Pick ‘Em Up: Week 14 Waiver Wire

As the regular season in fantasy football comes to a close, I’m reminded of a great Dr. Seuss quote, “Don’t be sad it’s over. Be happy it happened!” Hopefully, Week 14 is not your last time setting a lineup, and you are ready to make a run in the playoffs. If so, the Week 14 Waiver Wire has plenty of solid options to fill any holes in your roster. If you are eliminated, remember that ruining someone else’s season is the next best thing to winning. Get that Week 14 dub and knock a team out of the playoff race. Misery loves company.

Pro Tip: Remember the bye weeks. Because of depth issues, managers may have to drop players that they usually wouldn’t. Last week, the Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Las Vegas Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants, and Baltimore Ravens were all off. Check waivers for players from those teams that shouldn’t be available. This week, the final byes are from the Arizona Cardinals and Washington Commanders, so watch tomorrow’s waiver report for players from those teams who should not have been cut.

Quick Note: All players listed are available in at least 50% of ESPN leagues. While not everyone plays on ESPN, studies show most do. So, if they’re available there, they’re likely available on your Week 14 Waiver Wire. Pick ‘Em Up!

Week 14 Waiver Wire

Quarterbacks

Normally, I don’t advocate blowing FAAB on QBs. There is always plenty to choose from in free agency after waivers, and you should just stream the position. This list will usually be small, but if you’re desperate, this is who I would prioritize this week.

Baker Mayfield (50% Available) / Gardner Minshew (89% Available)

A few weeks ago, the Bucs and Colts played each other, and I was taken aback by how much Minshew and Mayfield remind me of one another. They are gunslingers, willing to launch the ball down the field. Sometimes, it’s great for fantasy. Others, not so much. This week, they both have excellent matchups and should be decent streaming plays.

Running Backs

Ezekiel Elliott (66% Available)

With Rhamondre Stevenson out for a few weeks, adding Zeke is as simple as “We don’t leave starting RBs on waivers!” The Patriots are trash, and Elliott is not the same guy we saw in Dallas, but the volume should be enough to keep him in the RB2/3 conversation. This has to be the freshest his legs have ever been in December.

Roschon Johnson (79% Available)

Before the Bears Week 13 bye, it looked like Johnson might be taking over this backfield. In Week 12, he led the group in touches and scored 12 fantasy points. Bye weeks are the perfect time to transition to rookies as starters, so Johnson might be the back to roster from the Windy City.

Tyjae Spears (68% Available)

Spears had been kind of boring heading into Week 13, but a 20-touch day should spark interest. It’s clear he is not taking any bit of Derrick Henry’s job, but he has flex appeal and makes great injury insurance.

Keaton Mitchell (69% Available)

Like Roschon Johnson, Mitchell went into a Week 13 bye looking like he may be usurping a starting role. He had more touches and far more yards than Gus Edwards in Week 12. If Mitchell can win a more prominent role to end the season, we could be talking about him as a league winner.

Ty Chandler (73% Available)

While Chandler isn’t quite at the level of Johnson or Mitchell, he is another young RB coming off a bye week, with a starter itching to be unseated. Alexander Mattison has gotten by on volume alone. If Chandler can prove more efficient, he could earn more work in an offense that is about to improve greatly with the return of Justin Jefferson.

If you missed our new Monday Hangxiety show, you missed a great time! Josh and Ryan recapped Sunday’s action, and we will let you know whether it’s time to panic or Chill TF Out! We’ll be live every Monday at 11 AM EST. Check out this week’s episode now!

Wide Receivers

Elijah Moore (65% Available)

Moore’s value gain depends on Amari Cooper’s injury, but with Joe Flacco at the helm, the Cleveland passing game looks the most competent it has in two years.

Romeo Doubs (61% Available)

What do you know? Christian Watson is hurt again, and Romeo Doubs is set to lead a Green Bay WR corps when their passing game is surging. Add Doubs, and look for Jayden Reed as a consolation prize.

Noah Brown (65% Available)

Once again, it’s an injury bringing a WR to the forefront. With Tank Dell set to miss the rest of the year, Brown, if healthy, could prove quite valuable. We’ve seen monster games from him while Robert Woods missed time previously. If Brown and Woods can’t get healthy, John Metchie could also be worth a flyer as a lottery ticket.

Jonathan Mingo (88% Available)

No injuries to worry about here, but it appears the Carolina offense wants to see what they have in their rookie WR before moving into 2024. Mingo has led the team in targets for two straight weeks and managed 10+ fantasy points in each effort.

Parker Washington (100% Available)

And another injury. With Christian Kirk exiting the game early, the rookie Washington stepped up huge against the Bengals. After six catches, 61 yards, and a TD, if Kirk misses extended time, Washington is worth a look in deep leagues.

Tight Ends

Much like QB, I don’t usually recommend blowing any waiver priority or FAAB on a tight end, either. You can generally wait until Wednesday and play the streaming game. However, sometimes, players should be rostered due to a late-season breakout. These are those players.

Isaiah Likely (76% Available)

While fantasy tight ends are vastly improved this year, managers also seem to be hoarding them, and waivers are ROUGH. Likely was so-so in his first two games replacing Mark Andrews, but a perfectly timed bye should have given him time to get acclimated. There is upside here if he truly takes over Andrews’ role.

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Be sure you’re following Ryan on Twitter! Also, you can find our Week 14 rankings here and the rest of our Week 14 content here!