RADIO
Welcome to Week 14 everyone -- known to most as the beginning of the fantasy playoffs. If you're reading this, there's a good chance you'll be fighting for a league crown in the next few weeks, so congratulations and good luck! While we wouldn't recommend straying from the studs that got you into the playoffs, you might have a need to dig dipper, especially if you own Rob Gronkowski.
Running backs like Rex Burkhead, Jamaal Williams and Derrick Henry might've been buried on the waiver wire earlier in the year, but they could be X-factors in a successful playoff run down the stretch. Let’s look at who else is worth a bid going into Week 14.
Each FAAB auction price recommendation will be based on a $100 FAAB budget, and all players listed have less than 50 percent ownership on Yahoo.
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FAAB Waiver Wire Bids - Running Backs
Theo Riddick (DET) - $10-15 (40% owned)
Ameer Abdullah (neck), Detroit's lead running back, was inactive in Week 13, which allowed Riddick to take charge of the backfield. Game script worked against Riddick, however, but he finished with a season-high nine carries for 21 yards (2.3 yards per carry) and his first rushing score while also adding five catches for 41 yards.
Make no mistake, Riddick is not a successful between-the-tackles runner, averaging just 3.4 yards per carry in 2017. But if Abdullah were to sit out again this weekend in a great matchup with Tampa Bay, Riddick would once again see expanded touches, and he should be able to do more with them.
Aaron Jones (GB) - $10-15 (35% owned)
Jamaal Williams, who rushed 21 times for 113 yards and a touchdown in the Week 13 win, remains the back to own for the fantasy playoffs in Green Bay, but don't forget about Jones, who made his lone carry count against the Bucs, running it 20 yards for the game-winning score in overtime.
Jones was making a return from an MCL sprain in his knee and hadn't played since Nov. 12, so it was expected he'd see limited carries. He could continue to be the second fiddle to Williams in Week 14, but don't forget that Jones was taking over the backfield duties earlier this year when Ty Montgomery went down with injury.
The 23-year-old rookie is sporting a healthy 5.5 yards per carry on the season and should see his workload increase in the coming weeks. For now, though, he's merely a luxury stash for owners headed to the fantasy playoffs.
Peyton Barber (TB) - $5-10 (6% owned)
It was Barber, not Jacquizz Rodgers, who led Tampa's backfield in the Week 13 loss to the Packers. He was the offense for the Bucs, carrying the ball a whopping 23 times for 102 yards while also leading the team in catches (four) for an additional 41 yards. Rodgers had just three carries and no catches.
Doug Martin (concussion) wasn't close to playing last weekend and may need to sit out again. If he does, expect Barber to once again see the lion's share of the work against a Detroit defense that allows 25.6 fantasy points per game to running backs, good for fifth worst in the NFL.
Kerwynn Williams (ARI) - $5-10 (3% owned)
Adrian Peterson's (neck) surprise inactivity in Week 13 opened the door for Williams, who ran 16 times for 97 yards. He wasn't involved in the passing game. Williams' fantasy ceiling remains limited, though, as he's not much of a pass catcher, and he hadn't seen more than three carries in any game before this.
However, the Cardinals are being extremely tight-lipped on the severity of Peterson's neck injury, so there's a chance he'll miss a second straight game. Against the Titans in Week 14, Williams would be an RB3/flex option in deep standard-scoring leagues if he sees another start.
Andre Ellington (HOU) - $5-10 (8% owned)
It'd be an understatement to say Houston's offense is beat up. Will Fuller (ribs) was inactive in Week 13, and the team also lost receivers Bruce Ellington (hamstring) and Braxton Miller (concussion) and tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz (concussion) to injuries during the game. As a result, Ellington was moved to wide receiver, where he caught five passes for 56 yards.
Depending on the status of Houston's walking dead receiving corps, Ellington could be set up for a significant PPR day for fantasy owners. The 49ers, Houston's Week 14 opponent, allow the most fantasy points per game to running backs, and they can also be exploited through the air, making Ellington an intriguing PPR sleeper.
Also Consider: Byron Marshall (WAS) - $3-5, D.J. Foster (ARI) - $3-5
FAAB Waiver Wire Bids - Wide Receivers
Marquise Goodwin (SF) - $15-20 (32% owned)
The move to Jimmy Garoppolo under center in San Fran is good news for everyone in the offense, perhaps nobody more than Goodwin. The fifth-year wideout caught all eight of his targets in a Week 13 win for a team-high 99 yards. Now that's efficiency, folks.
The catches were a season high, and the eight targets were the second most he's seen in 2017. Goodwin's fantasy floor should be much higher with an upgrade at quarterback, and he should be in play as a WR4/flex against the Texans in Week 14. Houston allows the sixth most fantasy points per game (35.8) to opposing receivers.
Ryan Grant (WAS) - $5-10 (2% owned)
Grant posted a season-high five catches on a season-high nine targets for a season-high 76 yards and his fourth touchdown of the season last Thursday against Dallas. Sense a theme? Obviously the soon-to-be 27-year-old hasn't stood out for fantasy owners all year, but that could be changing.
Washington's offensive line is decimated by injuries, leaving Vernon Davis in to block more often in the absence of Jordan Reed (hamstring). Terrelle Pryor (ankle) and Chris Thompson (leg) are on Injured Reserve, and Josh Doctson and Jamison Crowder haven't been the most consistent receivers.
There is certainly opportunity for Grant down the stretch, so he's a name to watch. The Chargers in Week 14 aren't the most attractive matchup for receivers, but Bolts cornerback Casey Hayward could be preoccupied with Doctson and Crowder.
Keelan Cole (JAC) - $5-10 (1% owned)
Cole had only three catches for 49 yards in Week 3, but he was able to secure his first touchdown of the season. Before that, he had been targeted at least five times in each of the previous four games, and he's become a bigger part of the offense with Allen Hurns (ankle) out since injuring himself on Nov. 12.
As long as Hurns remains sidelined, Cole will have a role as the No. 3 behind Marqise Lee and rookie Dede Westbrook. Jacksonville faces a Seattle team without their top playmakers in the secondary, and the Jags may be forced to abandon the run to play catch-up.
Also Consider: Trent Taylor (SF) - $3-5
FAAB Waiver Wire Bids - Tight Ends
David Njoku (CLE) - $5-10 (5% owned)
While the rookie tight end hasn't been very fantasy relevant this year, he has tons of long-term potential, even on a bad Browns team. He put up four receptions for a second straight week for a season-high 74 yards and his fourth touchdown against the Chargers.
Njoku should find more room to roam in between the numbers with Josh Gordon back in the fold out wide, too. There is streaming potential here for the rest of the season in deeper leagues, but keep expectations in check in Week 14 against the Packers. Green Bay allows the fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends in 2017.
Stephen Anderson (HOU) - $5-10 (0% owned)
It's no wonder Anderson had his best performance of the season in Week 13 against the Titans. C.J. Fiedorowicz suffered his second concussion of the season, and as a result, Anderson had a season-high five catches on a whopping 12 targets for 79 yards and his first score of the year.
With Fiedorowicz a candidate to go back on Injured Reserve to close out the year, Anderson could have streaming value in the fantasy playoffs. Before his 12 targets, he hadn't seen more than six looks in a game in 2017. There's a chance Anderson could see double-digit targets again this weekend against the 49ers with receivers Will Fuller, Bruce Ellington and Braxton Miller all injured.
Also Consider: Dwayne Allen (NE) - $3-5
FAAB Waiver Wire Bids - Quarterbacks
Jimmy Garoppolo (SF) - $5-10 (16% owned)
In his first start with his new team, Garoppolo was an efficient 26-for-37 (70.3 completion percentage) for 293 yards with no touchdowns and a pick. He was consistently moving the offense down the field, although it didn't show on the scoreboard, and he displayed nice chemistry with receivers Marquise Goodwin and Trent Taylor.
His upside is limited in an offense lacking big-time playmakers, but Garoppolo is an attractive starter in two-quarterback leagues in both Weeks 14 and 15, as he'll face the inept secondaries of the Texans and Titans in those weeks, respectively. The Texans allow the third most fantasy points per game (19.1) to gunslingers.
FAAB Waiver Wire Bids - Defense
Green Bay Packers - $3-5 (33% owned)
Picking on the Browns offense has been a common theme since the end of time, it seems. While the Packers defense hasn't stood out in the overall picture, they should be able to be productive in Week 14. The Browns give up the most fantasy points to opposing defenses per game (12.7).
Green Bay is tied for seventh in the NFL with 20 takeaways, and Cleveland leads the league with 30 giveaways. It's common sense, really. Green Bay is also ranked second with 42 overall sacks on the season.
Also Consider: Cincinnati Bengals - $1-3, Buffalo Bills - $1-3
