2014 Fantasy Football Week 14 Waiver Wire Targets

Most fantasy owners are now entering the playoffs so congratulations to those who have succeeded this season.  For those who are not in the playoffs, hopefully you still have enough in the tank to not come in last.  Your team still matters!  Why should all the playoff teams get the good waiver picks?  Staying active on the waiver wire even when you’re out of it can really keep a league competitive and fun.  At the very least, you make it harder on the competition and could fuel some fun tirades or emails.  If you’re in a keeper league then your season is never over and you should always be looking for good waiver pickups to pay off for next year.  Below, you can find a good mix of both.  Good luck in the playoffs!

As always, ownership percentages are for ESPN and Yahoo leagues respectively.

Quarterbacks

“Hot Hands”

Colt McCoy, Redskins (2.8%/6%): He has the reigns of the Redskins offense for the rest of the year and they have one of the weakest strengths of schedules for quarterbacks going forward.  They face the Rams, Giants and Eagles who sit as the 13th, 25th and 29th ranked defenses respectively against opposing quarterbacks.  He played well Sunday, throwing three touchdowns and 392 yards on 31 completions.  He’s a good play going forward in 2-QB leagues and could be a sneaky surprise in single QB leagues if he continues his good play against his easy schedule.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, Texans (4.5%/8%): This isn’t going to happen every week but it is nice to see what this offense is capable of.  It also helps when Arian Foster is involved and healthy.  I think that was the main reason for Fitzpatrick’s success Sunday as teams stack the box more with him playing.  While he won’t duplicate his 358 yard, six touchdown performance, he has a good opportunity to get close next week against the lowly Jaguars pass defense.

Brian Hoyer (16.4%/14%)/Johnny Manziel, Browns (2.7%/13%): It hasn’t been announced officially who the starter will be against the Colts.  The Browns are 7-5 under Hoyer and still in the AFC playoff picture so I don’t think they would want to change gears so quickly to Manziel.  Ownership and the coaching staff haven’t decided yet though so they must be weighing the options for each.  I believe Hoyer will be the guy this week but depending on how he performs, the Browns could switch again and that time maybe for good.

“Dynasty”

Zach Mettenberger, Titans (9.1%/5%): His shoulder injury turns out to not be serious and he should be playing Week 14 against the Giants.  He was playing well, throwing for 608 yards, four touchdowns and two picks in his last two games and seemed more comfortable.  Hopefully his injury really isn’t too serious and he can return without limitations.  Either way, his dynasty stock is up given the potential of what he can do when he is playing well.

Fliers/Streamers: Kyle Orton, Bills.  Teddy Bridgewater, Vikings.  Shaun Hill, Rams.

Running Backs

“Hot Hands”

Daniel Herron, Colts (40.9%/47%): It was just a matter of time before he got into the endzone.  He scored Sunday on an impressive 49-yard scamper.  He only needed eight carries to rack up 88 yards.  Even if we were to take out the 49-yard run, his other seven carries went for 39 yards giving him an impressive 5.5 yards per carry.  The ineffectiveness of Trent Richardson has to be weighing on the Colts and despite losing his second fumble in as many games, Herron is just more decisive and explosive.  He will break the plays in open field and he is who the Colts should favor in carries.  Herron should be an RB2 going forward and should have no problem mirroring Ahmad Bradshaw’s numbers from earlier this season.

Doug Martin, Buccaneers (42.4%/46%): Is he back?  While Charles Sims only handled five carries Sunday for the Bucs, Doug Martin carried the ball a season-high eighteen times.  He turned those touches into 58 yards and a score.  He may have been dropped in your league as he’s now owned in less than 50% of both ESPN and Yahoo leagues.  A now-healthy Martin will most likely not quite return to his previous self but he’s worth picking up in most leagues as an RB3 with RB2 potential.  This is still a backfield in flux though as both Sims and Martin have shown potential.

Jonathan Stewart, Panthers (30.5%/27%): He’s finally healthy...again.  Only time will tell if his health is real this time or if he’s just a turn away from another ankle issue.  The good news is that the Panthers face easy run defenses to finish out their year in the Saints, Buccaneers, and Browns.  DeAngelo Williams broke a bone in his hand but Ron Rivera has said he could still play next week if the swelling subsides.  Stewart has been the better back as of late and when you couple that with the injury to Williams - we should see Stewart receive 15+ touches per game, barring injury to him of course.

Marion Grice, Cardinals (0.1%/1%): Andre Ellington left Sunday’s game with an injury he sustained while trying to block a blitz in the second quarter.  It was Grice who took over running back duties but he only had five carries.  At least he had more than Stepfan Taylor’s zero though.  The Cardinals were limited on what they could do on offense as the Falcons put them in an early hole.  If Ellington’s injury makes him sit in the future, it is cloudy how this backfield will shake out.  If you have Ellington, you will want one of the two if you want to stay in this running game.  I would go with Grice because the Cards may be playing from behind more and he’s who they kept on the field to catch passes out of the backfield.

“Dynasty”

Latavius Murray, Raiders (37.4%/49%): Don’t forget about him.  He didn’t play this weekend because he is still recovering from a concussion he suffered against the Chiefs two weeks ago.  Since the Raiders don’t want to have 50+ points put on them again, they will most likely utilize Murray to burn clock.  I believe he is the future workhorse for this backfield as Darren McFadden and Maurice Jones-Drew are often injured and definitely not as spry as they used to be.  Get him now and he could get you some solid points to finish this year as well as great keeper potential for next year.

Robert Turbin, Seahawks (2.5%/3%): For those in keeper leagues who are out of the running, make sure to jump on the heir apparent in Seattle.  But what about Christine Michael?  He may very well get his chance too but for now, it’s Turbin who is getting the secondary touches to Marshawn Lynch in Seattle.  The Seahawks-Lynch relationship is coming to an end very publicly so there should be a new workhorse back there next year.  Right now, it looks like Turbin is getting the first crack at winning the job and therefore is a great speculative choice to keep for a team already rebuilding for next year.

Fliers/Streamers: Andre Williams, Giants.  Matt Asiata, Vikings.  Chris Johnson, Jets.

Wide Receivers

“Hot Hands”

Kenny Stills, Saints (17.7%/42%): Stills continues to be the favorite long-ball target of Drew Brees and is making it count.  He caught five passes for a staggering 162 yards and a touchdown.  He ran a great route to make a pretty good corner, Ike Taylor, slip and fall on his touchdown catch.  He’s caught 17-of-19 for 292 yards and two touchdowns in his past three games.  The Saints get an easily burnable Panthers secondary next week so expect Stills to catch another long ball or two.  He caught 5-of-8 for 72 yards in their first meeting this year.

Harry Douglas, Falcons (1.3%/4%): With Roddy White out, Douglas stepped into the WR2 slot for the Falcons and caught nine balls for 116 yards.  He flashed great skills last season when Julio Jones was on the IR and White was banged up.  If White is to miss any more time, Douglas has proven he can handle coverage playing opposite Jones.  For fantasy purposes, he’s a possible flex play with White playing and a WR3 without him.

Greg Jennings, Vikings (35.1%/26%): Teddy Bridgewater found Jennings in the endzone for the second week in a row.  Now it seems that each week another receiver is spotlighted for Bridgewater so it’s hard to trust anyone on a weekly basis.  If you’re desperate though or you need a what-the-heck flex, either Jennings or Charles Johnson could be good hail mary’s.  The Vikings receivers get the depleted Jets secondary this week who’ve given up 12 touchdowns to receivers this year.  The Jets have held receivers without a touchdown only four times all year so there’s good odds one receiver gets in the endzone.  My pick is the veteran, Jennings.

“Dynasty”

Donte Moncrief, Colts (1.5%/5%): Moncrief was targeted only four times but caught three en route to 134 yards and two touchdowns.  He remains a third option behind T.Y. Hilton and Reggie Wayne on the receiver chart though.  Andrew Luck will spread the wealth as he sees fit given the matchups he sees.  You won’t want to trust Moncrief as a starter on a weekly basis this season but with Reggie Wayne not getting any younger, next year he could take a big step forward.

Davante Adams, Packers (6.8%/11%): Since Darrelle Revis was matched up on Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb, Adams received more targets than usual.  The same thing goes for Adams as Moncrief in that he is clearly a third option.  There aren’t many offenses that can have three fantasy relevant receivers, the Packers are definitely one of them.  If anything happens to either Nelson or Cobb, Adams will enter the starting conversation  There aren’t really handcuffs for receivers but Adams fits that role if you have either other receivers, you should own Adams too.

Stedman Bailey, Rams (4.3%/2%): Bailey burned another defense Sunday in a second breakout performance.  He caught 5-of-6 for 100 yards but didn’t reach the endzone this week.  Still, his performance was a good sign for things to come.  The Rams have been waiting for a receiver to separate themselves from the pack and lead the group.  Brian Quick was solid until he got hurt.  Tavon Austin has shown flashes as well but it seems like Bailey has connected with Shaun Hill.  After tearing up the Raiders defense, he gets an equally soft Redskins in Week 14.

Fliers/Streamers: Jarvis Landry, Dolphins.  Andrew Hawkins, Browns.  Malcom Floyd, Chargers.  Marqise Lee, Jaguars.

Tight Ends

“Hot Hands”

Heath Miller, Steelers (39.6%/62%): He’s been a rollercoaster this year and currently is more up than down.  He led the Steelers in targets with 14 on Sunday, catching eight for 82 yards.  He’s seen more volume over his last two games but he still remains dependent on touchdowns.  While the Bengals rank 26th against opposing tight ends in fantasy scoring, many of that came in the first six weeks.  He’s a bit of a desperation play to chase a touchdown but he could have another double-digit target day and with volume comes better chance for scoring.

Jermaine Gresham, Bengals (10%/8%): Gresham, like Miller, is another tight end that needs touchdowns to remain in the tight end starting conversation.  He gets a great matchup for touchdown dependent tight ends in the Steelers coming up who have let tight ends score eight times this year.  They’ve also allowed a touchdown to tight ends for four weeks straight too.  This play could backfire but for those who are desperate, he has a good chance of scoring.

Anthony Fasano, Chiefs (1.3%/3%): He’s yet another touchdown dependent tight end but that’s what the majority of the position is these days.  He gets a good opportunity to score coming up against a Cardinals defense that has allowed five touchdowns this year and are a bottom-five defense against opposing tight ends in terms of fantasy scoring.  He’s scored in back to back games as well.

“Dynasty”

Jordan Reed, Redskins (24.6%/50%): He’s returned from injury again and hopefully this time he can stay on the field.  Was he dropped in your league?  He was on fire Sunday playing against a Colts team that gives up a lot of fantasy points to opposing tight ends, catching 9-of-11 for 123 yards.  It was Logan Paulsen thought who was the tight end to catch a touchdown.  McCoy seems to like throwing to his tight end as Reed led the Redskins in targets.  If he can stay healthy, he’ll be a borderline TE1 through the rest of the year and is a great keeper value if he could stay healthy in the offseason.

Fliers/Streamers: Jared Cook, Rams.  Scott Chandler, Bills.  Kyle Rudolph, Vikings.

Defenses/ST

Vikings D/ST: They’re playing the turnover-friendly Jets this week and coming off a week where they blocked two kicks, this unit is looking sharp.

Saints D/ST: They face the Panthers this week, a team that allowed them to score 13 fantasy  points when they played Week 9.

Ravens D/ST: This group plays the Dolphins Sunday who the Jets just held to mostly field goals.  

Steelers D/ST: Andy Dalton keeps turning the ball over so you should feel confident with this group this week.

Kickers

Caleb Sturgis, Dolphins: 24/29 FG, 31/31 XP

Shayne Graham, Saints: 17/18 FG, 36/37 XP

Greg Zuerlein, Rams: 17/21 FG, 30/30 XP

Connor Barth, Broncos: 5/5 FG, 2/2 XP

Kai Forbath, Redskins: 19/22 FG, 25/26 XP