Surviving Week 12 was the first step in pushing forward into the playoffs. Week 13 provided respite, and hopefully a win for your team(s). Week 14 is here after the holiday break and with it comes the Ravens, Broncos, Texans, Colts, Patriots, and Commanders on bye. You have had 13 weeks of this column to insulate your roster from five teams sitting out the week. I hope you were both playing week to week while looking ahead at the big picture. If you are already locked into a playoff spot, congratulations to you. If Week 14 is a must win, then let’s get to work. Either way, this week’s column will not be as deep as most weeks mainly because we have burned through so many waiver names to date.
An additional, small consideration for you, the reader, as you move through my weekly columns is to understand that a waiver article is not a mandate from me to add/drop players each week. Sometimes the best move is the one you do not make. I fully understand that waivers and trades are top of the fun list in fantasy football but remember winning trumps all other fun things in fantasy football. Take the following names as options, considerations for your squad versus must-add players. Only add players when it makes sense for you and your team(s).
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WAIVERS:
ADD OF THE WEEK = Adam Thielen – 31% rostered appears to be in must-start territory now that he is fully back from his hamstring injury. His Week 13 line of 10-8-99-1 is elite. Thielen will not be the type to get behind the defense for long receptions, as is evident by his longest catch in Week 13 of 25 yards (TD catch!). He dropped in two additional 16-yard grabs on the way to leading the team in targets, catches, and yards. Of note, he appeared to make a circus catch on a late first half TD when the incomplete call on the field was upheld upon review. As a fan watching at home, I did not see the end of the catch from the best angle, so I cannot argue the call. That catch, if called a TD, would have put Thielen over 100 yards on 9 receptions, two of which would have been for TD. That is next level at the WR position.
QB: Russell Wilson – 35% rostered just logged a career game with 414 passing yards and three TDs. This is Wilson’s second most passing yards in a game across his career. Please know, before you run out to roster him, that he has two divisional games (CLE, @BAL) plus the stingy KC and PHI defenses left on the schedule. If you are currently playing Geno Smith or Brock Purdy, then maybe Russ makes sense. If you have another top 12 option, then Wilson may not be the guy to lean on during the fantasy playoffs.
Honorable Mention/Cheaper Options:
Jameis Winston – 15% rostered (interceptions notwithstanding, dude just torched the stout DEN DST)
Bryce Young – 5% rostered (looks better every week and appears to have rapport with the aforementioned Adam Thielen)
RB: Jeremy McNichols – 16% rostered. Do not let the final stat lines fool you. McNichols is much more valuable than Chris Rodriguez. The latter was used in mop-up duty in the Week 13 blow-out of the Titans. McNichols is the name to own behind Brian Robinson Jr.
Honorable Mention/Cheaper Options:
Ameer Abudullah – 19% rostered (if he is the healthy LVR RB, then he deserves some attention for Week 14)
Ray Davis – 17% rostered (continues to see carries especially in lopsided games)
Isaac Guerendo – 5% rostered (who else is going to carry the ball for SF?)
Kenneth Gainwell – 4% rostered (zero points in Week 13, but still in prime position should Saquon miss any time)
WR: Nick Westbrook-Ikhine – 18% rostered. Embarrassingly low roster percentage for a guy with eight TDs over his last eight weeks. You will not see volume, but you are picking him up for ceiling!
Honorable Mention/Cheaper Options:
Sterling Shepard – 5% rostered (two straight weeks with seven targets)
Elijah Moore – 10% rostered (Jameis throws; Cedric Tillman is still in concussion protocol)
TE: Zach Ertz – 49% rostered has now rewarded patient fantasy managers, and readers of this column, with a TD in three straight games and 10+ PPR points in six of his last eight games. Ride the wave! Dawson Knox – 8% rostered has a plus Week 14 matchup (LAR) followed by three tougher games. One week flier only.
Remember, you do NOT have to make a move each week. You do not have to force trades. If you look at your roster and a hole does not immediately jump out to you, then maybe your team is good to go for Week 14. If you see a hole (injury, bye, underperformance), then start looking at options to make your team better.
Follow me @stiles08 on X and send questions comments at the bottom of this article. Make sure you jump around the Razzball site for all your fantasy football needs. We have a ton of free content to include our Slot Versus Wide tool, our Win Versus Loss tool, and many more.
-Stiles-
