We finally made it to Week 14! Some of you are duking it out for that last playoff roster spot; some of you are sitting pretty, while others start the post-season this week. With Week 14 byes to some heavy-hitting players (I’ll miss you, Jonathan Taylor), you’ll have to hit the waiver wire hard. If you didn’t get who you needed, don’t worry! I’ll take you through some Week 14 post-waiver wire pickups below.
Week 14 Post-Waiver Quarterbacks
Ben Roethlisberger (Rostered in 16.8% of ESPN leagues/22% of Yahoo leagues)
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I like Big Ben’s matchup against the Minnesota Vikings this week. The Vikings are giving up an average of 19.14 fantasy points per game to the opposing quarterback position over the past four weeks. Meanwhile, Ben has thrown for six touchdowns since returning from the bye week. However, what makes this a sneaky play for me is Minnesota’s DOCE Score.
They rank 25th with a score of 6.35, so I can see Ben dumping the ball off to Najee Harris a ton. I wouldn’t recommend starting Ben every week, but if you need a streamer to fill in for someone like Jalen Hurts or Carson Wentz, he should be a solid play in Week 14.
Week 14 Post-Waiver Wide Receivers
DeVante Parker (Rostered in 53% of ESPN leagues/49% of Yahoo leagues)
DeVante Parker isn’t going to help you this week, as he’s on bye, but he’s a stash for me going into the playoffs. In his return from injured reserve in Week 13, Parker caught five balls on five targets for a total of 62 yards. It’s nothing to write home about, but the schedule is juicy going forward.
In Week 15, the Dolphins face the Jets, the New Orleans Saints in Week 16, then as you’re going into your championship week, they get the holy grail of matchups against the Tennessee Titans. The Titans are the league’s worst defense against the wide receiver position on the year, giving up an average of 43.26 fantasy points per game. Parker could be a league winner for some people this year, so get him while you can.
K.J. Osborn (Rostered in 16.6% of ESPN leagues/25% of Yahoo leagues)
I don’t know if it’s league fatigue or what, but it’s insane that K.J. Osborn is still so widely available. Adam Thielen is out with a high ankle sprain, and Osborn seamlessly stepped into his role in Thielen’s absence. Osborn ended the game playing 92% of offensive snaps and saw seven targets. Minnesota’s upcoming schedule is also dreamy, as they get Pittsburgh in Week 14, Chicago in Week 15, the Rams in Week 16, and the Packers in Week 17. Osborn’s usefulness down the stretch will be contingent on Thielen’s return, but he should be a solid start for a minimum of two weeks. Go pick up K.J. Osborn.
Week 14 Post-Waiver Running Backs
JaMycal Hasty (Rostered in 2.4% of ESPN leagues/10% of Yahoo leagues)
The running back position isn’t pretty right now, but that’s what makes JaMycal Hasty such a steal. Fellow running backs Elijah Mitchell and Jeff Wilson Jr. are questionable for Week 14’s matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Trenton Cannon is out, and the 49ers placed Trey Sermon on injured reserve. Hasty is the only healthy back on a run-heavy offense; it’s waiver wire gold.
Of course, we need to monitor the status of Mitchell and Wilson going into Sunday’s matchup, but even if they play, I suspect Hasty gets a bulk of the work. The upcoming schedule has the 49ers facing off against the Bengals, Falcons, Titans, and Texans, so I expect Hasty to see a decent workload throughout the rest of the regular season.
D’Onta Foreman (Rostered in 42.1% of ESPN leagues/46% of Yahoo leagues)
As I said above, running back isn’t pretty right now, but if you need a serviceable back, D’Onta Foreman is your guy. Foreman still has the legs to grind out a good game, and he showed us in Week 12 against the New England Patriots rushing for 109 yards on 19 attempts for a 5.7 yards per carry average. The next few weeks have favorable matchups ahead for Foreman, with games against Jacksonville, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco. Check and see if he’s available.
Week 14 Post-Waiver Tight Ends
Austin Hooper (Rostered in 20.6% of ESPN leagues/22% of Yahoo leagues)
While I typically avoid recommending Cleveland Browns pass-catchers, I’m making an exception this week for Austin Hooper. He is the only healthy tight end on the depth chart after the Browns place David Njoku on the Reserve/COVID list earlier in the week. Cleveland loves to scheme pass plays specifically for their tight ends, and in a divisional matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, I think Hooper plays a significant role.
Good luck navigating the Week 14 post-waiver wire pickups, and be sure to follow @Britt_Flinn on Twitter!
