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Matt MacKay's must-have fantasy football bench stashes and sleepers ahead of Week 14. He picks high-upside players to stash on your teams who can emerge as starters.
The final Bye Week has arrived for the 2021 NFL season. Week 14 has a quality slate, but the absence of four potential playoff teams renders quite a bit of talent inaccessible in the biggest week of the fantasy season. If your league re-scheduled the fantasy playoffs to begin in Week 15 due to Week 18 being added to the NFL regular season for the first time, this is the final game to determine your playoff fate.
It's imperative to have the best assets on your bench with a high enough floor to warrant emergency insertion into lineups this weekend. Players explode and disappear quickly, echoing the sentiment of the league being week-to-week.
The following players are widely available on waiver wires in ESPN leagues and should be stashed immediately to build a foundation of guaranteed points on the bench. If you've already earned a playoff berth or still have a couple of weeks to go in your league, these players remain relevant. Find a player clogging your roster and drop them in favor of one of these high-upside prospects ahead of an exciting Week 14 slate.
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Kenneth Gainwell, Philadelphia Eagles
It's important to acknowledge Kenneth Gainwell will not be available to deploy in Week 14 lineups due to the Philadelphia Eagles resting up during their bye week. However, fantasy managers in leagues that have their playoffs start in Week 16 or fantasy managers who have secured a playoff seed should add Gainwell. The rookie running back has been very effective when given opportunities, but head coach Nick Sirianni's ambiguity with playcalling has been the problem.
Gainwell popped back into relevancy in Week 13 against the Jets, carrying 12 times for 54 yards and a touchdown while adding five catches for an additional 33 receiving yards. This happened alongside Miles Sanders and occurred against the league's worst run defense. The Eagles will play three divisional games in a row, including two against Washington, so stash Gainwell and get ready to deploy him as an RB3 with potential for RB2 upside at home in Week 15.
Ameer Abdullah, Carolina Panthers
Ameer Abdullah feels like more of a dart-throw in lineups than Kenneth Gainwell. However, the season-ending injury to Christian McCaffery opens up an opportunity. Rookie Chuba Hubbard will be the RB1 for Carolina, and the presence of Cam Newton is likely deflecting interest in rostering Abdullah. The 28-year old running back doesn't get a lot of carries but has seen at least four targets in four of his last five games, which makes him a viable stash in PPR leagues.
Another interesting situation to monitor is the firing of former OC Joe Brady, which could see Abdullah become more of a factor if head coach Matt Rhule decides to take more of a running-back-by-committee approach. Abdullah has not scored a touchdown this season, but the passing usage was there before their Bye Week and the firing of Brady, so stash Abdullah and monitor his usage against a vulnerable Atlanta Falcons defense in Week 14.
Jalen Guyton, Los Angeles Chargers
Jalen Guyton has the perfect opportunity staring him down entering the Los Angeles Chargers Week 14 matchup against the New York Giants. Keenan Allen is on the COVID-19 list, and Mike Williams remains despite testing negative. While it's likely that Williams winds up playing, Allen will not be on the field, leaving quite a bit of volume for Guyton to absorb.
The third-year wideout pieced together an impressive performance against a good Cincinnati Bengals defense in Week 13, catching all four of his targets for 90 yards and a touchdown. He's an effective downfield receiver that Justin Herbert will be forced to target in a matchup that is favorable on paper. The Giants rank ninth-worst against fantasy wide receivers, and the absence of Allen and the uncertainty surrounding Williams create additional motivation to stash Guyton off of league waiver wires.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
A favorable matchup against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 13 led to rookie wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown generating the best game of his season, securing the winning touchdown reception as time expired to give Detroit its first win of the season. St. Brown has been on the field for the second-most snaps behind only Kalif Raymond but has the highest target share (16%), signaling heavy usage for the remainder of the season.
Jared Goff already has a good rapport with Josh Reynolds from their time with the Los Angeles Rams, but the rookie wideout has developed chemistry with Goff throughout this season. 12 targets need to be pursued, even if it's on the Lions. After all, their defense is awful against the run, which forces the offense to play from behind. The continued absence of D'Andre Swift also provides further reason to stash St. Brown. Value him as a fringe WR3 that can patch a hole in lineups if necessary moving forward.
Darius Slayton, New York Giants
Darius Slayton is an intriguing prospect due to the injury rash that has affected the New York Giants wide receiving corps. The quarterback carousel continues with Mike Glennon filling in for Daniel Jones, but explosive rookie Kadarius Toney is trending in the wrong direction. Kenny Golladay and Sterling Shepard remain questionable ahead of a Week 14 trip to SoFi stadium, but Slayton is healthy, which many call the best ability.
The second-year wideout has not surpassed 40 receiving yards since Week 7, but he has seen seven targets in two of his last three games, which is enough volume to pursue. Glennon will likely be targeting tight Evan Engram and running back Saquon Barkley as safety valves against a good Chargers pass defense. Still, Slayton will undoubtedly have an opportunity to contribute. He's a good stash due to his floor, but the upside for him to have a WR3 game is present, making Slayton a prime candidate to target on waivers right now.
Gerald Everett, Seattle Seahawks
Gerald Everett has burned a few fantasy managers who were high on him this season. His decision to stay with OC Shane Waldron as they traveled north to Seattle seemed like a good fit. However, it's only since the Seahawks' Bye back in Week 9 that Everett has seen the volume we all expected, drawing targets of 8-4-9-6 across the last four games. Everett laid an egg with two fumbles and multiple drops in Week 13 against the 49ers, but he has a very favorable schedule against the Texans, Rams, and Bears across the next three weeks.
Will Dissly is playing half of the snaps in comparison, meaning Everett should be relied on by Russell Wilson amidst D.K. Metcalf's struggles. A lackluster backfield further motivates Seattle to turn to one of the most talented players on their roster who cost a lot of money during free agency, translating to Everett being a high-upside tight end to stash off the league waiver wires.
Justin Fields, Chicago Bears
During the draft, Chicago experienced jubilation with rookie quarterback Justin Fields, but the odds have been stacked against him since day one. Despite the adversity and lack of talented personnel along the offensive line, Fields has managed to produce when healthy, finishing with at least 13 PPR points in three games this season. He relies on his legs to bail him out of frequent pressure while dialing up downfield throws to Darnell Mooney.
The addition of David Montgomery off of Injured Reserve is huge for Fields for the remainder of the season, as it will take some of the pressure off to allow him better passing windows and wider running lanes. Running quarterbacks are always a sound investment in fantasy football, so stash Fields and roll him into lineups when necessary.
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