With Thanksgiving weekend behind us, we look forward to the fantasy football playoff push. We have eight teams on bye between Week 13 and 14, multiple injuries to monitor, and countless contingency plans to put into place. Our Week 14 waiver wire watchlist will pinpoint the players at each position we believe will yield the greatest value, both next week and for the remainder of the fantasy season and playoffs.
Yours truly has highlighted studs before their breakouts all season, a big reason why most of my fantasy teams have enjoyed strong campaigns despite myriad injuries. Our watchlist has pointed readers in the direction of C.J. Stroud, Kyren Williams, Puka Nacua, and countless other elite producers when they were all under 50-percent rostered. Now, those guys look like league-winners — not bad for speculative adds that cost $0 in FAAB and didn't use up a waiver priority.
We've been telling you all year: make the most of your open roster spots, or one of your opponents will. Try to anticipate who will be Week 14's top pickups after strong performances this weekend. Be proactive about your bye weeks and bad matchups by choosing your upcoming streamers now. By adding potential boom players as free agents before their breakouts, you find solid production without burning a valuable waiver claim or FAAB money.
WEEK 13 FANTASY ADVICE:
Sleepers | Busts | Projections | Start-sit
At this part of the season — especially with six teams on bye this week and two off next week — we're all playing matchups, with many just limping from week to week due to injuries. If you're in that camp, it's smart to plan ahead and get your first choice a weekend ahead before other owners jump into the frenzy once new information emerges. Our waiver-wire watchlist helps you think about the future while the rest of your league is thinking about the present.
Some shallower leagues don't feature enough roster spots to really take advantage of "planning ahead" — but for those in leagues that do, our week-ahead watchlist will continue to be helpful all year long. Even though you won't pick up most (or in some cases, all) of these players, it's at least worth watching their snap counts and target shares to file away for later.
WEEK 13 DFS:
DK lineup | FD lineup | Best stacks | Best values
Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Watchlist
Reminder: This list was put together in the lead-in to Week 13, looking forward to the players who could be popular waiver wire targets ahead of Week 14. If you have a roster spot to play with, these are free agent options you could grab early to beat the waiver buzz.
All these players are below 50 percent ownership on Yahoo unless otherwise specified.
Week 14 Fantasy Waiver Wire Watchlist: QB
WEEK 14 BYES: Arizona Cardinals, Washington Commanders
Aaron Rodgers, Jets vs. Texans in Week 14 (23 percent rostered)
Well, here we are! The clearly immortal Rodgers appears set to make his triumphant return within the next two games for Gang Green despite tearing his Achilles just 12 weeks ago. The Jets have strong matchups in each of the next four games (vs. Atlanta, vs. Houston, @ Jets, vs. Washington), so it's quite possible that the four-time MVP transforms from an IR stash to a fantasy league-winner. I've added him in all four of my Yahoo leagues with the mindset that I just don't want to be on the wrong side of history if he truly pulls this off and produces elite late-season fantasy numbers. If you have multiple IR spots, it costs you nothing to just scoop and stash the man. at the very least, he's a high-ceiling backup plan for your current QB1.
Will Levis, Titans at Dolphins (22%)
Levis dazzled the masses in his NFL debut, but the rookie QB has come crashing back to Earth since then. Still, if you have Kyler Murray or Sam Howell on bye next week, we could think of far worse situations than Levis in Miami. Save for some incredible Jalen Ramsey plays over the past few weeks, the Dolphins have been largely beatable through the air this season. They have surrendered the 13th-most fantasy points to QBs, and opposing signal-callers almost always have to air the ball out a ton to even dream of staying in games with Tua, Tyreek, and company. Streaming Levis in the final week of the fantasy regular season is obviously suboptimal, but we could see a path to a high-floor Week 14 performance.
MORE POTENTIAL WEEK 14 QB STREAMS (it's not great): Derek Carr, Saints vs. Panthers (48%); Gardner Minshew, Colts at Bengals (21%); Desmond Ridder, Falcons vs. Buccaneers (7%)
WEEK 13 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Week 14 Fantasy Waiver Wire Watchlist: RB
WEEK 14 BYES: Arizona Cardinals, Washington Commanders
Samaje Perine, Broncos (31 percent rostered)
The Broncos' backfield has been a rollercoaster ride this season. We've seen Javonte Williams dazzle as the clear workhorse back through large stretches, then Jaleel McLaughlin served as his fill-in when Williams missed time. Now, despite Williams and McLaughlin both healthy, Perine has seemingly emerged as the clear No. 2 option — and a viable flex option in plus matchups — the rest of the way. The veteran has scored 13.6-plus PPR points in each of Denver's past two games, garnering at least eight touches in both contests. He's not an auto-start by any means, but he's a fine stream against the Chargers in Week 14 and would immediately become a strong RB2 if Williams were to sustain an injury.
Roschon Johnson, Bears (22%)
Johnson played 74 percent of snaps and handled the majority of Chicago's RB touches (15) last week, seemingly indicating that he's jumped Khalil Herbert on the depth chart. D'Onta Foreman (ankle) could come back next week and spoil the fun, but if Johnson continues in that role, he'll have major breakout potential down the stretch, especially in Week 16 against Arizona.
MORE POTENTIAL RB PICKUPS: Elijah Mitchell, 49ers (16%); Jeff Wilson Jr., Dolphins (16%); D'Onta Foreman, Bears (44%); Tyjae Spears, Titans (34%); Ty Chandler, Vikings (29%); Justice Hill, Ravens (18%)
WEEK 13 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Week 14 Fantasy Waiver Wire Watchlist: WR
WEEK 14 BYES: Arizona Cardinals, Washington Commanders
Romeo Doubs, Packers (54 percent rostered)
Christian Watson and Jayden Reed have turned the most heads among Green Bay receivers over the past few weeks, but Doubs hasn't exactly been a slouch. He has scored four times since Week 7 and averaged 10.8 PPR points in that span. With Aaron Jones endlessly dealing with injuries and AJ Dillon remaining one of the least effective power backs in the NFL, Jordan Love and the Packers must continue to throw the ball to succeed. Doubs could make for a good stream in Week 14 or 15 against the Giants and Bucs, both of which have been among the five most generous defenses to wideouts in fantasy this season.
Odell Beckham Jr., Ravens (44%)
Beckham cooled off against the Chargers last week, but he scored 41.2 total PPR points over the previous three weeks. With Mark Andrews on the shelf and Rashod Bateman continuing to struggle with consistency, the veteran wideout has become Lamar Jackson's most trusted target. That alone speaks to OBJ's value, which seems even higher considering Baltimore's pass-friendly schedule the rest of the way (vs. Rams in Week 14, @ Jags, @ 49ers, vs. Dolphins).
Jalin Hyatt, Giants (4%)
Now that Tommy DeVito has stepped into the spotlight as the Giants' new hope, Hyatt has emerged as a potential fantasy playoff sleeper. The rookie wideout caught five-of-six targets for 109 yards against the Patriots last week, and while we won't chase the points and plug him into our starting lineups immediately, we will absolutely stash him in deep 12-team leagues and play him in Week 16 against the Eagles if he carries over his Week 12 momentum between now and then.
MORE POTENTIAL WR STASHES: Elijah Moore, Browns (41%); Noah Brown, Texans (40%); Curtis Samuel, Commanders (34%); Tutu Atwell, Rams (26%); Michael Gallup, Cowboys (14%); Khalil Shakir, Bills (14%); Jonathan Mingo, Panthers (6%); Cedric Tillman, Browns (1%)
Week 14 Fantasy Waiver Wire Watchlist: TE
WEEK 14 BYES: Arizona Cardinals, Washington Commanders
Isaiah Likely, Ravens vs. Rams in Week 14 (41 percent rostered)
Likely always seems to step right into a high-usage role when Mark Andrews misses time, and he immediately caught four passes for 40 yards in his first start against the Chargers last week. The Rams have surrendered the sixth-most PPR points to tight ends this season, so he's more than worth picking up and plugging in if you need a Trey McBride or Logan Thomas replacement for Week 14. With the Ravens on bye this week, the Likely owner might have dropped him. Don't wait until waivers to scoop this kid up.
Gerald Everett, Chargers vs. Broncos (32%)
With most of the Chargers' pass-catchers dealing with injuries this season, Everett's return to the field last weekend was likely a sight for sore eyes amongst Bolts fans. The veteran tight end hauled in all four of his targets for 43 yards and a TD against a strong Baltimore defense, so he could be instrumental to L.A.'s game plan against the Broncos. Denver has given up the most PPR points to tight ends this season.
MORE POTENTIAL WEEK 14 TE STREAMS (last resorts): Cade Otton, Buccaneers at Falcons (36%); Chig Okonkwo, Titans at Dolphins (29%); Jonnu Smith, Falcons vs. Buccaneers (22%); Tyler Conklin, Jets vs. Texans (17%)
Week 14 fantasy defense streamers and sleepers
WEEK 14 BYES: Arizona Cardinals, Washington Commanders
New Orleans Saints vs. Panthers in Week 14 (45 percent rostered)
The Saints have already been a prolific fantasy D/ST this season, but a matchup this juicy makes them a must-start next week. Bryce Young and the Panthers have been abysmal, so much so that Carolina just fired its head coach last week. New Orleans at home against this squad could net your squad 20-plus fantasy points, so be sure to grab this D/ST now before the Week 14 waiver rush.
Detroit Lions at Bears (37%)
The Lions have trailed off a bit defensively over the past few weeks, but the Bears always seem to find a way to help D/STs out. The sack-upside with Aidan Hutchinson and company will be high, and some Justin Fields' turnovers never hurt. He has six INTs in eight games this season. Grab Detroit now, because the masses will be clamoring to pick this D up next Tuesday.
Atlanta Falcons vs. Buccaneers (37%)
The Falcons wouldn't be our top streaming option next week, but they're also far from the last resort. Atlanta's pass-rush has come a long way, and stud safety Jessie Bates II has transformed its secondary to help launch the Dirty Birds into the top spot in the NFC South. The Bucs make plenty of mistakes, so a home dome game against a banged-up Baker Mayfield yields plenty of upside.
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Colts (29%)
The Bengals looked like the breakout D/ST of the season a month ago, but the injury to QB Joe Burrow has crushed Cincy in terms of time of possession and ultimately limited this defense's streaming appeal. However, with Jonathan Taylor out for the Colts, Indy becomes a very beatable offense under Gardner Minshew II. Especially at home in a potential cold-weather game, the Bengals make for a high-ceiling stream in Week 14.
New England Patriots at Steelers (28%)
Say what you will about the Patriots' offense this season — it's deplorable — but Bill Belichick still has his defense playing very strong football week in and week out. Kenny Pickett only sits about one tier above Mac Jones on the overall skillset rankings, so New England could benefit from a couple of big mistakes through the air in Week 14.
Indianapolis Colts at Bengals (24%)
The Colts have quietly been very good over the past three weeks, posting standard D/ST scores of 26, 16, and 11, respectively, in that span. If they take it to Will Levis and the Titans this week, their ownership level will skyrocket ahead of this matchup against the Joe Burrow-less Bengals. Scoop them now if you don't like your current Week 14 projections at D/ST.
Minnesota Vikings at Raiders (22%)
The Vikings have gone from miserable to halfway-decent on the defensive side of the ball this season, and a matchup with Aidan O'Connell and the Raiders should at least provide a high floor. Sure, Antonio Pierce has lit a fire in Las Vegas that never existed under Josh McDaniels, but the Raiders still have plenty of offensive limitations against decent defenses. Go eat, Danielle Hunter!
