NFL Waiver Wire: Week 14 Deep Dive

We're in the final stretch of the fantasy season with Week 14 a pivotal week regardless of format. It's championship week in FFPC leagues and the last for waiver wire additions. In most "home leagues", this is the final week of the regular season. So the focus of this edition will be on streaming options, particularly with six teams on bye. We'll also take a longer-term look at a few selections. As always, we won't cover any of the names covered in the traditional waiver column. Best of luck in all matchups this week!

Quarterback

Derek Carr – 16% ESPN, 87% FFPC

The rest of the quarterback list has a boom-or-bust profile while Carr offers some unexciting stability. Particularly for those trying to replace Jayden Daniels or Lamar Jackson in pivotal matchups that will decide playoff positions, stability could be a positive.

Jameis Winston – 10% ESPN, 45% FFPC

We know who Winston is at this point in his career and Monday's performance was about as spot-on as possible. The good news is that it's extremely clear the Browns are willing to run their offense through him and the passing offense. In five starts this season, Winston has attempted at least 40 passes in four. He'll need volume in a tough Week 14 matchup against the Steelers.

Will Levis – 5% ESPN, 85% FFPC

The profiles of Levis and Winston are comparable, though the volume will almost certainly be on the latter. The positive for Levis is that he's shown progress by throwing for multiple TDs in three of his last four outings while also topping 270 yards twice during that span. A matchup against a hapless Jacksonville defense is also encouraging.

Cooper Rush – 3% ESPN, 14% FFPC

Rush is a solid Week 14 stream based on matchup and game script. The Bengals are going to both post and give up points, so the Cowboys aren't likely to be able to hide Rush as they did on their Thanksgiving Day win against the Giants.

Running Back

Braelon Allen – 22% ESPN
Isaiah Davis – 0% ESPN, 2% FFPC

Maybe the Jets were being honest about Breece Hall's injury status, but he logged a season-low 61 percent of offensive snaps and matched a season-low of 12 touches in Week 13. The Jets don't have anything left to play for, so it wouldn't be surprising if Hall is shut down. If that were the case, Allen looks to be in line for more touches with Davis operating more on passing downs and as a change-of-pace back.

Israel Abanikanda – 0% ESPN, 7% FFPC

Abanikanda couldn't carve out a role with the Jets, though he'll have the chance to resurrect his career with the 49ers. Isaac Guerendo is almost certainly going to be the lead back, but Abanikanda is worth a look.

Cam Akers – 18% ESPN, 58% FFPC

Aaron Jones has battled injury and also appeared to be benched after fumbling twice Sunday against the Cardinals. The Vikings turned back to Jones in time for a game-winning receiving score, yet this backfield isn't the most secure.  

Blake Corum – 14% ESPN

Corum played his most snaps (and posted his highest snap rate) and matched a career-high with eight touches in Week 13. He isn't likely to supplant Kyren Williams as the No. 1, though it's worth noting Williams has fumbled five times this season - all coming over the last eight games.

Kimani Vidal – 10% ESPN, 84% FFPC

Vidal was narrowly out-touched by Gus Edwards in the Chargers' first full appearance without J.K. Dobbins (knee). Both backs were fairly efficient, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see Vidal slowly move ahead in the backfield split as we push into the final weeks of the regular season.  

Jeremy McNichols – 10% ESPN, 33% FFPC

Austin Ekeler (concussion) will be sidelined for the rest of the fantasy season, which leaves open the change-of-pace role behind Brian Robinson. McNichols represents the most obvious candidate, though we don't have a true sample of what the backfield will look like given the Commanders' blowout win against the Titans. He's a reasonable stash, but only for those with a roster spot to play with or those already locked into the playoffs as Washington is on a bye during Week 14.

Wide Receiver

Dontayvion Wicks - 10% ESPN

Romeo Doubs remains in concussion protocol and the Packers are back on the field Thursday night. Assuming his status doesn't change, Wicks should operate as the Packers' third receiver as he did on Thanksgiving. That didn't translate much to fantasy production, but a favorable matchup against a beat-up Lions' secondary within a dome should help his cause.

Brandin Cooks – 10% ESPN, 68% FFPC

As was noted in the conversation regarding Cooper Rush, the matchup between the Cowboys and Buccaneers is likely to be a pass-heavy shootout. Cooks returned Week 13 after missing nine games and immediately earned seven targets. He isn't likely to be a reliable contributor, but Week 14 sets up to make him a valuable streaming option.

Hollywood Brown – 22% ESPN, 74% FFPC

For those that don't need to sweat Week 14, Brown is a player to consider stashing as his return from shoulder surgery could come as soon as Week 16. It'll be a tight timeline for him to be a contributor, but he's worth considering as a longshot the final two weeks of most fantasy seasons particularly for those with an open IR spot.

Joshua Palmer – 10% ESPN, 89% FFPC 
Jalen Reagor – 0% ESPN, 1% FFPC

Ladd McConkey (knee) appears to be in legitimate jeopardy of missing the Chargers' pivotal Week 14 showdown with Kansas City as Jim Harbaugh has already announced he's unsure if the wideout will practice in any capacity throughout the week. Joshua Palmer has run a lot of routes while not commanding many targets, yet that could change if McConkey is sidelined. Reagor could be the true deep-league add for those desperate, but he could split the third wide receiver role with Derius Davis.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling – 22% ESPN, 33% FFPC

Valdes-Scantling's production isn't sustainable, but he keeps turning in fantasy-relevant numbers. This isn't an endorsement of his skills profile, though it needs to be mentioned the 25.9, 16.7 and 11.6 fantasy points in his three games for New Orleans. He's earned 10 total targets over that period, so it will eventually come crashing down.

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine – 20% ESPN, 31% FFPC

Westbrook-Ikhine was in the same conversation as Marquez Valdes-Scantling for most of the season, though he's shown signs of graduating from that class with at least five targets from four of his last five appearances. He'll still be a boom-bust option based on the depth of his targets (15.1 across four weeks), but he's getting legitimate target volume.

Demarcus Robinson – 15% ESPN, 86% FFPC

Robinson is touchdown-dependent as he's found the end zone six times during his last six games, yet that's the limit of his appeal.

Elijah Moore – 13% ESPN, 64% FFPC
Michael Woods – 0% ESPN, 0% FFPC

The passing volume in the Browns' offense stands out relative to the rest of the league. With Cedric Tillman (concussion) sidelined Week 13, that passing volume condensed around Moore and Jerry Jeudy. That allowed Moore to record the second 100-yard game of his career. He'll be in for another tough matchup against the Steelers, but his projected volume could be enough to overcome that if Tillman remains out.

Woods is on the Cleveland practice squad, though he would likely be elevated again for Week 14 should Tillman be sidelined. His five targets were fourth on the team in Monday's loss to the Broncos.

Tre Tucker - 7% ESPN, 27% FFPC

Tucker has emerged for splash performances this season, and he's coming off of consecutive productive performances. Those have come in very different forms (eight targets Week 12, one target and a TD Week 13), but he'll draw a very favorable matchup against the Buccaneers in Week 14. Aidan O'Connell made some throws in his last start, so this contest has the potential to be an under-the-radar shootout.

Tight End

Luke Schoonmaker – 11% ESPN, 30% FFPC

Jake Ferguson's (concussion) status remains ambiguous. Given the track record of the concussion protocol, it seems likely he'll be back Week 14, but until we know more Schoonmaker is in streaming consideration. In three full games as the primary tight end, he's managed 10, four and six targets.

Noah Gray – 7% ESPN, 39% FFPC

Gray was another pass catcher who seemed to be on an unsustainable run of production. In some way it was as he's not likely to score four touchdowns across two games again. However, he has seen a total of 15 targets across his last three games.  

Austin Hooper – 1% ESPN, 3% FFPC

Hooper is tough to trust, yet there's a large enough sample of Drake Maye trusting him as a target to be on the radar in deeper leagues. He's run an average of only 16 routes per game over his last four contests, but also has a 25 percent target per route run rate. Hooper does enter a bye week and that likely means he can be pushed as a waiver claim until next week, though it's worth keeping him in mind.

Grant Calcaterra – 1% ESPN, 2% FFPC

Dallas Goedert (knee) is considered week-to-week and could land on IR, which gives Calcaterra potential value until the end of the fantasy season. In the three games Goedert missed from Weeks 7-9, Calcaterra earned a combined nine targets while recording 93 yards. That's not exemplary production, but he should still be considered by those in dire need to fill the position.