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Traditionally, Week 14 would mark the start of the fantasy playoffs for most leagues. In 2021, an extra week of regular-season NFL action means another week to prepare for the postseason and stack your team with bench depth and insurance policies. Of course, there are always injuries that beg for a replacement option.
In this column, I will identify as many noteworthy waiver wire targets as possible at every position with a brief explanation of each player's current path to fantasy relevance.
All rostered percentages are taken from Yahoo and players are listed in descending order, not in order of priority. Only players who are rostered in approximately 40% or fewer leagues are considered.
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Running Backs - Waiver Wire Options to Pickup
Tevin Coleman, New York Jets - 40% rostered
It looks like the Jets have settled on a running back to lead the way while Michael Carter is on IR and it's veteran Tevin Coleman. He's seen 27 carries over the past two games; no other RB saw more than one carry against Philadelphia. The ceiling isn't too high and upcoming matchups against New Orleans and Miami are tough for running backs so don't run out to put him in your starting lineup. He can be considered in deeper leagues where a fill-in for Jonathan Taylor is required this coming week.
Dontrell Hilliard, Tennessee Titans - 40% rostered
Despite running for 131 yards in his previous game, Hillard wasn't universally added because of the bye for Tennessee. That and the fact he's a former undrafted free agent who had all of 29 rush attempts before his Week 12 outburst. His pass-catching chops and lack of better options mean he should be the lead RB once again and that makes him fantasy-relevant. No A.J. Brown or Julio Jones will once again lead to several targets for Hillard as well. Add a choice matchup with Jacksonville to the mix and you have a recipe for another breakout game.
Rex Burkhead, Houston Texans - 23% rostered
Reminder that a mention in this column doesn't necessarily equal endorsement. Burkhead is viable as a desperation streamer because he's technically the starting running back for an NFL team. David Johnson may return next week but it won't make much of a difference. Burkhead is averaging 2.8 yards per carry after rumbling for 30 yards on eight carries against the Colts. He could always find the end zone one of these days, especially Week 15 in a rematch with the Jags, but is simply a fallback option for Week 14.
Ameer Abdullah, Carolina Panthers - 4% rostered
With Christian McCaffrey's season over, rookie Chuba Hubbard should return to RB1 status in Carolina. But in Week 12, when McCaffrey suffered his latest injury, Hubbard only saw 24% of the offensive snaps while Abdullah was on the field for 49% of the snaps. Abdullah has shown more reliable hands and will be the main receiver out of the backfield. Hubbard has six drops out of 29 targets and may see a reduced workload in negative game script. Abdullah isn't guaranteed to see many touches but in upcoming matchups with Buffalo and Tampa, he could be the benefactor of multiple dump-offs and provide points in PPR leagues.
Peyton Barber, Las Vegas Raiders - 0% rostered
The season-ending ankle injury to Kenyan Drake puts Barber back in the mix to get touches. He's barely been used since Jon Gruden left town but might work his way into a change-of-pace role. He mainly serves as an insurance policy for Josh Jacobs, who has gone back to a workhorse for the Raiders.
Others to consider: Matt Breida, Buffalo Bills (41% rostered); Khalil Herbert, Chicago Bears (26% rostered); D'Ernest Johnson, Cleveland Browns (18% rostered); Samaje Perine, Cincinnati Bengals (7% rostered)
Wide Receivers - Waiver Wire Options to Pickup
Russell Gage, Atlanta Falcons - 34% rostered
It took a while but someone has finally emerged as the undisputed WR1 for Matt Ryan while Calvin Ridley remains out. Gage notched a career-high 130 yards on 11 receptions against Tampa Bay and has turned into a solid WR3 for fantasy purposes.
Russell Gage has seen 7+ targets in four of his last five games, including a season high 12 targets today against Tampa Bay. Each of those 7+ target games accounted for at least 25% of Atlanta's targets.
— JJ Zachariason (@LateRoundQB) December 6, 2021
Expect a downtick in production when the Dirty Birds take on the Panthers, who have a good secondary and will also slow things down in terms of place. Gage has a solid floor based on his target volume, however, and should be added in 12-team or larger PPR leagues.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Green Bay Packers - 18% rostered
Randall Cobb's groin injury suffered in Week 12 could keep him out and lead to more targets for deep-ball specialist MVS. By this point, you know what you're getting from him - a long reception downfield or nothing at all. If there's a week to bet on it, Week 14 is it. The Bears allow 9.44 yards per target to wide receivers, most in the league.
Deonte Harris, New Orleans Saints - 17% rostered
It looks like Taysom Hill may remain at quarterback despite his finger injury. If so, that seems like good news for Harris, who led the Saints with 96 yards and eight targets on Thursday night. Even if Trevor Siemian winds up getting the call, Harris should still lead the way for this eclectic receiving corps. A matchup with the Jets is a promising time to sneak Harris into your lineup if needed.
Curtis Samuel, Washington Football Team - 12% rostered
Extreme patience is required with Samuel, apparently. Although he's been active the last two games, he's seen a whopping total of four touches and somehow managed to total -2 yards this past week. We could see his workload ramped up, especially with Logan Thomas gone, but it's best to view Samuel as an upside stash for Week 15 and beyond.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions - 6% rostered
It took 12 games, but St. Brown finally scored his first NFL touchdown and it happened to be a game-winner at the end of regulation. It coincided with the best game of his rookie season as he caught 10 passes for 86 yards on 12 targets. We've seen random receivers have big games in this offense only to disappear thereafter (remember Kalif Raymond?) but St. Brown is the top WR in Detroit this season and second on the team in receiving yards behind T.J. Hockenson. He should have a consistent place in this offense that needs to rely on the pass without D'Andre Swift, likely for another week at least.
Josh Reynolds, Detroit Lions - 4% rostered
The rookie broke out and stole the show in Week 13 but don't forget Reynolds. He caught four passes on seven targets for 69 yards against the Vikes. There's less potential for a big game with Denver next on the schedule but he is the vertical receiver in this offense and won't need much volume to produce if a deep connection is made. He's more of a deep option for non-PPR leagues.
K.J. Osborn, Minnesota Vikings - 3% rostered
If it seems like forever ago that Osborn was a hot waiver wire pickup, it's not just misperception. Osborn came out of the gate on fire with seven receptions for 76 yards in Week 1 and then a 5-91-1 line in Week 2. He then became milk carton material, going over 26 receiving yards once over the next nine games. His four receptions on seven targets for 47 yards and a touchdown is solid but not the reason he became relevant again after Week 13. Adam Thielen may miss the next game, elevating Osborn up the target ladder. He's the ideal Thielen replacement and can be a Flex option for everyone else.
Dee Eskridge, Seattle Seahawks - 0% rostered
This is mainly for the dynasty and very deep-league crowd - add Eskridge if you have the space. He essentially missed the first half of his rookie season after suffering a concussion in the season opener, not returning until Week 10. He is working his way into the third receiver role for Seattle, which finally showed signs of life on offense in a victory over San Francisco. Eskridge contributed with his first pro touchdown, catching all three of his targets for 35 yards. Seattle selected him in the second round with an expectation that he would contribute right away, so he may finally be at that point.
Laquon Treadwell, Jacksonville Jaguars - 0% rostered
Jamal Agnew. Dan Arnold. Laquon Treadwell. What do these players have in common? They've all produced better fantasy value than Laviska Shenault. With the first two on that list out for the season, it's Treadwell's turn to be the unexpected leading target for Trevor Lawrence. He caught four passes for 62 yards in their latest loss, leading the team in receiving. Touchdown upside is nearly non-existent in this offense but if desperate times call for desperate measures, take a chance on the former first-round pick against the soft Tennessee secondary in Week 14.
Others to consider: Kendrick Bourne, New England Patriots (40% rostered); Jamison Crowder, New York Jets (20% rostered); Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Tennessee Titans (13% rostered); Donovan Peoples-Jones, Cleveland Browns (9% rostered)
Tight Ends - Waiver Wire Options to Pickup
Tyler Conklin, Minnesota Vikings - 30% rostered
The projected absence of Adam Thielen should also work in Conklin's favor as it did in the loss to Detroit. Conklin saw a season-high nine targets, catching seven for 56 yards. He gets a huge value boost and can be considered a low-end TE1 for the Thursday night game against Pittsburgh in a must-win for Minnesota.
Evan Engram, New York Giants - 29% rostered
The switch to Mike Glennon at quarterback seemed to benefit Engram most, as he came away with a season-high 61 yards. Glennon suffered a concussion during the game, however, and Daniel Jones may be ready to return in Week 14. It's still a good time to roll out Engram since the Chargers, their next opponent, allow the third-most fantasy points per game to tight ends. If Sterling Shepard ever returns, it will kill most of Engram's value, but that doesn't seem to be happening.
Gerald Everett, Houston Texans - 29% rostered
Everett had seen a huge uptick in targets since Russell Wilson returned a month ago and saw another six in Week 13. Yet, he somehow turned four receptions into just seven yards on the day.
It's an ugly stat line but the target share is still encouraging and a matchup with the Texans promises better results.
Ricky Seals-Jones, Washington Football Team - 5% rostered
The disappointing news of Logan Thomas' ACL injury puts RSJ back on the fantasy map for the remainder of this season. He didn't play in Week 13 because of a hip injury but did get some practice in last week, so he should be cleared to face the Cowboys. He put together a couple of decent games midseason with five catches for 41 yards in Week 5, four catches for 58 yards and a TD in Week 6, and six catches for 51 yards in Week 7. He shouldn't be the top priority at tight end for those scouring waivers but he is streamable.
Others to consider: Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears (26% rostered); David Njoku, Cleveland Browns (6% rostered); James O'Shaughnessy, Jacksonville Jaguars (1% rostered)
Quarterbacks - Waiver Wire Options to Pickup
Taylor Heinicke, Washington Football Team - 39% rostered
Heinicke has mostly settled into mediocrity these days, averaging 225.2 passing yards per game since the Week 9 bye. That includes just 196 yards against the Raiders this past week. Although it was enough to earn the win, it doesn't help fantasy managers. He could be in store for more passing volume when they face the Cowboys next week and that makes him a high-end QB2 due to his rushing upside.
Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers - 29% rostered
When we last saw Newton on a football field, he completed five of 21 passes for 92 yards with two INT. Christian McCaffrey is out for the season, the offensive coordinator has been fired, Carolina is desperate for a win. This all may work in Newton's favor, believe it or not. Matt Rhule wants to run the ball more and that will certainly include Newton, especially now that CMC is out. The team will depend on the addition of Newton to make a playoff push, for better or worse. It probably won't end well for the team but could make for some big fantasy games for Newton, starting in Week 14 when they face Atlanta.
Others to consider: Teddy Bridgewater, Denver Broncos (23% rostered); Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers (21% rostered)
Team Defense (D/ST) - Waiver Wire Options to Pickup
Denver Broncos Defense - 45% rostered
The Week 13 matchup with Kansas City made Denver widely available, which may be a fortunate turn of events for those in the market for a DST in Week 14. Denver gets a home tilt with the Detroit Lions who, while they are no longer winless, are the fourth-lowest scoring offense in the NFL even after putting up 29 on Minnesota. The Broncos held their own against KC too, allowing 16 points against their offense (one of KC's touchdowns came on a pick-six). Only once in the last six games has Denver allowed more than 20 points to an opponent and they should be in good shape to continue that streak.
Carolina Panthers Defense - 26% rostered
If Matt Rhule gets his way, the Panthers will run a ton and win with their defense. He said so a few weeks ago and emphasized that point again after firing OC Joe Brady. Expect a slow grinding game against division rivals Atlanta in Week 14, who don't pose a huge threat to score much in the first place.
Tennessee Titans Defense - 22% rostered
The Titans are great at shutting down opponents' running games and the Jaguars are bad at passing. That's a good formula for a streaming DST when these two meet for the second time this season. Back in Week 5, the Jags put up 19 points in a big loss but that was when Trevor Lawrence was throwing it 33 times. It's also when Tennessee had Derrick Henry, A.J. Brown, and an offense that could move the ball. This could be the lowest-scoring contest of the week, which favors the defense for the better team.
Seattle Seahawks Defense - 13% rostered
In deep leagues where the above options aren't available, Seattle should still be free to claim. They travel to Houston, fresh off their shutout loss where starting QB Tyrod Taylor was both hurt and benched. Seattle doesn't sack the quarterback much but they should be good for a turnover or two and limit Houston to a low point total.
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