Fantasy Football Week 14: Waiver wire pickups to get us through the final bye week

The final week of byes is upon us and the NFL saved the worst for last. We won’t have use of our Broncos, Colts, Patriots, Commanders, Ravens or Texans in Week 14, when many of us are headed into must-win fantasy matchups. So the timing of this particular six-team bye is not ideal.

But don’t abandon hope, because we have a wide assortment of waiver wire options for your consideration. Each week, we highlight the top potential pickups who remain available in at least 50% of Yahoo fantasy football leagues. Add aggressively. It’s winning time, people.

Quarterbacks

Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers (35% rostered)

Recommended FAB offer (assuming $100 budget): $9

Russ was dealing on Sunday at Cincinnati, passing for 257 yards and two scores in the game’s first-half. He tossed a pick-six as well, but the turnover was more the result of a curious non-call by the officials. Wilson eventually finished with 414 yards and three touchdown passes, connecting with 10 different receivers. He went 6-for-7 for 164 yards and two scores on throws traveling 15-plus yards according to PFF, so the moonball was activated.

Also, Wilson benefits from the fact that George Pickens is occasionally unfair:

(At other times, Pickens makes things pretty weird. Every game is a journey for No. 14.)

Wilson gets a beatable home matchup this week with Cleveland, a middle-of-the-pack pass defense that’s intercepted only two passes on the season. If his team can manage to contain Myles Garrett (at least partially), Wilson should deliver his fourth multi-touchdown performance of the year. He then has another favorable matchup ahead with Baltimore in Week 16, so consider keeping him on the roster through the fantasy semi-finals.

Additional QB options:

• Jameis Winston enters Monday night’s matchup at Denver averaging 40 pass attempts per game in his four starts for Cleveland. He has plenty of quality weapons at his disposal and the greenest possible light to target them. Per his usual, he ranks among the leaders in average depth of target (10.9). Winston will face the Steelers on Sunday, a defense he recently beat in that delightful snow globe game back in Week 12.

• Aidan O’Connell kinda had his way with the Chiefs defense on Black Friday, passing for 340 yards and a pair of scores. He’s heading into a stellar matchup at Tampa Bay, plus he’s the guy who gets to throw to Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers. Desperate times call for desperate sit-start measures, folks; O’Connell deserves a look if you have QB needs.

• Will Levis absolutely terrifies me, as he must terrify all fans of the Titans. But the schedule ahead for Tennessee’s offense is unreasonably friendly (JAC, CIN, at IND, at JAC), so he’s going to rank as a playable deep league option.

• Improbably, Cooper Rush has directed back-to-back Dallas wins, looking competent enough in the process. The team has a string of friendly matchups ahead (CIN, at CAR, TB), which elevates Rush into the deep league streaming conversation. His ceiling is of course tied to the health of CeeDee Lamb who aggravated his shoulder issue on Thanksgiving, so we’ll need to keep an eye on that situation.

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Running backs

Jordan Mason, San Francisco 49ers (43%)

FAB: All of it.

We opened the 2024 season with a Christian McCaffrey fantasy fire drill, and, unfortunately, we’re experiencing another one right now. CMC exited with a potentially season-ending knee injury (PCL) in the first half against Buffalo on Sunday night, resulting in a return to relevance for Mason.

Not surprisingly, Mason was effective and efficient in the snow, carrying 13 times for 78 yards. He averaged 95.3 rushing yards per game and 5.2 per carry over the first seven weeks of the season, dominating backfield touches while McCaffrey was sidelined. Mason ranked among the NFL leaders in missed tackles (19) and yards after contact per carry (3.39) during that seven-game stretch, so the underlying numbers were every bit as impressive as the surface stats. He’s legit. Mason gave us a brief injury scare in the Buffalo loss — leading to second-half work for Isaac Guerendo — but he was eventually cleared to return.

Mason obviously lacks McCaffrey’s receiving ability and upside, but there are no open questions about his talent as a ball-carrier. This is clearly an empty-the-wallet waiver situation. You should all know what to do.

Isaac Guerendo, San Francisco 49ers (2%)

FAB: $11

Guerendo is pretty clearly behind Mason in the backfield hierarchy for the Niners, but he’s flashed obvious talent at various points this season. He made a house call on Sunday night, finishing with 19 yards on four carries. We can expect Guerendo to have at least a rotational role moving forward with McCaffrey sidelined. He doesn’t quite have Mason’s wrecking ball running style, but he does have 4.33 speed and ludicrous athleticism. He’s certainly worth stashing in leagues in which Mason is long gone.

Tank Bigsby, Jacksonville Jaguars (45%)

FAB: $11

Bigsby had a quiet afternoon in his return from injury, converting eight touches into 35 scrimmage yards against Houston. However, he did split snaps in a relatively even way with Travis Etienne (32 vs. 37) in a game in which Jacksonville fell behind by multiple scores. So that’s an encouraging development. Bigsby has been one of the league’s most elusive backs throughout the year, entering the week averaging 5.5 YPC and a ridiculous 4.3 yards after contact per attempt. He’s a solid option in the upcoming matchup with the Titans, a team that isn’t likely to force the Jaguars into negative game script. Whenever the run is in play for Jacksonville, Bigsby is a Mjölnir-level weapon.

Alexander Mattison, Las Vegas Raiders (46%)

FAB: $9

Mattison was sidelined by an ankle issue in Vegas’ previous two games, but he returned to limited practices last week, so he’s a decent bet to be available on Sunday at Tampa Bay. Let’s recall that he was routinely playing over 60% of the snaps prior to the injury, running as his team’s clear lead back. He averaged 20.3 touches per game in Weeks 5-8.

It’s unclear how the backfield touches will be distributed for the Raiders moving forward, but Mattison should retain a sizable role. The Bucs D certainly hasn’t been a stay-away matchup this season, so Mattison can be flexed as needed, assuming he returns.

Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams (14%)

FAB: $7

Kyren Williams was looking suspiciously like a third-down back for over a quarter of football on Sunday against the Saints, as Corum took five early carries for 32 yards. Williams ultimately reasserted himself, delivering 113 total yards and one spike on 16 touches, but Corum offered a solid proof-of-concept performance. The rookie finished with 42 yards on eight carries, seeing plenty of playing time throughout. He’s now firmly established as a premium understudy back, a player who would have must-start status if Williams were to miss time.

Various other RB adds:

• Jonathon Brooks saw his usage grow this past weekend (nine touches) while also seeing his fantasy roster percentage slip just below 50%. He’s exactly the sort of flier we need to be taking this time of year, so give the wire a quick check for his name (and be careful to select the correct “J. Brooks.”)

• Ray Davis was involved early in Sunday night’s demolition of the Niners, scoring the game’s first touchdown. He also served as the closer for Buffalo when the win was beyond doubt. Davis finished with 67 yards on a dozen touches, highlighting his significant fantasy upside in the event James Cook ever misses any time.

• This bullet will simply serve as your weekly reminder that Tyler Allgeier is good at football (4.8 YPC this season), he has a regular recurring role in Atlanta’s offense and he would be a no-doubt must-start if not for the presence of Bijan Robinson.

Wide receivers and tight ends

Cedric Tillman, Cleveland Brown (44%)

FAB: $21

Well, this is something of a gift.

Tillman was mass-dropped in Yahoo leagues last week while navigating the league’s concussion protocol, yet there’s no reason to think of him as anything less than Cleveland’s No. 1 or 1A receiving option. He was targeted 40 times in a four-game stretch between Weeks 7 and 11, delivering 302 yards and three touchdowns, breaking out in an emphatic way with Jameis Winston at the controls. Tillman was on his way to another significant target total in Week 12 against the Steelers before being removed from the game.

Simply put, Tillman belongs on someone’s roster in any league with 10 or more teams. He should be viewed as a top-30 fantasy receiver with WR1 upside when healthy. He gets a Sunday rematch this week at Pittsburgh, followed by dates with Kansas City, Cincinnati and Miami.

Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings (31%)

FAB: $9

Thielen delivered a vintage performance on Sunday, hauling in seven balls for 83 yards and a late go-ahead score. He probably caught a second touchdown, but replay officials didn’t see it that way. Nevertheless, he’s clearly reestablished himself as a volume receiver in a suddenly dangerous passing game. He gave us a catch-of-the-year candidate in overtime, too:

Bryce Young is playing the best ball of his pro career, and Thielen is clearly a prime beneficiary. He’s approved for use down the stretch, although the game ahead at Philly is gonna be a challenge.

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Tennessee Titans (17%)

FAB: $7

OK, fine, we give. We are late to the Westbrook-Ikhine party. His name has been buried in the “Additional WRs” bullets for several weeks, but it’s past time to give this man credit for one of the wildest receiving seasons in recent memory. After Sunday’s three-catch, two-TD performance at Washington, he’s up to 20 receptions and eight scores on the season. Obviously, that’s a ridiculous ratio, and this scheduled-weekly-touchdown thing should be unsustainable.

And yet, well … these things just keep happening:

It’s time to simply accept that which we cannot explain.

Westbrook-Ikhine played every snap on Sunday and he’s actually seen 19 targets over his last three games, so the usage is not a problem. Ideally, you will not need to tie your fantasy fate to a Will Levis-led offense, but tough decisions must be made when six teams are on bye. The Titans have a series of friendly matchups on deck, for what it’s worth (JAC, CIN, at IND).

Additional WRs and TEs to consider:

• Another week, another two-catch, one-TD performance from Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Apparently MVS needed Derek Carr to unlock his vast, untapped touchdown-scoring potential.

• Parker Washington saw a dozen targets in a six-catch, 103-yard breakout performance for the Jags on Sunday. Unfortunately, it seems likely he’ll be catching passes from Mac Jones next week and perhaps beyond. He’s only a desperation PPR option for Week 14.

• Will Dissly didn’t play his way into the box-score in Week 13, going receptionless while drawing only one target. He still played 63% of the snaps against Atlanta, however, and he’d caught at least four passes in each of his previous three games. Dissly has a matchup ahead with a Chiefs defense that’s allowed the most catches (80) and receiving yards (942) to opposing tight ends, so he remains squarely on the fantasy radar.

• Cole Kmet has reemerged as a useful piece of the Bears passing game over the past three weeks, benefitting from the OC change like all other Chicago skill players. In a week with a bunch of quality tight ends on bye, Kmet is a viable starter in all formats.

• Dawson Knox had a quiet two-catch, 56-yard performance on Sunday night, but his receiving services weren’t necessarily required, given Buffalo’s complete and utter command of the game. If Dalton Kincaid (knee) remains out of the mix, Knox deserves consideration.

Defense

Arizona Cardinals (15%)

FAB: $2

After a less-than-ideal start to the season, Arizona’s defense has truly played well over the past month. This group has delivered 19 sacks over its last four games, allowing only 13.5 PPG during that stretch. The Cards are headed into a critical home matchup with Seattle’s high-volume passing attack, so there are plenty of dropbacks ahead. Arizona will then face the Patriots and Panthers in Weeks 15-16, so this is a D you can comfortably use as we reach the can’t-lose portion of our fantasy schedule.

Tennessee Titans (5%)

FAB: $1

Whatever else you may think about the Titans, please know this team’s defense had actually played reasonably well over the season’s first three months — at least until Washington picked them apart on Sunday.

Tennessee entered Week 13 ranked ninth against the run and first overall against the pass, allowing only 276.4 total yards per game. The Titans still have both matchups ahead against Jacksonville — including a home date in Week 14 — plus they face the Colts in the fantasy semis. This unit should provide a satisfactory number of sacks and takeaways over the next four weeks, with a decent chance of a defensive TD or two along the way.