With just Monday Night Football still to happen, now is that glorious time of the week when we turn our attention to Week 14 and attack the fantasy football waiver wire.
Pretty much everyone who could’ve gotten injured this weekend got injured this weekend. Lamar Jackson, Jimmy Garoppolo, Tua Tagovailoa, Kenneth Walker, Aaron Jones, Jaylen Waddle, the list goes on. With so many injures around the league, the waiver wire is more important than ever.
To be as helpful as possible to you dear readers, I’ve ranked my top 5 players at each position, ranging from a little over 50% rostered in Sleeper leagues to well under the 30% mark. No matter your league size, there’s someone in here for you.
Let’s begin!
Quarterbacks
1. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (49% rostered): Goff finished Sunday with 340 yards and 2 touchdowns. He now has back-to-back games with two touchdowns and faces the Vikings in Week 14.
2. Tyler Huntley, Baltimore Ravens (3%): Lamar Jackson is expected to be week-to-week with his knee injury, opening the door for possibly multiple starts for Huntley. Huntley threw for 187 yards and rushed for 41 and a touchdown vs the Broncos Sunday.
3. Mike White, New York Jets (21%): White can’t be stopped, throwing for over 300 yards again (369) and adding a touchdown on the ground this week. He’s got a touch matchup vs the Bills this week, but then gets the Lions, Jaguars, Seahawks, and Dolphins.
4. Mac Jones, New England Patriots (21%)
5. Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh Steelers (23%)
Running Backs
1. James Cook, Buffalo Bills (32%): Cook had his biggest game Thursday night, leading the Bills’ backfield in snap percent (48%), touches (20), and yards (105). The rookie has certainly earned a larger role moving forward.
2. Zonovan Knight/Ty Johnson, Jets (55%/14%): Knight followed up his Week 12 breakout with 118 total yards on 20 touches vs the Vikings. His fantasy value remains tied to Michael Carter’s health. Ty Johnson meanwhile has the passing game locked down, playing over 60% of the snaps in passing situations. With the Bills next, Johnson might be heavily involved as the Jets try and keep up with Buffalo.
3. DeeJay Dallas, Seattle Seahawks (3%): Kenneth Walker left with an ankle injury and Dallas became Seattle’s primary back. He finished with 37 yards on 10 carries playing the majority of backfield snaps. However, Dallas himself also suffered an injury so his health has to be monitored.
4. Cam Akers, Los Angeles Rams (55%)
5. Jordan Mason, 49ers (15%)
Wide Receivers
1. Darius Slayton, New York Giants (65%): Last chance to snag Slayton who’s had over 85 yards receiving in three of his last four games. He has a PER rating of 1.64, 11th-best among WRs.
2. Jameson Williams, Lions (59%): Williams made his NFL debut Sunday and while only seeing one target, is a must-add where available.
3. Nico Collins, Houston Texans (39%): Collins has seen at least at least nine targets in three of his last four games. He’s also scored two touchdowns during that time.
4. Jahan Dotson, Washington Commanders (32%)
5. Corey Davis, Jets (18%): In his second game back from injury, Davis played 81% of snaps and saw a 17.5% target share. The Jets have some favorable matchups moving forward and this passing game has a lot more fantasy value with Mike White under center.
Tight Ends
1. Greg Dulcich, Denver Broncos (42%): Dulcich was Russell Wilson’s No. 1 target in Week 13, leading the team with 8, catching 6 for 85 yards. With all the injures Denver has suffered at the WR position, Dulcich has a real shot to continue being a target hog.
2. Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars (47%): Engram is a pivotal piece of the Jaguars offense with a 14% target share, tied for 12th among TEs.
3. Daniel Bellinger, Giants (6%): After missing four weeks, Bellinger returned and immediate saw 5 targets, catching all for 24 yards. While not the flashiest line, that level of target share in your first game back is notable. Bellinger ranks TE5 in PER rating (1.74 points per target) and TE6 in NECC rating.
4. Noah Fant, Seattle Seahawks (18%)
5. Tyler Conklin, Jets (36%)