Waiver Wire Week 14 | 2023 Fantasy Football

This is the Waiver Wire Week 14!

Oh, you are still here? If you are reading this column, then congratulations. You are playing in a meaningful Week 14 matchup. Your team may be battling for that final playoff spot. You may be on the cusp of a first-round bye. Whatever your team situation, you have come to the right place. There are several players available this week who could be very useful players to roster in the fantasy playoffs.

This week, we have only two teams on a bye: Washington and Arizona.

NOTE: All players are rostered in 75 percent or more of Yahoo Leagues unless listed as a SHALLOW LEAGUE ADD.

Quarterbacks

Gardner Minshew | Indianapolis (23%)

Minshew passed for 312 yards- his most since Week 6. He also completed two TDs as Indianapolis won 31-28 over Tennessee. He is the top QB addition this week on deep league waiver wires. Minshew has a great Week 16 matchup against Atlanta in the fantasy playoffs.

Jameis Winston | New Orleans (1%)

Derek Carr suffered a head injury and could miss this week’s game against Carolina.

Winston would be an auto start in Superflex and an exciting streaming option/DFS play this week.

Mitch Trubisky | Pittsburgh (0%)

Superflex managers can consider Trubisky. I am not excited about using him by any means, but he should put up low-end QB2 numbers which is valuable in Superflex.

Running Backs

Kenneth Gainwell | Philadelphia (27%)

D’Andre Swift was knocked out of the Eagles loss to the 49ers on Sunday with a ferocious hit late in the 4th quarter. Swift appeared to be okay, but that moment spoke to the value Gainwell presents as a handcuff. If Swift were to miss time, Gainwell would be a must-start. If Swift did suffer anything that would keep him out of this week’s game, Gainwell would be a mid RB2 against a stout Dallas defense.

Roschon Johnson | Chicago (21%)

Johnson was my No. 1 Waiver Wire addition and will return to the top 10 this week. In Week 12, Johnson had 75 combined yards and outgained Khalil Herbert. Johnson caught five passes, and he is up to 24 catches on the season.

There is a chance the Bears go back to an ugly three-way committee, but there is also a chance they lean into Johnson’s two-way ability, and he has similar production as he did in Week 12 for the rest of the season. This is a fantasy litmus test.

D’Ernest Johnson | Jacksonville (18%)

Travis Etienne is playing on Monday Night Football, but he was questionable all week long and participated in only limited practices. In Week 12, Etienne briefly exited the game with a chest injury. Johnson has also seen an uptick in touches, with 17 touches in his last two games. I am elevating Johnson in my rankings this week due to his significant contingent upside if Etienne were to miss time.

Rico Dowdle | Dallas (11%)

If Tony Pollard were to miss any time, Dowdle would be a top 15 weekly start at RB.

Elijah Mitchell | San Francisco (17%)

Mitchell has no value without a CMC injury, and even then, he would have the threat of manufactured Deebo Samuel rush attempts. But this 49ers offense is too potent to leave Mitchell on Waiver Wires.

DeeJay Dallas | Seattle (1%)

Kenneth Walker already missed the last two games with an oblique injury, and Zach Charbonnet is now dealing with a knee issue. Dallas could be the next man in.

Latavius Murray (13%) / Leonard Fournette (7%) Buffalo

Murray has had consistent volume of late, with 14, 10, and 12 touches in his last three games played. He would presumably be the next man in if James Cook were to miss time. But the threat of Fournette looms not only on Murray, but over the entire backfield.

The Bills are 6-6 and at a crossroads. The post-Bye Week usage for this offense will be telling. Both players are fine adds this week with Murray being the practical handcuff type and Fournette the lottery ticket.

Chase Brown | Cincinnati (1%)

The Bengals coaching staff commented about how they want to get the rookie RB more involved. He is an intriguing stash if anything were to happen with Joe Mixon.

Chris Rodriguez | Washington (0%)

Rodriguez becomes one to monitor while we pay attention to injury updates regarding Brian Robinson Jr. Antonio Gibson would be a major beneficiary if Robinson were to miss time, but the rookie Rodriguez could carve out a role as well.

Wide Receivers

Jonathan Mingo | Carolina (7%)

Mingo is a must add at the WR position this week. I discussed his increasing usage in last week’s Waiver Wire article, and Mingo did not fail to disappoint. Mingo had a career high of 69 receiving yards and six catches. He led Carolina with ten targets and has had four straight games with six or more targets. Carolina is looking to feature Mingo. He could be a sneaky flex play and faces off against Jacksonville in Week 17.

Jalin Hyatt | New York Giants (5%)

Last week I had Hyatt in the top 10, and I will continue to do so. Here is what I wrote last week.

I want Hyatt to be a thing, so I will be optimistic with him this week on the Waiver Wire. The Giants head to their Bye Week on a two-week winning streak. In a 10-7 game, Hyatt delivered with multiple big plays, including receptions of 29 and 41 yards. Hyatt finished with season highs in targets (six), catches (five) and yards (109). The speedy rookie ending the season on a high note would be a good sign for New York.

DeMario Douglas | New England (26%)

Douglas’ percentage rostered number dropped to 26%- his lowest in weeks- as he missed Week 13’s game vs Los Angeles. In Douglas’s previous two weeks, he had back-to-back weeks with nine targets. If he was dropped in your league, scoop him up even if he missed another week.

Jameson Williams | Detroit (24%)

Williams scored on a reverse in Sunday’s win over New Orleans. This is his second TD in three games. He has been playing in over 60 percent of snaps for several weeks now. Desperate managers can consider Williams a dart throw spot start against a leaky Chicago secondary.

Dontayvion Wicks | Green Bay (1%)

Christian Watson has been on a fantasy heater. He’s scored four TDs over his last three games, including two TDs in Week 13 against Kansas City. Watson also suffered a hamstring injury, and there is a lack of clarity on whether or not he will miss any time.

Dontayvion Wicks Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile

The Packers seem to be downplaying anything serious. However, until we know for sure, Wicks needs to be a priority this week, especially for Watson managers looking for a hedge. Wicks has at least 40 receiving yards in four straight active games, including a 91-yard outburst in Week 11.

Khalil Shakir | Buffalo (12%)

Buffalo’s No. 3 WR. Shakir combined for six catches for 152 yards the past two weeks. He can be used in a pinch and makes for a strong addition in leagues with locked waivers for the playoffs. Shakir gets you access to one of the league’s best offenses, and he is widely available.

Cedric Tillman | Cleveland (0%)

Tillman has been targeted 11 times the past two weeks, and led Cleveland with six targets against the Rams. Amari Cooper suffered a concussion, so Tillman makes for an interesting streaming option in Week 14 against a very generous Jacksonville secondary.

Joshua Palmer | Los Angeles Chargers (29%)

There is hope that Palmer “could play again,” in 2023. I hate this sort of language.

Last week, I had him high up the Waiver Wire rankings. This week I will leave him out of the top 10. However, if you need a lottery ticket WR, Palmer would be a low end WR3/high end WR4 any time he returns.

Demarcus Robinson | Los Angeles Rams (0%)

Robinson seems to have passed Tutu Atwell on the depth chart. Last season, Robinson had some usable weeks in Baltimore. With Puka Nacua set to miss some time, Robinson could be a sneaky addition for deep leaguers.

DeVante Parker | New England (3%)

This is simply an attrition play. New England is getting demolished at the WR position.

Rashod Bateman | Baltimore (16%)

Post Bye Week usage bump? Bateman’s snaps have increased over Baltimore’s last two games. He makes for an interesting speculative addition this week.

Tight Ends

SHALLOW LEAGUE ADD: Chig Okonkwo | Tennessee (31%)

Okonkwo has now had 11 targets and a rushing attempt in his last two games. In Week 13, Okonkwo had a season-high 62 receiving yards including a 39 yard catch- Tennessee’s longest of the day. In the fantasy playoffs, Tennessee faces Houston (bottom three defense against TEs) twice.

Brevin Jordan | Houston (15%)

Dalton Schultz missed Sunday’s game with a hamstring issue, and his return date is uncertain.

Jordan caught three passes for 64 yards and dominated the TE snaps. All of Houston’s targets will become more consolidated with the loss of star WR Tank Dell. Jordan is a top 15 play any week that Schultz misses and should be prioritized by Schultz managers.

Zach Ertz | Free Agent (10%)

We are officially on Ertz watch. Ertz was a high-ranked member of our top 10 earlier in the season as he played ahead of Trey McBride and had three games with six catches early in the year. He eventually was sent to the IR, and McBride’s rapid ascent made Ertz expendable. Arizona released him last week, and Ertz is looking to latch on with a contender. There are some exciting outcomes for Ertz’s landing spot, including Baltimore and Philadelphia. He makes for a solid speculative addition.

Tucker Kraft | Green Bay (6%)

Kraft had a career-high six targets in Green Bay’s win over Kansas City. The production was nothing to get excited about, but six targets is the sort of volume we need to pay attention to in an offense where the passing game is improving weekly. Kraft also scored a TD on Thanksgiving.

Michael Mayer | Las Vegas (7%)

The Raiders are coming off of their bye week, and there could be some self-scouting to get the rookie some more work down the stretch. Mayer was targeted 14 times in his previous three games- not enough to rely on in our lineups, but enough to keep him on the radar. In Week 15, the Raiders face off against the Chargers- the No. 5 worst defense.