Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups

How are you fantasy football owners feeling after Week 13? Are you bound for the fantasy football playoffs? Because ready or not they are here!

We saw a ton of action Week 13 and saw some productive fantasy outings from last week’s article that included Nyheim Hines, Spencer Ware, and Dante Pettis.

Key Tips:

Handcuffs, handcuffs, and more handcuffs. If you have learned anything from this past week, you need to make sure you have handcuffs for your stud running backs.

It’s playoff time, which means it’s “do or die time”. Focus on the week at hand rather than prioritize future matchups.

Without further ado, here are your waiver wire targets for Week 14 fantasy playoffs!

Week 14 Waiver Wire QB Pickups

Josh Allen

ESPN: Less than 4% owned

The QB1 overall over the past two weeks, the Buffalo Bills QB has been straight balling! Via Ryan McDowell on Twitter: Josh Allen has 234 rushing yards in the past two games. LeSean McCoy has 478 rushing yards all season. It’s that we start talking about Allen in the same breath as Lamar Jackson. There are both running QBs. Allen is currently the QB2 overall on the week and has averaged over 100 yards rushing over the past two weeks. So should you buy into your fantasy playoffs? The Bills are playing the Jets at home in Week 14. The Jets have allowed at least 17 fantasy points to the QB position and 2 passing touchdowns to each QB they have faced over the past three weeks. In Week 10, Bills backup QB Matt Barkley scored 17 fantasy points versus the Jets. I think Allen needs to be rostered in all leagues and is a streamable option against the Jets in Week 14.

Derek Carr

ESPN: Less than 11% owned

So here’s the thing about Derek Carr. When the Raiders score more than 24 points at home he is great in fantasy. The Raiders have scored at least 24 points at home three times this season, and Carr averages 30 fantasy points per game in those matchups. Pittsburgh has allowed 23.5 points per game this season and 24.3 points per game over their last three games. The Steelers have allowed 2 passing touchdowns to three of the last four quarterbacks they have played. There is obvious risk involved here however as the Steelers pass defense on the road has allowed the second-fewest passing yards on the road per game.

*Priority Order* FAAB Spend: Allen, Carr: 5% of the total budget

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Week 14 Waiver Wire RB Pickups

Justin Jackson

ESPN: Less than 12% owned

Jackson rushed eight times for 63 yards and a touchdown, adding 19 more yards on one reception in Week 13. Austin Ekeler got the start for the injured Melvin Gordon (knee), but Jackson saw a ton of work in the second half. He provided some spark to the offense which was extremely apparent to quarterback Philip Rivers described in his post-game interview. Still, Jackson was just at 22% of the snaps and saw just eight carries versus Ekeler’s thirteen carries. Regardless the matchup is great for both of these guys against the Bengals in Week 14 if Gordon is once again sidelined. Cincinnati gives up the 2nd most fantasy points to the RB position.

FAAB Spend: 10%

Jaylen Samuels

ESPN: Less than 4% owned

For those handcuffs, this is the best handcuff that you can find on the waiver wire. James Conner is banged up with a lower-leg injury, creating the opportunity for Samuels to flourish in a very running back happy system. He’s a must-start versus the Oakland Raiders who have allowed the most rushing yards to running backs this season and second-most rushing attempts per game.

FAAB Spend: 10%

LeGarrette Blount

ESPN: Less than 45% owned

The Arizona Cardinals have allowed 15 rushing touchdowns this season, the most on the year. They have allowed the most rushing attempts, third-most rushing yards, and the most red-zone touches. Blount has run the ball pretty well in the absence of Kerryon Johnson rushing for 149 rushing yards on 35 rushing attempts for 4.2 yards per carry. Blount has averaged 17 plus carries in the past two weeks. The Cardinals this season have allowed every running back not named Matt Breida to double-digit fantasy points that have seen at least 14 carries.

FAAB Spend: 5%

Jeffery Wilson Jr.

ESPN: Less than 0% owned

Matt Breida has already been ruled out in Week 14, making way for Jeff Wilson Jr. to become the presumed starter in San Francisco. We have seen all sorts of success from San Franciso running backs all season regardless of the name on the back of the jersey. Enter Wilson Jr. who rushed for 61 yards on 15 carries and added eight receptions for 73 yards on nine targets. Now the matchup in Week 14 is good from a reception standpoint, with the Broncos allowing the ninth-most receptions to the RB over the past two weeks. However, overall over the past four weeks, the Broncos have allowed the seventh-fewest fantasy points to the RB position. The one concern for Wilson is just if he can repeat the passing-game production. Mullens threw for over 400 yards on 48 passing attempts in a lot of garbage time in Week 13. Denver is allowing just 36 passing attempts per game this season, so temper your expectations on total passing yardage for the 49ers this week. The 49ers tend to run the ball more at home. They rank 9th in the league with 29.4 rushing attempts per game at home.

FAAB Spend: 3%

Rex Burkhead

ESPN: Less than 12% owned

In his first game back since returning from IR, Burkhead logged 17 out of a possible 74 snaps on offense. He accumulated seven carries for 20 yards and had two catches for 21 yards. Seems like another handcuff option right behind James White and Sony Michel. Could be an interesting glory play against the Miami Dolphins who have allowed the fourth-most rushing yards to the running back position this season.

FAAB Spend: 3%

Nyheim Hines

ESPN: Less than 31% owned

Hines played in 60.53% of snaps on offense in Sunday’s 6-0 loss to the Jaguars, en route to carrying four times for 5 yards and catching nine targets for 50 yards. The thing to point out about his usage specifically is that he played in more snaps than Marlon Mack (36.84%). The matchup on the ground is tough for Mack with the Texans allowing the second-fewest fantasy points to the RB position over the past four weeks. However, they have allowed the third-most receptions to the RB position over the past two weeks, creating the narrative that Hines could see heavy usage. The last time these teams faced off Hines scored 28.3 fantasy points.

FAAB Spend: 3%

Honorable Mentions: Malcolm Brown LAR, Jalen Richard OAK, Chris Thompson WAS, Rashaad Penny SEA, Kenneth Dixon BAL

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Week 14 Waiver Wire WR Pickups

Anthony Miller ESPN: Less than 42% owned Dropped by a lot of players this past week he needs to be added if Mitchell Trubisky comes back to face the Rams in Week 14. Miller ran 34 routes in Week 13, eight behind Allen Robinson. He finished the day with just one catches for a touchdown. The reason to continue excitement about Miller is his usage in the slot. In Week 13, Miller played on a team-high 79.4% of snaps in the slot. He also has the most catches (25), most yards (342), and most touchdowns (5) from the slot. In Week 14, the Bears will be playing the Rams. The Rams have allowed eight touchdown passes to slot wide receivers this season. FAAB Spend: 5% Curtis Samuel ESPN: Less than 13% owned Samuel caught six of 11 targets for 88 yards and carried one time for an additional eight yards in Week 13. Samuel led the Panthers in targets and catches in a week where everyone was expecting those targets and touches to go to D.J. Moore. Samuel made the most of his snap share (82%) with the Panthers losing Greg Olsen and slowly working Devin Funchess back in the lineup. Samuel gets the Browns in Week 14. Worth noting though that Samuel could take a backseat if Funchess gets more playing time in Week 14. Funchess leads the wide receivers on Carolina with 11 red zone opportunities and the Browns have allowed 11 red zone targets to the wide receiver position over the past four weeks. FAAB Spend: 2% Adam Humphries ESPN: Less than 42% owned DeSean Jackson (thumb) was out in Week 13 and this created a huge target share for slot receiver Humphries to thrive for the Buccaneers. Winston absolutely loves targeting this guy. He currently locked into that number two receiver role on the Buccaneers. Since Week 6 he has averaged 15.2 fantasy points per game and his best games continue to come with Jameis Winston under center. He’s the WR19 in PPR on points per game basis since Week 6 and has another great matchup this week against the Saints. The Saints have struggled to cover slot receivers all season, so it looks like another day at the office for Adam Humphries. FAAB Spend: 5% Dante Pettis ESPN: Less than 3% owned I spoke about Pettis on last week’s article and the kid did it again in the absence of Pierre Garcon and Marquise Goodwin. He led the 49ers’ wide receivers in targets (7) and in snaps played (93%) for a second straight week. He’s run the eighth most routes (84) in the NFL over the past two weeks with a 2.45 yards per route run. Pettis is the WR13 in PPR over the past two weeks. Pettis five of seven passing attempts for 129 yards and two touchdowns. With the 49ers in a lost season, it would make sense for them to continue to get their rookie receiver more playing time with guys like Garcon uncertain with their future. The matchup against Denver in Week 14 is also pretty good with the Broncos allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to the WR position over the last two weeks. Also, Chris Harris the Broncos’ primary slot receiver is out with an injury for the unforeseeable future. Pettis sees a decent amount of work out of the slot with 31% of his snaps played over the past two weeks in the slot. FAAB Spend: 5%

Honorable Mentions: Jordy Nelson OAK, Robert Foster BUF, Quincy Enunwa NYJ, Bruce Ellington DET, Courtland Sutton DEN, Michael Gallup DAL, Zay Jones BUF, Chris Conley KC

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Week 14 Waiver Wire TE Pickups

Antonio Gates

ESPN: Less than 13% owned

So here’s the thing with Antonio Gates. The Cincinnati Bengals give up the 2nd most fantasy points to the TE position. Gates’ two best games this season have come at home this season, and with no Melvin Gordon more than likely Philip Rivers could look more towards Gates’ in the red zone. The Bengals have allowed the 4th most red zone touches to the tight end position (11) and the fifth-most red zone targets (16).

FAAB Spend: 1%

Ian Thomas ESPN: Less than 0% owned Well, Greg Olsen is back on the shelf. With him missing the rest of the season Thomas will be thrust back into the starting tight end role. Thomas failed to produce when Olsen first went down, but he should see an uptick in targets moving forward. He has a great matchup this week versus the Cleveland Browns who have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to the tight end position over the past four weeks. Specifically, they have allowed the most red-zone touches and red-zone targets to the tight end position over the last four weeks. No team has allowed more total targets to the tight end position than the Browns. Thomas is also coming off his best game as a pro, with five receptions for 46 yards. FAAB Spend: 1% Mark Andrews ESPN: Less than 2% owned One of my favorite tight ends adds this week, I think Andrews can be solid for anybody that is desperate for a tight end. With Andrews, you will not get a zero! In eight games this season Andrews has scored at least six fantasy points. Kansas City gives up the 3rd most fantasy points to the TE position and the most points to the tight end over the past four weeks. They also allow the second-most targets and the most yards to the tight end position. Yards per route run is a very indicative statistic of future success and Andrews’ yard per route run this season is 1.80. That is the seventh-highest of all tight ends with at least 36 targets. And his yards per route run over the past four weeks? 4.12! FAAB Spend: 1% Dan Arnold ESPN: Less than 1% owned Another tight end that has been seeing more work over the past month, Arnold has 100% surpassed Ben Watson on the depth chart. His yards per route run over the past month is 3.19 and the matchup is great against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to the tight end position. In 12 games the Buccaneers have allowed a top 12 tight end nine times. FAAB Spend: 1%

Honorable Mentions: Hunter Henry LAC, Chris Herndon IV NYJ, Dallas Goedert PHI,

C.J. Uzomah CIN, Matt LaCosse DEN, Gerald Everett LAR, Jonnu Smith TEN

Defense/Special Teams Week 14 Waiver Wire Pickups

Bills DST vs New York Jets

New York gives up the 6th most fantasy points to the DEF position.

ESPN: Less than 42% owned

Cowboys DST vs Eagles

Cowboys defense at home has scored at least seven points in five of their six home games.

ESPN: Less than 33% owned

Saints DST vs Buccaneers

The Saints defense has scored double-digit fantasy points in five of their last six games.

ESPN: Less than 34% owned

Giants DST vs Redskins

Two words: Mark Sanchez. The Giants defense is also coming off their best game of the season in which they scored 16 fantasy points.

ESPN: Less than 3% owned

– Andrew Erickson is a fantasy writer for Gridiron Experts. Follow me on Twitter: @AndrewErickson_

Most added player on the #WaiverWire for Week 14? — Andrew Erickson™ (@AndrewErickson_) December 4, 2018

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