Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Add These Players For Week 14

The fantasy playoffs have arrived… or they’re next week. You get the point. It has been one whirlwind of a season to get here. For all the thrills, losses, injuries and more, I hope you at least found some aspect of the season to be fun. Because that’s all fantasy football is. It’s just a made-up game designed to draw out interests even deeper into this great sport. I’m glad I’ve been able to help you out throughout the season, and I’ll continue to do so until the clock strikes zero on the 2021-22 campaign.

But you didn’t come here for my sentiments. You came here for fantasy advice—specifically, waiver targets. Like I said last week, now is the time to stash handcuffs or other players who could make a splash in the final weeks of the season. You also need to keep in mind the teams on bye: Colts, Dolphins, Eagles, Patriots.

Without further ado, here are 22 players to consider adding ahead of Week 14. Best of luck!

And feel free to reach out on Twitter @ZachCohenFB with any more questions. I also tried to just include players who are owned in fewer than 50% of leagues, per FantasyPros’ consensus ownership stats. 

Quarterbacks 

Taysom Hill (QB - NO)

Week 13 Stat Line: 20.66 points, 264 passing yards, 2 passing TD, 4 interceptions, 101 rushing yards

Hill was my Start of the Week for a reason. It doesn’t matter how ineffective he is as a passer. Hill gets the job done on the ground, and even if that doesn’t translate to wins, it should translate for your fantasy team. Honestly, I was pretty shocked to see he was available in 65% of leagues, per FantasyPros. He is a must-add in all formats. Of course, there’s still the possibility Hill is benched for Ian Book or Trevor Siemian, though I doubt either of them would do much for the Saints’ offense anyway. As long as Hill is a starter, he is a must-start in fantasy. He faces the Jets this week. Enough said.

Taylor Heinicke (QB - WSH)

Week 13 Stat Line: 14.84 points, 196 passing yards, 2 passing TD, 1 INT, 10 rushing yards

Look, it’s no secret there aren’t many good quarterbacks available on waivers. I’m pretty reluctant to advise you to pick up Heinicke, but one look at the available quarterbacks makes Heinicke seem a little bit better. We know he can make plays with his legs, so at least he has some upside there. Heineke has also been surprisingly efficient. Over the last four games, he’s thrown only 6-8 incompletions in each. You’ll also find it tough to find another quarterback who’s had more than five 20-plus-point performances like Heinicke. He gets the Cowboys and Eagles twice in his next four games. Something about these late-season NFC East games just screams “shootout.” Heinicke is a last-ditch option if you’re desperate for a starting quarterback. 

Players to watch: Jimmy Garoppolo, Justin Fields

Running Backs

Tevin Coleman (RB - NYJ)

Week 13 Stat Line: 10.7 points, 58 rushing yards, 3 catches on 4 targets, 19 receiving yards

Ty Johnson saw more work in the passing game again, but Coleman saw more work in the run game with 11 carries. He isn’t a great player to start each week, but he’s producing enough to earn a roster spot on fantasy teams. Until Michael Carter comes back from an injury, Coleman isn’t a bad player to have on your bench, especially with one last slate of bye weeks coming up. You definitely shouldn’t start him this week anyway since he faces New Orleans, who has the third-toughest defense against fantasy running backs.

Ameer Abdullah (RB - CAR)

Week 13 Stat Line: Bye

Last week, I told you to pick up Chuba Hubbard. Allow me to backtrack a bit. If Week 12 is any indication, Hubbard won’t be the replacement to Christian McCaffrey. It’s Abdullah. After McCaffrey left with an injury, Abdullah played 49.1% of Carolina snaps while seeing two carries and six targets. Hubbard also saw two carries, yet he only saw one target on 20% of the team’s snaps. Is Hubbard the more proven player? Yes, but Abdullah’s usage in Week 12 suggests he could be the main guy in Carolina’s backfield. Hubbard saw 11-24 carries and 2-6 targets a game from Weeks 3-8. If Abdullah sees that same usage, he could be a league-winner.

Dontrell Hilliard (RB - TEN)

Week 13 Stat Line: Bye 

Hilliard was on his bye, so I’ll just copy/paste what I wrote from last week’s waiver column. He’s a high priority for any fantasy team that needs a running back. 

“I wrote about D’Onta Foreman last week and he posted a formidable 10.2 points on a team-high 19 carries. Ironically enough, Hilliard played one more snap than Foreman despite seeing seven fewer carries. The duo only saw three combined targets, too. Hilliard was pegged as the Titans’ receiving back so it’s encouraging to see him essentially split the backfield with Foreman. While his stat line is padded by a 68-yard touchdown, he saw enough usage to warrant a waiver addition. Remember, there are many steady running backs available in most leagues at this stage of the season. So you should pounce on running backs with a large enough backfield share and clear upside.”

Samaje Perine (RB - CIN)

Week 13 Stat Line: 6.1 points, 36 rushing yards, 2 catches on 2 targets, 5 receiving yards

Perine is another example of a backup running back who could see playing time sooner rather than later. After the Bengals lost to the Chargers, Joe Mixon said he injured his neck during the game. It looked pretty painful, though Mixon still managed to return to the game. He even scored on a tough run. Still, now may be a good time to stash Perine on your bench. When Mixon was limited with an injury in Week 5, Perine scored 18.3 points on 11 carries and five targets. He‘ll have starter value if Mixon misses any time—let alone next week’s game versus the 49ers.

Players to watch: Kenneth Gainwell, Carlos Hyde, Adrian Peterson

Wide Receivers

Russell Gage (WR - ATL)

Week 13 Stat Line: 22 points, 11 catches on 12 targets, 130 receiving yards

Another week, another solid performance from Gage. After what I said last week, it’s pretty surprising to see him available in more than 70% of leagues, per FantasyPros: “If you dropped Gage in recent weeks, I don’t blame you. Gage put up two donuts in the last six weeks, causing many fantasy managers to lose patience after he missed a month with an injury earlier in the season. However, when he wasn’t dropping zeroes, Gage put up WR2 numbers in that six-week span. So excluding his two duds, Gage has been pretty solid.” Week 13 was no exception as Gage led Atlanta with 12 targets and 130 receiving yards. He’s the clear WR1 for the Falcons and a solid flex option for your fantasy team. 

DeVante Parker (WR - MIA)

Week 13 Stat Line: 11.2 points, 5 catches on 5 targets, 62 receiving yards

While FantasyPros says Parker is available in less than half of leagues, his ownership has dipped in recent weeks. That tends to happen when you’re active for just one game since Week 4. Despite Parker’s injury woes, he’s averaged about 12.5 points per game in his six games played. If he’s available in your league, you may be able to wait a week. The Dolphins have their bye week, but their remaining schedule looks good for Parker (with Fantasy Points Allowed to wide receivers): vs. Jets (19), at Saints (28), at Titans (32). He’s a solid flex option when healthy.

K.J. Osborn (WR - MIN)

Week 13 Stat Line: 14.7 points, 4 catches on 7 targets, 47 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD

Osborn has had a few huge games this season, he’s just failed to be consistent with them. That may change as Adam Thielen left Sunday’s loss to Detroit with an ankle injury. As of this writing, we don’t know if Thielen will even miss any time, but Minnesota does have a short week with TNF. Besides, Osborn’s upside is too great to ignore. He, Justin Jefferson, and Tyler Conklin were the only real factors in the Vikings’ passing offense. That may continue in his next two matchups against the Steelers and Bears, both of whom are in the bottom-10 of FPA to wide receivers. Osborn is a solid stash with legit flex appeal if Thielen misses time.

Josh Reynolds (WR - DET)

Week 13 Stat Line: 10.9 points, 4 catches on 7 targets, 69 receiving yards

For the second straight week, Reynolds was a vital part of the Lions’ passing game. While Amon-Ra St.Brown saw more snacks and targets, Reynolds’ stats were pretty similar from Week 12. Here’s a snippet of what I said about Reynolds back then: 

“Normally, I’m not one to jump on a player after one good game. My intrigue with Reynolds lies in his opportunity in Detroit. Reynolds has the skill set to claim his stake as the Lions’ true WR1. Keep in mind, this is still a team that has passed 60% of the time this season. Reynolds has enough upside to be a sneaky addition to your fantasy lineups.” Reynolds isn’t the flashiest pickup, but his role is big enough to make him worth a bench spot. I also expect Detroit to sling the ball a bit more down the stretch.

Players to watch: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jamison Crowder, Deonte Harris

Tight Ends

Tyler Conklin (TE - MIN)

Week 13 Stat Line: 12.6 points, 7 catches on 9 targets, 76 receiving yards

Like I said with Osborn, Conklin was one of the three primary pass-catchers for Minnesota on Sunday. It was also his fifth game this season with double-digit points. That’s why it’s so surprising to see Conklin available in roughly 69% of leagues, per FantasyPros. At this point in the season, you won’t find many tight ends who A) have higher upside and B) are this available. Despite a tough matchup at Pittsburgh Thursday night, Conklin definitely deserves to be rostered if he isn’t already.

Ricky Seals-Jones (TE - WSH)

Week 13 Stat Line: Out with a hip injury

Seals-Jones is another player who you’ll have to monitor over the next day or two. He’s been dealing with a hip injury that kept him out of Sunday’s win over Las Vegas. In the event he suits up next week, he’ll be Washington’s TE1. Logan Thomas is expected to miss some time with a lower leg injury. Seals-Jones did have a solid three-game stretch between Weeks 5-7 as Washington’s main tight end. I like his upside in a Washington offense with no clear secondary target behind Terry McLaurin. Seals-Jones has shown enough to be a streamable option if he starts against Dallas.

Players to watch: Cole Kmet, Cameron Brate