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Jackson Sparks' deeper-league waiver wire sleepers for Week 14 (2024). His top free-agent sleepers for 14-team fantasy football leagues or deeper.
By Week 14, the fantasy football waiver wire is thin and unexciting, especially in deep leagues. That said, fantasy managers should never stay still and be content with their rosters, as there are usually at least one or two moves to be made to set your team up for the fantasy football playoffs. With only a handful of weeks remaining, some of these suggestions in this article can be started right away, while others are simply bench stashes with contingent upside.
Waiver wire pickups are often obvious in 10- or 12-team leagues, but if you're in a league with a ton of roster spots or 14-plus teams, it becomes trickier to know who to submit a waiver claim for or bid on. In this article, we'll cover those deeper waiver wire adds for Week 14.
We won't cover chalk pickups for shallower leagues like Isaac Guerendo and Tucker Kraft. Instead, we'll only mention players who are under 40% rostered in Yahoo! leagues except for a few players narrowly over that mark. Here are the top deeper-league waiver wire targets for Week 14, including Zach Charbonnet, Jeremy McNichols, Ray Davis, Parker Washington, Cedric Tillman, Russell Wilson, and more.
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Running Back Waiver Wire Targets for Deep Leagues
Jonathon Brooks is likely to be dropped by plenty of fantasy managers after another quiet day behind Chuba Hubbard. However, one would think the Panthers would like to see what they have in the second-round rookie before the end of the 2024 campaign. Hubbard had a costly overtime fumble in the loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so hopefully, that opens a window for Brooks to see some more work down the stretch.
Zach Charbonnet now has six touchdowns on the season after scoring against the Jets in Week 13. Kenneth Walker III remains the clear starter in Seattle, but if he missed a game during the fantasy football playoffs, Charbonnet has a legitimate RB1 upside when it matters most.
Zach Charbonnet gives Seattle the lead with 5 minutes remaining 💪
📺: #SEAvsNYJ on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/B8lNcIosQ1— NFL (@NFL) December 1, 2024
Tank Bigsby returned to the Jaguars lineup for the first time since Week 10 on Sunday. He rushed seven times for 28 yards and caught one pass for seven yards. His early season success has cooled off, but with Trevor Lawrence (concussion) likely out at least a week, the team could try to lean on its rushing attack against five mediocre defenses to close out the season.
Jeremy McNichols is in the RB2 role behind Brian Robinson Jr. after Austin Ekeler (concussion) was placed on injured reserve. He's now one of the top handcuff RBs to roster in the strong Washington offense. Robinson has been banged up all year, and if he misses time in the fantasy playoffs, McNichols could be a potential league-winner.
Tyler Allgeier handled nine touches in Sunday's loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, marking the seventh time this season he has earned at least nine opportunities. The former 100-yard rusher can be utilized as a desperation flex play, but his real upside would be unlocked if something happens to Bijan Robinson.
Trey Benson remains a key bench stash, as James Conner has never played a full season of games in his career dating back to his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Benson would likely share touches with Emari Demercado if Conner misses time, but he'd likely be the starter.
Ray Davis has shown real ability when given opportunities behind James Cook. The rookie posted 152 yards in the one game Cook missed this year, and he totaled 64 yards and a touchdown on 12 touches in Week 13.
Ray Davis takes it in for the TD! Time for snowballs in Buffalo ☃️
📺: #SFvsBUF on NBC/Peacock
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/Mny7SZpama— NFL (@NFL) December 2, 2024
Blake Corum posted a career-high 42 rushing yards in the win over the New Orleans Saints. It was nice to see the third-round rookie get involved, and it could be a sign that he'll see an expanded role in the last few weeks of the fantasy football season.
Ameer Abdullah and Sincere McCormick both appear to be rosterable in deep setups as long as Alexander Mattison and Zamir White remain out. McCormick averaged 5.3 yards per carry on 12 opportunities against the strong Chiefs defense in Week 13, while Abdullah has seen double-digit touches in each of the last two games. However, the return of Mattison and/or White could mark the end of their fantasy values.
Other Handcuff Stashes: Cam Akers, Kenneth Gainwell, Kimani Vidal, Jaylen Wright, Khalil Herbert, Justice Hill, Jerome Ford, Antonio Gibson
Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Targets for Deep Leagues
Cedric Tillman might become available on your waiver wire after a rough performance in Week 12 and an absence in Week 13. However, he continues to have an upside as long as Jameis Winston is at QB for the Browns. Tillman saw at least eight targets in his three full games with Winston at the helm. He was the PPR WR3 and WR12 in Week 8 and Week 9, respectively.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine has eight touchdown grabs on just 20 receptions. We keep saying that this is unsustainable, but he just keeps finding the end zone. At some point, it's time to admit he's worth picking up and starting in deep leagues.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine has 8 touchdowns on 20 receptions.
That’s tied for the most touchdowns on 20 or fewer receptions in the Super Bowl era.
His 40% TD rate is the highest of any player in NFL history with at least 15 receptions. pic.twitter.com/wmLOMesmH2
— Easton Freeze (@eastonfreeze) December 2, 2024
Adam Thielen caught eight of his 10 targets for 99 yards and a touchdown in Week 13. Sure, it was against the horrendous Buccaneers secondary, but we should not forget about his 1,000-yard season a year ago with Bryce Young. He has upside down the stretch if you're hurting at WR.
Parker Washington had a monster game in Week 13, catching six of his 12 targets for 103 yards and a touchdown. While it's tough to trust Mac Jones at quarterback, this is one of those performances that is tough to ignore.
Demarcus Robinson is not so different from Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, but he is in a better offense with a better quarterback. The 30-year-old has seven touchdowns this season and will continue to be a red-zone target as the Rams fight for a playoff spot in the wide-open NFC.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling is another touchdown machine on this list. MVS has amazingly scored four touchdowns on just eight receptions with the Saints, so he's a fine desperation flex option in Week 14, a week that sees six teams out of action on a bye.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling as a Saint:
4 Games
4 TouchdownsAll tied up. pic.twitter.com/v3B014ZiTk
— StatMuse Football (@statmusefb) December 1, 2024
Xavier Legette has averaged four receptions for 54.5 receiving yards over the last two weeks. He operates down the field, and Bryce Young is showing signs of improvement, so a spike week at the end of the season could be in order.
KaVontae Turpin and Brandin Cooks could make a difference for fantasy managers in the playoffs, given the struggles of CeeDee Lamb. Lamb continues to get banged up, while Cooks caught a touchdown in his first game back from IR, and Turpin led the Cowboys in receiving yards (53) on Thanksgiving.
Andrei Iosivas is up to five receiving touchdowns during his sophomore campaign. Joe Burrow is having one of the most productive seasons of his NFL career, so the No. 3 WR in Cincy is worth a flyer if you're running out of options.
Tight End Waiver Wire Targets for Deep Leagues
Will Dissly posted a goose egg in Week 13, but he still ranks ninth among tight ends in targets since Week 7 (37). The veteran is essentially a PPR-play only, but he draws favorable matchups against the Buccaneers and Patriots in the fantasy football playoffs.
Mike Gesicki drew five targets in Week 13, marking the sixth time this year he's at least reached that mark. He can be considered a "handcuff" stash in the case of a Tee Higgins or Ja'Marr Chase injury.
Juwan Johnson is now the top receiving threat at TE for New Orleans after Taysom Hill suffered a torn ACL. Johnson earned a season-high seven targets in Week 13 and projects to see plenty of opportunities down the stretch in the absence of Hill and Chris Olave.
Noah Gray has drawn 15 targets over the last three weeks. With Kansas City's pass-catching weapons continuing to struggle, Gray has become one of Patrick Mahomes' go-to targets. Believe it or not, only five tight ends have more touchdown grabs than Gray (four) this season.
Quarterback Waiver Wire Targets for Deep Leagues/Superflex Leagues
Russell Wilson passed for 414 yards and three touchdowns in Sunday's win over the Bengals. It was a vintage Russ performance, marking the second-most passing yards he's ever had in a single game. Looking ahead, he's set to face the Browns and Ravens, both of whom have been shredded by the pass this year.
Russ delivers a dime to Calvin Austin to tie the game!
📺: #PITvsCIN on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/y9BbZQVK1p— NFL (@NFL) December 1, 2024
Will Levis is averaging a respectable 17.25 fantasy points per game since returning from injury in Week 10. He has a juicy rest-of-season schedule featuring two matchups with the Jaguars and games against the Colts and Bengals. He could be a strong fantasy playoff streamer.
Aaron Rodgers hasn't looked great this season, yet his 19 touchdown passes are eighth in the NFL. He draws a Week 16 matchup with the Jaguars, who have allowed the most fantasy points per game to QBs. Keep the future Hall of Famer on your radar.
Cooper Rush is a solid streaming option in Week 14 against the Cincinnati Bengals. After Rush was embarrassed by the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 10, he's put three respectable performances together. The Cowboys remain one of the most pass-happy teams, so it would not be a surprise if the veteran posts a spike week against arguably the worst defense in the NFL.
Backup Quarterbacks to Stash for Two-QB/Superflex Leagues
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