We are nearing the end of the fantasy football regular season. At this point, every move should be purposeful. There’s no more adding players just to see what happens. Each pickup should be geared toward increasing your chances of making the playoffs or advancing further. We need to cater our moves toward our team situations. It’s now time to improve our rosters.
Let’s take a look at the top Week 14 waiver wire targets and pickups that fantasy managers should consider adding to their rosters.
As always, all players are rostered in less than 50% of Yahoo leagues.
I have done away with FAAB recommendations this year, as there are too many variables to account for. Instead, I replaced it with my opinion on how aggressive fantasy managers should be in pursuing the player on a scale of 1-10.
Caleb Williams, QB | CHI
Rostered: 52%
Every appearance Caleb Williams may make on the waiver wire column for the remainder of the year will have to be purely about his performance and ability as a young quarterback. The schedule does him no favors without a single bottom-half pass defense remaining.
Over the past two weeks, Williams has thrown for 596 yards and five touchdowns while adding 72 yards on the ground. He’s scored 26 fantasy points in both games. Those are elite QB1 numbers.
We often see teams play inspired football the week after firing their head coach. We saw the Chicago Bears improve considerably after they got rid of OC Shane Waldron. Now, with Matt Eberflus shown the door and an underwhelming San Francisco 49ers team on tap, we could see the Bears continue to make strides.
Has Williams turned a corner? I don’t know. But the fantasy numbers are there.
Aggressiveness Rating: 3.5
Russell Wilson, QB | PIT
Rostered: 35%
Facing the Cincinnati Bengals is the gift that keeps on giving. Russell Wilson had his best game since he was on the Seattle Seahawks, throwing for 414 yards and three touchdowns.
Wilson won’t face the Bengals every week, but clearly, he’s playing at a high level. Next week, the Pittsburgh Steelers get a below-average Cleveland Browns pass defense, making Wilson a viable streamer. If you’re really looking ahead — as in, if you have a bye locked up — Wilson gets the Baltimore Ravens in Week 16.
Aggressiveness Rating: 3.0
Will Levis, QB | TEN
Rostered: 12%
This one is purely for those really desperate at quarterback. As in, you truly are streaming week-to-week.
Will Levis still does not have a game with 20+ fantasy points on the season. What he does have is the league’s easiest rest-of-season schedule for quarterbacks.
The Tennessee Titans get the Jacksonville Jaguars, Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, and Jaguars again to close out the final month of the fantasy season. Specifically, the Jaguars and Bengals are two of the three worst pass defenses in the league. You can certainly do worse.
Aggressiveness Rating: 1.0
Bryce Young, QB | CAR
Rostered: 0%
How quickly do we forget Bryce Young was a No. 1 overall pick? He’s supposed to be good. Now that he’s improving, we should be tempted to believe it.
Young threw for 298 yards and a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers while rushing for another. It was one of his best performances of the season, even though his team couldn’t come away with the overtime victory.
You probably don’t want to start Young against the Philadelphia Eagles next week. But after that, the Carolina Panthers get the Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals, and Bucs again.
This is more for those of you in deeper leagues. If you’re really struggling at QB in a league where most of them are rostered, Young is better than you might think for the fantasy playoffs.
Aggressiveness Rating: 1.0
Isaac Guerendo, RB | SF
Rostered: 2%
Well…forget everything I said about Jordan Mason. It’s Isaac Guerendo szn now.
Christian McCaffrey going on IR was expected. Mason following him came out of nowhere. That puts Guerendo in the RB1 role for the remainder of the season.
Now, to be clear, this isn’t as appealing of a spot as it might have been before we realized the 49ers aren’t all that good. Nevertheless, it’s exceedingly rare for a weekly startable running back to pop up on waivers in nearly every league this late in the season.
Given how little time there is left, it’s a near certainty there won’t be a better use of whatever waiver capital you have. Burn it all.
Aggressiveness Rating: Max
Sincere McCormick, RB | LV
Rostered: 0%
Here’s a fun exercise I just thought of: Before the season, go through the list of players in the NFL and pick out the most random ones you think could potentially be fantasy-relevant at some point. If we did this exercise in August, I guarantee you not one person would have even looked at Sincere McCormick.
The Raiders entered the season with Zamir White and Alexander Mattison as their top two RBs. They also drafted Dylan Laube on Day 3. Yet, with White and Mattison hurt, it was 2022 UDFA McCormick who operated as the RB2 behind Ameer Abdullah.
McCormick hadn’t so much as gotten himself active for a single game until Week 5 of this year and didn’t play an offensive snap until two weeks ago. Yet, against the Kansas City Chiefs on Black Friday, McCormick not only led the Raiders in carries, he led the entire game in rushing, carrying the ball 12 times for 84 yards against the best run defense in the NFL.
We could see one of Mattison or White return soon. However, neither has any sort of pedigree or heavy investment warranting his job back. Antonio Pierce spoke highly of McCormick, meaning we could see him maintain his 1B role. With one of the most favorable rest-of-season schedules for RBs, McCormick is worth a look in deeper leagues.
Aggressiveness Rating: 3.0
Ameer Abdullah, RB | LV
Rostered: 20%
The more well-known Raiders back is also worth a look. Abdullah posted 17.5 fantasy points two weeks ago against the Broncos. Even if McCormick ends up being the primary runner, Abdullah will remain the passing-down back, perhaps regardless of White and Mattison’s status.
Abdullah’s two receptions against the Chiefs were his lowest total in his last four games. Given the remaining opponents, Abdullah could see a decent amount of work through the air, giving him a PPR RB3 upside if at least one of the main backs continues to be sidelined.
Aggressiveness Rating: 3.5
Chris Rodriguez Jr., RB | WAS
Rostered: 0%
With 13 carries for 94 yards and a touchdown, fantasy managers may look at the box score and think Chris Rodriguez Jr. has a featured role in the Commanders’ backfield. He does not.
Austin Ekeler being on IR does elevate Rodriguez’s status. However, he’s still the RB3 behind Brian Robinson Jr. and Jeremy McNichols. Rodriguez only saw as many carries as he did because the Commanders boat raced the Titans, creating an entire fourth quarter of garbage time. There’s no need to add Rodriguez.
Aggressiveness Rating: 0.0
Braelon Allen, RB | NYJ
Rostered: 33%
Coming off a game where he carried the ball five times for 11 yards, you may not be excited to add Braelon Allen. This has nothing to do with his performance.
Breece Hall is dealing with a knee injury. He was clearly nowhere near 100%, and the playing time showed it. The New York Jets now have nine losses. Their season is over. It would not surprise me at all if they shut down Hall. That would give us Allen in a feature role for the remainder of the season. He needs to be rostered.
Aggressiveness Rating: 7.0
Brandin Cooks, WR | DAL
Rostered: 10%
If not for a touchdown grab, Brandin Cooks’ return after a two-month absence would have been quite uneventful. But this recommendation actually has nothing to do with his touchdown, or really his performance at all.
The Cowboys won another game. They are now 5-7 and certainly clinging to a false hope of playoff contention. Eventually, that will fade.
Meanwhile, CeeDee Lamb continues to get banged up. Over the past month, he’s dealt with injuries to his shoulder, foot, and back. Against the New York Giants on Thanksgiving, Lamb fell the wrong way on his shoulder and aggravated his preexisting injury, resulting in him missing most of the second half.
It feels like Lamb getting shut down at some point is inevitable. If he does, Cooks would be the presumptive WR1 on an offense that still should be trailing and throwing most of the time. If you have a bye, now is a great time to look to stash Cooks.
Aggressiveness Rating: 3.0
Parker Washington, WR | JAX
Rostered: 1%
I have no idea how legitimate Parker Washington is. But whenever a player who is seeing significant snaps catches six of 12 targets for 103 yards and a touchdown, we have to take notice.
.@CPW11_ with an acrobatic grab and tightrope finish!#HOUvsJAX on FOX pic.twitter.com/HZcTN8xCjN
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) December 1, 2024
The Jaguars are without Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis for the remainder of the season. Brian Thomas Jr. is the clear WR1, but there is an opening at WR2. It could very well be Washington.
Perhaps there’s something to his rapport with Mac Jones. Either way, Washington is worth a look.
Aggressiveness Rating: 2.0
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, WR | TEN
Rostered: 17%
I’ve ignored Nick Westbrook-Ikhine for far too long. I still don’t buy what he’s doing, but he has eight touchdowns in his last eight games. At the very least, I need to mention him.
Westbrook-Ikhine’s usage has really not been reliable. He just keeps scoring. If you want to chase that, I understand it. The upcoming schedule is extremely soft.
With that said, NWI has caught more than three passes just once all season. That presents a scarily low floor. Proceed with caution.
Aggressiveness Rating: 1.0
Adam Thielen, WR | CAR
Rostered: 31%
Is Adam Thielen the oldest WR in the NFL? He’s certainly the oldest fantasy-relevant WR in the NFL. At 34 years old, Thielen can still get it done. He almost won the game for the Panthers twice, catching eight passes for 99 yards and a touchdown.
ADAM THIELEN WOW
📺: #TBvsCAR on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/KNAGqBEbUk— NFL (@NFL) December 2, 2024
After one game to get reacclimated, Thielen has resumed his role as the Panthers’ WR1. Given how frequently this team is trailing and throwing, Thielen sure has the potential to be a weekly fantasy starter. He needs to be added everywhere.
Aggressiveness Rating: 9.0
Noah Gray, TE | KC
Rostered: 12%
Week 14 projects to be a tough one for tight ends. Six teams are on bye, including three with fantasy-relevant TEs.
Noah Gray has now scored at least 9.8 fantasy points in three straight games. He has four receptions in each of those three contests.
Be mindful of the fact that this is still the Chiefs we’re dealing with. They rotate pass-catchers like no other team. One week, Gray could be a focal point. The next, he could see two targets.
With that said, if you’re in desperate need of a tight end, you can do worse than a guy catching passes from Patrick Mahomes.
Aggressiveness Rating: 1.0
Luke Schoonmaker, TE | DAL
Rostered: 10%
If the past five years or so have shown us anything, it’s that the TE1 in Dallas has fantasy value regardless of who it is. Does anyone remember Blake Jarwin? He was the guy before he got hurt and Dalton Schultz stepped into the role, producing TE1 numbers. After Schultz left, Jake Ferguson became a TE1.
Over the past three weeks, Luke Schoonmaker has operated as the TE1 with Ferguson dealing with a concussion. He’s posted fantasy outings of 11.6, 14.5, and 8.3 points.
Ferguson has now missed two games with his concussion. He will have a week and a half to get cleared for Week 14. It seems likely that he will. Upon his return, I expect him to be reinstated as the team’s TE1. But in the event he doesn’t or gets hurt again, Schoonmaker has proven he’s a viable fantasy starter as well. If we don’t get any update on Ferguson by Tuesday night, the Schoon is worth an add.
Aggressiveness Rating: 3.0
Pat Freiermuth, TE | PIT
Rostered: 50%
Once considered a young, ascending player, Pat Freiermuth’s fantasy value has taken a hit over the past two years. But recently, he’s been trending upward.
Freiermuth has 59 and 68 receiving yards in each of his last two games. Playing against the Bengals helps everyone, but the remaining schedule is quite favorable. Three of the Steelers’ final four opponents are bottom-10 against the tight end.
Muth’s floor remains quite low, but he’s displayed a reasonably high ceiling over the past two weeks.
Aggressiveness Rating: 1.0
Hunter Henry, TE | NE
Rostered: 47%
It remains fascinating how little rostered Hunter Henry remains. Since Week 6, he’s scored at least 9.4 fantasy points in all but one game. Henry has earned at least eight targets in three consecutive games.
Drake Maye is playing better each week and the New England Patriots lack a clear WR1. Henry could continue to be that guy.
The only holdup with adding Henry is the Patriots are on bye in Week 14. Obviously, if you need a win to get in, Henry is not going to help you. Keep that in mind when deciding whether to place a claim on him.
Aggressiveness Rating: 6.0
Zach Ertz, TE | WAS
Rostered: 49%
Jayden Daniels is getting healthier and it shows. He dominated the Titans, which included featuring his veteran tight end. Zach Ertz caught three passes for 35 yards and a touchdown. It marked his third consecutive game with a score.
Ertz has had a reasonably high floor all season, scoring 10+ fantasy points in six of his last eight.
The Commanders are on bye in Week 14, which means you can’t add Ertz if you need a tight end for next week. But if you need a tight end for the playoffs, give Ertz a look.
Aggressiveness Rating: 4.0