The second Bye-pocalypse is upon us! If you’ve been relying on Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Joe Mixon, Nico Collins, Bo Nix, Courtland Sutton, Jayden Daniels or Jonathan Taylor…this week could be problematic. Whether you’re after a one-week fill-in, or a potential league winning bench stash – I’ve got a handful of options for you at every skill position below. With most fantasy playoffs starting following this final bye, week 14 is your last chance to secure that spot in the knockout rounds in the pursuit of a championship! Every year there are unexpected fantasy diamonds who truly start to sparkle in December – who will be this year’s Zamir White? Read on to find out… *hint – it ain’t Zamir White!*
Rules for Selection & Order Priority
For a player to be considered to be added, they have to:
- Have an rostered % of 50% or under on ESPN
- Players below are listed by their roster %, not priority. Know your league settings. If there is a high-priority add, you’ll know.
Russell Wilson (PIT) 43.1% rostered
He’s back baby! For the second week in a row, Mr. Unlimited, Russell Wilson leads off our list of the best waiver pickups at the quarterback position. Russ was the overall QB4 on the week as the Steelers came out on top against divisional rivals Cincinnati in a 44-38 barn-burner. Wilson’s 76% completion rate was a season high, finding no fewer than ten different receivers on his 29 successful passing attempts. His 414 passing yards were the most he’s thrown for in over 7 years, and was his second best single-game yardage total through the air. Am I expecting Russ to throw for over 400 every week, of course not – but with matchups against the Browns and the Ravens on the horizon, he could be a league winning QB for your team.
Caleb Williams (CHI) 37.0% rostered
Whatever voodoo magic Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are practising – maybe it’s time Caleb Williams and the Bears sat up and took notice. Chicago’s latest last-minute blunder against the Lions cost them yet another game, and Head Coach Matt Eberflus his job. It truly is spectacular how they keep finding creative ways to lose these divisional matchups – despite rookie quarterback Caleb Williams actually starting to play well! The No.1 overall pick may have only completed 51% of his passes – but his 256-yards and 3 touchdowns were enough to place him in the top-5 at the position for the second week running. Keenan Allen and D.J. Moore have sprung into life over the last fortnight, combining for 362-yards and 5 TDs against Detroit and Minnesota. Thankfully for everyone at Soldier Field, the Bears are on the road in a non-divisional matchup this weekend as they head to San Francisco to face a shellacked 49ers team. The floor is almost non-existent, but the ceiling is a third top-5 finish on the bounce.
Also Consider – Matthew Stafford (39.4%) & Jameis Winston (10.1%) rostered
Alexander Mattison (LV) 46.9% rostered
In a real case of “what have you done for me lately?” – poor Alexander Mattison finds himself below the ownership threshold of 50% that we apply for this column after missing the Raiders last two games with an ankle injury. Through the first eleven weeks of the season, Mattison was the overall RB31 with no fewer than four top-20 weekly finishes at the position, and in his absence, we’ve seen Ameer Abdullah put up performances of RB10 and RB41. The former Viking is a much better back than Abdullah or Zamir White and should reclaim his throne when he is fully fit – that could be as early as this Sunday for the trip to Tampa Bay. If you’ve already secured a playoff spot – Mattison makes a great speculative add due to his very inviting schedule against Jacksonville (29th) and New Orleans (30th) in weeks 16 and 17.
Isaac Guerendo (SF) 1.4% rostered
Remember the golden rule of playoff fantasy football – “always handcuff your starting running backs”. Well, perhaps it’s time to make a slight addition to that mantra when it applies to the San Francisco 49ers and their every injured backfield. We know the script by now – Christian McCaffrey gets hurt, his replacement comes in and is immediately a low-end RB1 for fantasy. Well, that would be the case if Jordan Mason also didn’t just land on the Injured Reserve, ruling him out for the year as well. The 49ers are circling the drain at 5-7, but given the self-destructive nature of the NFC West – they aren’t out of it yet. 4th round rookie pick Isaac Guerendo is the next man up, and in his limited appearances this season has been effective. Guerendo will plug in as a low-end RB2 for the remainder of the year…provided he too doesn’t get hurt. For any of you real sadists out there – Patrick Taylor is the next name on the depth chart – do with that information what you will.
Chris Rodriguez Jr. (WAS) 0.2% rostered
Turns out Jeremy McNichols wasn’t the back to add in Washington after all. McNichols’ effectiveness in week 13 was largely speculated to be down to whether Brian Robinson Jr. would be healthy enough to play – turns out there was another factor to consider – second-year running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. Rodriguez was the clear No.2 guy in the Washington run game behind Brian Robinson (well No.3 if you include Jayden Daniels), seeing over a third of carries at the position compared to McNichols’ 17%. Rodriguez is a punt play and unlikely to be a starable asset without an injury to Robinson – but we have seen Austin Ekeler have a sizable role with BRJ on the field, and the former Charger will miss the remainder of the season with a concussion related injury. He’s worth an add in deeper leagues.
Also Consider – Jonathan Brroks (47.6%), Tyler Allgeier (41.5%), Justice Hill (26.1%), Trey Benson (24.1%), Blake Corum (14.2%) & Ray Davis (11.3%) rostered
Adam Thielen (CAR) 27.3% rostered
The odds of making it in the NFL as an UDFA are astronomical, being an UDFA from a Division II school makes it 100 times more unlikely…yet here’s 34-year old Adam Thielen putting up WR1 numbers in his eleventh NFL season like it’s no big deal. Thielen caught his very first touchdown pass from Teddy Bridgewater (remember him!) on December 28th 2014…almost 10 years later, he’s still hauling them in – his latest a 25-yard one-handed effort that almost sealed victory for the Panthers against Tampa Bay on Sunday night. In only his second game back after a hamstring injury, Thielen led the team in targets, receptions and yards – there’s life in the old dog yet.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (TEN) 19.9% rostered
I’m running out of idioms for Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and his never-ending touchdown streak. The WR2 for Tennessee made it 8 scores in 8 games after hauling in 3-of-8 targets for 61-yards and 2 TDs in the Titans’ blowout loss to Washington at the weekend. After receiving zero targets across the opening four weeks of the season, NWI has seen just 38 looks in the 8 games following the Titans’ bye – here’s the rub…he’s caught 20 of those (52%) for 365-yards (18.3 Y/C) and 8 touchdowns. The run has to end at some point, but with three of Tennessee’s next four opponents ranking in the bottom-five versus the wide receiver position…maybe it doesn’t. He’s a risk/reward play, but the reward appears to be a 20+ yard score, so get him on your bench at the very least if he’s still available.
Also Consider – Xavier Legette (35.9%), Elijah Moore (13.4%), Parker Washington (0.9%) rostered.
Pat Freiermuth (PIT) 41.9% rostered
Whilst there appear to be a bounty of options available at every other position, we continue to struggle to find any real appealing options at tight end. With six teams on bye (including Baltimore and Washington), beggars can’t be choosers when it comes to TEs in week 14 – and Pat Freiermuth will be a target for me in a number of re-draft leagues. It’s been an inconsistent season for a player who was the overall TE8 in his sophomore campaign, with just as many finishes inside the top-10 as he has outside the top-25. His 6 receptions and 68-yards in the win over the Bengals were both season-highs, so maybe, just maybe something is starting to click with Russell Wilson. It’s a desperation play – but if you don’t have one of the big names at the position, you’re used to it by now.
Luke Schoonmaker (DAL) 12.0% rostered
Keep an eye on the health of Jake Ferguson for this one. In the three games Dallas’ No.1 TE has missed, Luke Schoonmaker has finished as the overall TE11, TE9 and TE26. If the Cowboys want to have any hope of keeping up with the white-hot Cincinnati Bengals offense, they are going to have to throw, throw, throw. Luckily for Cooper Rush, Cinci simply cannot stop the pass, and were just dismantled by Russell Wilson for over 400-yards and 3 touchdowns last week. Sophomore Schoonmaker is a talented TE with high-draft capital – even if Ferguson does suit up, there’s a good chance he’s involved enough to merit a start in your lineup..
Also Consider – Isaiah Likely (28.4%) & Austin Hooper (0.7%) rostered
There you have it! Any questions, or want some more specific help for your league on who to drop, just reach out. Reach out on social media, you can find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Or jump into our Discord server. And checkout out rankings for each Week.
