The fantasy regular season is over and we’ve now reached the fantasy football playoffs. Congratulations on making it this far! From here on out, our FAAB budget articles won’t really focus as much on budget allocation, as most owners have likely spend most of their FAAB money by now. And if you haven't, you should go all-in on whatever you need to win your upcoming matchup. Either way, we'll still look at the top pickups and streamers on the waiver wire and give you some ideas of potential sleepers for your fantasy playoff matchups.
Here are widely available players who can help your fantasy team this week and beyond.
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Week 14 Fantasy Football FAAB targets: Quarterback
By this point, hopefully you have your quarterback position solidified and aren’t relying on streaming certain guys in Week 14 and then going to someone else for Week 15. As we saw with Sam Darnold in Week 13, most streamers aren't "safe", even in the best matchups. So, we’ll highlight a couple quarterbacks because if you’ve made it this far you should have a comfortable quarterback for your team, but if you are in a position where you need a quarterback, these are the best options on waivers.
Ryan Fitzpatrick (Miami Dolphins): Fitzpatrick is either really good or really bad. The past two weeks he’s been the former. Is he turnover prone? Sure. But he’s no stranger to having a big game in the right matchup. He has four games with multiple touchdowns in his last six contests. However, the other two games he didn’t throw any, but he’s shown he can still run the ball into the end zone. The matchups for the fantasy playoffs are pretty good against the Jets, Giants, and Bengals. You could do a whole lot worse at quarterback. FAAB bid: Nothing unless you need a starting QB for this week.
Gardner Minshew (Jacksonville Jaguars): After Nick Foles got benched in Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers, Minshew came in and threw for 147 yards on 27 pass attempts with a touchdown and interception. On Monday, the Jaguars announced they’d be starting Minshew at quarterback next week, so it’s good to get some clarity on the matter. Minshew has a great stretch of games from Weeks 15-16 against Raiders and Falcons, but this week is tough against the Chargers. FAAB bid: Nothing unless you will need a starting QB in Week 15.
Other QBs worth bidding on for Week 14: Ryan Tannehill (@ Raiders), Jacoby Brissett (@ Buccaneers), Sam Darnold (vs. Dolphins)
WEEK 14 NON-PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Week 14 Fantasy Football FAAB targets: RB
Derrius Guice (Washington Redskins): He’s still roughly 50 percent owned in Yahoo and ESPN leagues. Guice has put on display the talent that made him a second-round pick by Washington back in 2018. This past Sunday, he rushed for 129 yards and two touchdowns on just 10 carries. He still has to contend with Adrian Peterson, but the Redskins should be treating him as their lead running back and expand upon just 10 carries. Around 12-15 carries seems reasonable at this point with a few catches each game, as well. He’s only available in shallower leagues, but he’s a FLEX play virtually everywhere given his big play potential. FAAB Bid: All or nearly all of your budget
Alexander Mattison (Minnesota Vikings): The Vikings ran into their worst nightmare Monday night against the Seahawks; Dalvin Cook went down with a chest/shoulder injury. It looked a lot worse on the field. He walked off under his own power and later returned to the bench with his pads on, but Mattison was in on the next couple drives and showed some promise as his replacement. We’ve seen Mattison’s upside before, and he’s been mentioned in this article, albeit a few weeks back. It doesn’t sound like Cook’s injury is too serious, as he even said after the game he’ll be good to go next week. However, it certainly doesn’t hurt to stash Mattison if you’re a Cook owner. FAAB bid: All or nearly all of your budget (especially if there's negative news about Cook).
WEEK 14 DFS LINEUPS:
DK Cash | DK GPP | FD Cash | FD GPP | Y! Cash | Y! GPP
Benny Snell Jr. (Pittsburgh Steelers): With James Conner (shoulder) inactive again, Snell took the reigns for the second straight week and provided some fantasy value. As the starting running back the last two weeks, he’s averaging 4.35 yards per carry with a touchdown. He’s still widely available in most formats, and if Conner continues to miss time, then Snell is in line for at least 15 touches each week. With that workload he’s a low-end RB2 but definitely worth starting in your flex. FAAB bid: Some to most of your budget, depending on reports about Conner.
Raheem Mostert (San Francisco 49ers): If there was ever a bad time for Tevin Coleman to fall out of the good graces of the coaching staff it would be during the last week of the fantasy football regular season. Mostert was the lead running back in Week 13, and it wasn’t even close. Mostert rushed for 146 yards and a touchdown against the Ravens. Coleman finished with 15 total yards on six total touches. When Matt Breida (ankle) returns, this figures to be involved in this circus show of a backfield, so it just muddies things a little bit upon his return. For now, Mostert’s stock is up, and Coleman’s is down. FAAB bid: Some of your budget.
Peyton Barber (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): Unfortunately, here we are again. We once again thought Ronald Jones II had a firm grip on the starting running back job and then, in a great matchup against the Jaguars, Barber got the rub. Barber averaged fewer than 3.0 yards per carry, but he led the team with 17 carries and found the end zone twice. Can you trust Barber on a week-to-week basis? Absolutely not, especially after Bucs coach Bruce Arians said that Jones was benched last week because of a pass-protection error. At this point, it wouldn’t hurt to stash Barber, though, especially if you’re a Jones owner. FAAB bid: Some of your budget.
Jordan Wilkins (Indianapolis Colts): Is Wilkins worth a grab? Yeah, but don’t expect too much from him. After two great games, Jonathan Williams was served a slice of humble pie. If we look at the circumstances, we shouldn’t be too surprised. Wilkins was the true backup to Marlon Mack (hand), but in Wilkins’ return against the Texans, Williams got a majority of the workload because the Colts apparently wanted to take it easy with Wilkins. However, the lack of carries for Williams in Week 13 was surprising. Eventually Mack will come back and reclaim his job as the starting running back. That naturally has a negative impact on both Williams and Wilkins. He’s worth a handcuff as of right now, but neither backup running back was incredibly efficient this past week. FAAB bid: Very little of your budget.
Darwin Thompson (Kansas City Chiefs): So, the necessary doors are finally opening themselves to Thompson in order for him to get more work. Damien Williams was inactive with injured ribs, and Darrel Williams went down in Sunday’s game against the Raiders with a hamstring injury. So, as of right now, the most healthy running backs for the Chiefs are LeSean McCoy and Thompson. Andy Reid even said on Monday that Thompson could be in line for more work. There have been murmurs and rumblings that the Chiefs have been wanting to get Thompson more involved even before the injuries to the Brothers Williams (they’re not really brothers). If both Damien and Darrel are out on Sunday against New England, Thompson could be in line for possibly 10-12 touches. FAAB bid: Very little of your budget.
MORE WEEK 14:
Waiver pickups | Stock watch | Snap counts | Fantasy playoff SOS
Week 14 Fantasy Football FAAB targets: WR
James Washington (Pittsburgh Steelers): The sample size may be small, but Washington has some good chemistry with Devlin Hodges. It helps a bit that the two went hunting together prior to Sunday’s game against the Browns. Things like that can build camaraderie and trust. Over his past two games, Washington only has seven receptions, but he’s turned them into 209 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and both scores came from Hodges. Next week the Steelers play the Cardinals and then in Week 16 they play the Jets, with a tough matchup against the Bills sandwiched in there, as well. With JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee) sidelined Washington becomes the temporary No. 1 receiving option for Hodges. And even when Smith-Schuster returns, there are plenty of reasons to keep Washington involved based on his chemistry with the Steelers starting quarterback. FAAB bid: Some of your budget.
Anthony Miller (Chicago Bears): Miller has been trending up in recent weeks, and he put on an absolute show on Thanksgiving. He caught nine-of-13 targets for 140 yards. Has he found the end zone this season? No. But in his past three games, he has 33 targets with at least six receptions and 54 receiving yards in each game. Mitchell Trubisky is playing better, and Miller has played a big role in Trubisky’s success. With the Cowboys, Packers, and Chiefs on tap for the Bears, look for Miller to remain involved, especially when the Bears fall behind. FAAB bid: Some of your budget.
Cole Beasley (Buffalo Bills): While Beasley may not have the large target share of late that Miller possesses, he’s been consistently involved all season long dating back to Weeks 3 and 4 when he had 15 catches on 22 targets. Lately, Beasley’s been getting much more involved, especially in the touchdown department. Since the Bills' bye week, Beasley has five scores in seven games. In three of his past four games he has at least 74 receiving yards, and he’s performed as a WR2 in PPR formats. The downside with Beasley is that the matchups coming up are terrible. In Weeks 14-16, the Bills play the Ravens, Steelers, and the Patriots. He’s without a doubt a huge gamble going forward, so he may be best served as a streamer in your FLEX in Week 14. FAAB bid: Some of your budget (more in PPR).
Russell Gage (Atlanta Falcons): Gage’s progress is similar to that of Deebo Samuel’s. Deebo burst on the scene with the absences of George Kittle and Emmanuel Sanders while Gage’s success has come mostly with Austin Hooper (knee) out the past few weeks. However, on Thanksgiving Julio Jones (shoulder) was inactive and Gage did well next to Calvin Ridley. Gage caught five passes for 52 yards but did find the end zone for the first time this season. He now has 19 targets in his last two games. Again, as long as Hooper is out of the lineup, Gage is a pretty decent FLEX play in deeper leagues. But his involvement is dependent on the health of two of Atlanta’s best offensive weapons. FAAB bid: A moderate amount of your budget (more in PPR).
WEEK 14 PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end
Week 14 Fantasy Football FAAB targets: Tight End
Tyler Higbee (Los Angeles Rams): Gerald Everett hyperextended his knee last Monday night, and he was declared out for Sunday’s game against the Cardinals last Friday. If the injury is a little serious then Higbee needs to be flagged and added. The matchup last week was obvious. The Cardinals allow a touchdown to tight ends on a near weekly basis. But if Everett’s out again this week, then Higbee’s also a great play next Sunday night against Seattle. Back in Week 12, the Seahawks allowed Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert to combine for 19 catches, 123 yards, and a touchdown, and Kyle Rudolph found the end zone Monday night against Seattle. This should be a more “pass-happy” game for the Rams, and Higbee could find the end zone for the second straight week. FAAB bid: None of your budget unless you need a starting TE.
Mike Gesicki (Miami Dolphins): The Dolphins are no longer pushovers, and Gesicki has consistently been involved with what the team is doing. He has five-straight games with at least six targets, and he’s found the end zone in his past two games. Next week the Dolphins play the Jets, who have been pretty good against tight ends, so while the workload will be there, it’ll be a little more difficult for him to score. FAAB bid: None of your budget unless you need a starting TE.
Other TEs worth bidding on for Week 14: Vance McDonald (@ Cardinals), Jonnu Smith (@ Raiders), Ryan Griffin (vs. Dolphins), Ian Thomas if Greg Olsen is out (@ Falcons), David Njoku (vs. Bengals)
Week 14 Fantasy Football FAAB targets: D/ST
Indianapolis Colts: The Colts get a decent road matchup next week against the Buccaneers. The upside is that they could easily pick off Jameis Winston two or three times in this matchup. The downside is Winston has the ability to throw for 300 yards and multiple touchdowns. In seven of their [ast eight games, the Colts D/ST has returned at least seven fantasy points. If you’re streaming at this position and you can get seven points, you take it and move on. The Colts are also fresh off six sacks against the Titans, and they go up against Tampa Bay’s weak offensive line next week.
Tennessee Titans: The Titans defense hasn’t been awful. On the season they’ve played like a top-12 D/ST. Last week, they held the Colts to 17 points and forced three sacks and three turnovers. Oddly enough, in their past four games they’ve blocked four kicks, whether they be punts of field goal attempts, so while that’s difficult to predict, it’s pretty impressive. Next week, they’ll travel to Oakland to visit the Raiders, and Derek Carr has been awful lately, so it’s a good time to pick on him. Carr has three interceptions in his last two games with 349 total passing yards in that span. It’s safe to say the Titans have a pretty nice ceiling next week.
Green Bay Packers: The running game for Washington has been quite potent as of late with Derrius Guice being featured more, and the Packers don’t have a ton of upside, but if they can force a couple turnovers by Dwayne Haskins and sack him a few times, then they’ll be a decent fantasy streamer.
Other D/STs worth bidding on for Week 14: Jets (vs. Dolphins), Browns (vs. Bengals), Texans (vs. Broncos)