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Mike Fanelli dives into the Week 14 bye week blues and gives fantasy players seven options to add off the waiver wire to help with six NFL teams out this week.
Welcome to Week 14 of the NFL season, with six teams on a bye. Fantasy players will be without anyone on the Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, and Washington Commanders this week.
Thankfully, it’s the last set of byes in 2024. Unfortunately, it is also the final week of the fantasy football regular season for most leagues. Who can fantasy players find off the waiver wire to use in Week 14? Let’s dive into it.
Every player in this article is rostered in under 25% of Yahoo leagues.
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Quarterbacks
Will Levis, Tennessee Titans: 12% Rostered
Levis isn’t the most popular quarterback in fantasy football circles. However, the second-year pro has been productive since returning from a shoulder injury. He has averaged 240 passing yards, 1.8 touchdowns, and 16.8 fantasy points per game over the past four weeks. Levis scored at least 15.6 fantasy points in all four games, totaling 16.1 or more in back-to-back contests.
98-YARD TD! 😱😱 Will Levis takes a shot out of the end zone and it pays off for the @Titans!
📺: #MINvsTEN on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/0o5Uj7RZ9q— NFL (@NFL) November 17, 2024
After throwing two touchdowns in three of the past four games, don’t be surprised if the former Kentucky star has three scores in Week 14. Levis faces a Jacksonville Jaguars defense that has struggled to slow down quarterbacks this year. They have surrendered two passing touchdowns and 22.2 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, including five touchdowns and 50.7 fantasy points over the past two weeks.
Running Backs
Ray Davis, Buffalo Bills: 17% Rostered
While James Cook remains Buffalo’s lead running back, Davis continues to flash fantasy upside in limited work. The rookie running back has averaged 8.8 half-point PPR fantasy points per game over the past eight weeks, scoring 11.2 or more in 57.1% of the contests. He has been a decent flex option in deeper leagues despite having only two games with double-digit rushing attempts this season.
Last week, the rookie running back had a rushing touchdown in the win over the San Francisco 49ers, giving him three for the year. In Week 14, Davis faces a Los Angeles Rams defense that has struggled to slow down running backs lately. They have given up 393 rushing yards, three touchdowns, and 66.7 fantasy points to running backs over the past two weeks, surrendering two over 100 yards to two different runners.
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
Sincere McCormick, Las Vegas Raiders: 1% Rostered
Las Vegas could get Alexander Mattison (ankle) or Zamir White (quad) back in Week 14 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Both veterans have missed the past two games because of injury. While Ameer Abdullah was a popular waiver wire pickup last week, McCormick was the better fantasy running back against the Kansas City Chiefs on Black Friday.
The former UTSA star had 12 rushing attempts for 64 yards and 7.5 half-point PPR fantasy points against the division rivals, leading the backfield in every category. He averaged 5.3 yards per rushing attempt against one of the top run defenses in the NFL. Thankfully, McCormick has a much friendly matchup in Week 14 against the Buccaneers. He could be an RB2 this week if Mattison and White are out of the lineup.
Wide Receivers
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Tennessee Titans: 17% Rostered
There is no reason why Westbrook-Ikhine should be on the waiver wire in standard-size leagues. The veteran wide receiver was awful before the Titans’ Week 5 bye, totaling zero half-point PPR fantasy points. However, he has been outstanding since the bye week. Westbrook-Ikhine was the WR10 from Week 6 through Week 13, averaging 11.8 fantasy points per game, scoring double digits in 62.5% of the matchups.
Despite having only 20 receptions this season, the veteran wide receiver leads the team with eight receiving touchdowns, scoring at least once in seven of the past eight games. Last week, Westbrook-Ikhine had two touchdowns on three receptions. Don’t be surprised if he has another strong fantasy performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars. They’ve surrendered 31.8 fantasy points per game to wide receivers this year.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is a TD machine. His 8th TD in 8 games!
📺: #TENvsWAS on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/Cu6cD0Ep82— NFL (@NFL) December 1, 2024
Dontayvion Wicks, Green Bay Packers: 15% Rostered
Fantasy players must be frustrated with the Packers’ wide receiver core. Everyone is involved, and it’s hard to predict which pass catcher will see enough volume to matter in fantasy football. However, Wicks is the perfect boom-or-bust bye-week replacement for fantasy players needing to chase upside in Week 14. The second-year pro had a solid performance on Thanksgiving, totaling four receptions for 30 receiving yards.
However, Wicks could be a weekly winner on Thursday night against the Detroit Lions, especially if Romeo Doubs misses his second consecutive game with a concussion. The Lions gave up over 19.5 half-point PPR fantasy points to Keenan Allen and DJ Moore in Week 12. While he could finish with zero fantasy points, Wicks also has top-20 upside in what should be a high-scoring game against the division rivals.
Tre Tucker, Las Vegas Raiders: 4% Rostered
While Brock Bowers is the focal point and lone bright spot to the Raiders offense, Tucker has been solid since the team’s Week 10 bye. He has averaged 3.7 receptions on 4.3 targets for 56 receiving yards and 10 half-point PPR fantasy points per game over the past three weeks. The second-year wide receiver has had double-digit fantasy points in back-to-back games, scoring a touchdown in Week 13.
TO THE HOUSE 🏠#LVvsKC | 📺 @primevideo pic.twitter.com/2aPqqgTqHU
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) November 29, 2024
Meanwhile, Tucker has an excellent matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week. The Buccaneers have surrendered 29.9 fantasy points per game to wide receivers, one of the higher averages this season. Last week, Tampa Bay gave up 198 receiving yards and 34.8 fantasy points to the Carolina Panthers wide receiver core, including 99 and 19.9 to Adam Thielen.
Tight Ends
Noah Gray, Kansas City Chiefs: 11% Rostered
Unfortunately, Gray’s touchdown streak came to an end in Week 13. The veteran tight end had two touchdowns in the Week 11 loss to the Buffalo Bills and the Week 12 win over the Carolina Panthers. While his touchdown streak is over, Gray had a solid performance on Black Friday against the Las Vegas Raiders, totaling 7.8 half-point PPR fantasy points.
More importantly, the veteran had a season-high six targets against the division rivals. Gray’s 58 receiving yards were also his third-highest total this year. Meanwhile, he has a solid matchup on Sunday night against the Los Angeles Chargers. They have surrendered double-digit fantasy points to tight ends in three of their past six contests.
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