After Ertz suffered a season-ending injury four weeks ago, the starting job now falls to McBride. While he will have to compete with DeAndre Hopkins, Marquise Brown, and Rondale Moore for targets, things could open up for the rookie tight end to have some production for fantasy.
Moore may be out for Arizona's Week 14 contest on Sunday with a lingering groin injury. McBride hasn't done a lot for fantasy this season with just nine receptions for 46 yards, but he was the first tight end taken in the 2022 NFL Draft for a reason. With Arizona coming off a bye, they may have McBride more involved in the offense. With Ertz out for the rest of the season, there is a chance for McBride to shine, even as a rookie. The 2022 rookie tight end class is already looking promising with Isaiah Likely, Cade Otton, Daniel Bellinger, Greg Dulcich, Jelani Woods, and McBride.
Trent Sherfield, Miami Dolphins - 1% rostered
Purely a deep stash at this point, Sherfield doesn't have much fantasy value unless Tyreek Hill or Jaylen Waddle were to miss time. Nonetheless, we have seen how incredibly high-powered this Miami Dolphins offense under Mike McDaniel has been this year, and if Sherfield were to play as the WR2 for whatever reason, he would be an absolute smash for fantasy.
Last week against the 49ers, Sherfield caught a pass that he took 75 yards to the house for a TD. He is an explosive player who can pop off at any time. For now, he just isn't guaranteed to see enough passing volume to be a consistent option for fantasy, but if either of the Dolphins' top-two WRs were to miss any time at all, then Sherfield would become an obvious must-start.
Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers - 16% rostered
It's no secret that Najee Harris hasn't looked like his normal self this season after suffering a Lisfranc injury during training camp over the summer. While we haven't yet seen a lot of Jaylen Warren, he has easily looked like the more explosive running back between the two this season.
Harris suffered another injury scare in Week 13, and while he is currently off of the Week 14 injury report, there is always a chance that the Steelers could shut him down for the rest of the season. So far in 2022, Warren has 39 rushes for 195 yards (5.0 AVG) while catching 18 passes for 151 yards. He is a smaller but much faster running back than Harris and some have even begun comping him to a young Austin Ekeler.
Chig Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans - 10% rostered
Another rookie tight end, Okonkwo has impressed in his limited playing time this season. Wide receiver Treylon Burks is going to miss this week's contest after suffering a concussion in Week 13 and someone on the Titans is going to need to catch some passes from Ryan Tannehill. Offensive coordinator Todd Downing also said this week that Okonkwo has earned seeing more opportunities and that the Titans' offense would look to get him the ball more. Last week, Chig saw five targets on a season-high 16 routes run and he leads all tight ends in yards per route run. If you are hurting at TE, he feels like a solid deep stash lotto ticket.
Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers - 31% rostered
While the Panthers' offense was awful for fantasy purposes for roughly the first six games of the season, things have turned the corner a little bit on that front since former head coach Matt Rhule was shown the door. Star running back Christian McCaffrey was also traded, which opened up the door for the Panthers' RB room. While Hubbard is clearly behind D'Onta Foreman on the team's depth chart, Foreman isn't much of a pass catcher and has had his share of injury issues in the past.
The Seahawks are allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs on the season at 25.1 per game. If the Seahawks surge ahead in this one, then Hubbard could be used as a pass catcher out of the backfield in the negative game scripts. You may not want to play him this week, but he is still a solid stash for the rest of the season just in case Foreman is unable to stay healthy.
I hope you enjoyed these picks. Feel free to follow me on Twitter for more waiver and player analysis throughout the season!
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