Ladies and gentlemen, we’re entering Week 14 with the FINAL bye weeks of the season. The last six teams to take their bye are the Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, and Washington Commanders.
To satiate your football appetite, we set off to find the best waiver wire options of the week so you don’t have to, because we know how important having a ton of information will be now that we’re inching closer to the fantasy playoffs. We’ll set you up for success heading into Week 14’s action.
Note: All rostership percentages use Sleeper for this Fantasy Football Week 14 Waiver Wire (2024) article.
Quarterback:
Bryce Young – Sleeper Roster – 12%
- Bryce Young had his two best fantasy outputs of the season in back-to-back weeks, with a 16.5-point outing against the Chiefs that nobody expected him to have. Young followed that up with a 23.6-point performance against the Buccaneers, where he passed for a touchdown, passed for almost 300 yards, and added a rushing touchdown.
- While the Panthers have the Eagles coming up in Week 14, they’ll get the Cowboys, Cardinals, and Buccaneers again in Week 17. You more than likely have a quarterback all set for your squad, but if you need a backup or a QB2 in two-QB leagues, you can do worse than Young right now as the Panthers are letting him sling the ball to the tune of over 40 pass attempts per game in Young’s last two games.
Russell Wilson – Sleeper Roster – 41%
- While we’ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop on Russell Wilson and the Steelers’ passing game, Wilson put up a QB3 fantasy game on the road against the Bengals. Wilson put up a robust 414 yards and three touchdowns against a Charmin-soft pass defense.
- Wilson gets the Cleveland Browns next, who can give up yards through the air as they’re a wholly average pass defense. If you’re in dire need, you can do worse than starting Wilson while the hand is hot.
Will Levis – Sleeper Roster – 17%
- The Will Levis sun run begins this week if you’re of brave mind and iron stomach. Levis and the Titans get a dream lineup of opponents, including the Jaguars and Bengals at home, then the Colts and Jaguars again in Week 17. Levis has multiple touchdown passes in three of his last four games.
- We know at least one of those touchdown passes is earmarked for Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, apparently, so we’ve just got to get the other pass-catchers involved. You’re just hoping he can curb his boneheaded decision-making and stick to completing passes to his own receivers, but Levis has done that with just two interceptions in his last four games. Levis is nowhere near safe, but he’s ballsy. And so playing him, even with this soft upcoming schedule.
Running Back:
Isaac Guerendo – Sleeper Roster – 5%
- The second Jordan Mason administration came and went so quickly that the paint still wasn’t dry on the inauguration banner. While 6,000 votes are still being counted in Broward County, “Isaac Guerendo szn” has now been ushered in as he’s the heir apparent for the 49ers until the end of the season. The runway is clear, as Christian McCaffrey and Mason were both placed on IR for the rest of the fantasy season.
- Guerendo scored the only touchdown for the 49ers in their 35-10 drubbing in snowy Buffalo and will be counted on heavily for the 5-7 49ers as they try to climb back into playoff contention, as thin as that bet may be. He’s THE waiver claim of the week; so important that you should be using whatever you have left in terms of FAAB or your top waiver claim. Even if you don’t need to use him, stashing him on your bench just in case or playing defense on your league mates is well worth the investment this late in the season.
Tank Bigsby – Sleeper Roster – 48%
- After re-aggravating an ankle jersey in Week 12, Tank Bigsby was back in Week 13 to re-aggravate Travis Etienne’s fantasy managers by virtually splitting the snap share in half. While that only got Bigsby seven carries for 28 yards plus one catch for seven yards, he’s being worked back into the fold.
- Against the Titans in Week 14, Bigsby should find himself with some more carries in what should continue to be close to an even split. Even better? What should be at least a neutral to positive game script for the Jaguars; both great for running and running lanes alike. Don’t forget the massive contingent value in case something happens to Etienne, too.
Jeremy McNichols – Sleeper Roster – 16%
- It’s very easy to get caught up in box scores to determine which player you should be adding if there is competition on the same team. The decision between Jeremy McNichols and Chris Rodriguez is pretty clear when you have the facts. It’s McNichols here in a landslide.
- Per PFF’s Nathan Jahnke, Rodriguez only played two total snaps in the first three quarters, and in the blowout of the Tennessee Titans, Rodriguez cleaned up a lot of the fourth-quarter carries, which led to his robust stat line of 13 carries, 94 yards, and a touchdown. McNichols saw the bulk of the rotational work with Brian Robinson through the meatier part of the game, so I’m more than happy to prioritize McNichols. Washington does have their bye in Week 14, but with Austin Ekeler on IR for the rest of the fantasy season, McNichols should keep his role in the Commanders’ offense.
Wide Receiver:
Adam Thielen – Sleeper Roster – 50%
- Due to concerns of ageism in this article, Adam Thielen has been granted a place in this article and frankly, it’s come at a pretty good time. Thielen, with Bryce Young’s emergence as not a total abomination, had by far his best game of the season in Week 13 with an 8-99-1 line on 10 targets for the Panthers, who have been much-improved thanks to Young’s development.
- With Thielen as a primary slot player, he’ll stay on the field in two wide receiver sets when the formation condenses ala CeeDee Lamb, Cooper Kupp, Chris Godwin, and some others. He will have a ton of PPR value for the rest of the season, so he’s a worthwhile addition just for the per-reception value alone that will slot nicely into your flex spot.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine – Sleeper Roster – 27%
- I have been beaten down; rendered a shell of my former self. Sometimes, you just have to throw in the towel. I’ve resisted the Nick Westbrook-Ikhine stuff, but the calls are ringing off the hook, and I can’t ignore them anymore. Westbrook-Ikhine, who has had EIGHT touchdowns in eight games, should be added this week. There are six teams on bye, and NWI should be starting on somebody’s roster this week when the Titans host the Jaguars, one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL.
- With Jacksonville giving up the third-most fantasy points per game this season to wide receivers, we must bow to our hyphenated king. The laws of reality clearly do not apply to Westbrook-Ikhine, as while I would love to mention that he has only three games in his last eight where he’s only caught more than two receptions, he’s still been a top-24 fantasy wide receiver in half of those games. I apologize in advance if I ruin the Westbrook-Ikhine experience for you.
Parker Washington – Sleeper Roster – 4%
- Parker Washington has been pressed into service following Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis being placed on IR. Washington had been used interchangeably to play outside and in the slot, but Evan Engram and Devin Duvernay have taken most of those duties, so Washington has stayed primarily on the outside, opposite Brian Thomas Jr.
- With 11 targets and a 6-103-1 line later, Washington did most of his damage with Mac Jones as quarterback after Trevor Lawrence lost for the game after a brutal, unnecessary hit. Jacksonville should be throwing a ton in trailing scripts, so targets should be plenty available for Washington so I’m adding him as a bench stash where I can.
Tight End:
Juwan Johnson – Sleeper Roster – 6%
- Even with Taysom Hill out for the season, Juwan Johnson has had his solid utilization throughout the season, but with the targets and opportunities going elsewhere, look for Johnson to be the beneficiary of some of that. Johnson ran a season-high 80% of routes per dropback last week and also tied a season-high with six targets.
- It’s nothing to shake a stick at for sure, but it’s good, honest work. With the Saints’ passing game in shambles from a personnel standpoint, look for Johnson to become more involved in the middle of the field. After seeing Johnson’s season-high in target share (19.4%) and first-read target share (26.3%), it’s time to go stash Johnson if you stream the position or need to have another body to choose from.
Will Dissly – Sleeper Roster – 46%
- If you’re hearing somebody saying “nooooooo!”, that sound you hear is me (don’t ask questions) telling you that whatever you do, DON’T drop Will Dissly. Yes, I know he went catchless with just one target against the Falcons, but that was a weird game, and the Chargers only ran 46 total plays in the win. I’m just telling you not to overreact to the box score.
- Dissly will be a low-end TE1 with six teams on bye when the Los Angeles Chargers head to Arrowhead to take on the Chiefs. Kansas City has been notorious for giving up huge games to opposing tight ends, like Brock Bowers’ 10-140-1 last week, Cade Otton’s 8-77-1 in Week 9, and George Kittle’s 6-92 in Week 8. The Chiefs are also fifth in fantasy points per game allowed to tight ends on the season, so don’t drop Dissly; fire UP Dissly!
Dawson Knox – Sleeper Roster – 14%
- After watching Dalton Kincaid for the last season and a half, it’s become excruciating to see Josh Allen attempt to target Kincaid. Luckily, Allen has his old roommate narrative back and in full force, with Dawson Knox seeing 75-85% of the routes per dropback for the Bills in the last two games.
- Knox falls directly into the “needs a touchdown to matter” bucket for fantasy managers, but isn’t that almost every tight end? Knox, at the very least, has at least 40 receiving yards in four of his last five games. Their next opponent is the Los Angeles Rams, who have given up the eighth-most fantasy points per game to the position. It’s a good spot for Knox if Kincaid remains out for the Bills.
D/ST:
Arizona Cardinals – Sleeper Roster – 18%
- Don’t look now, but the Arizona Cardinals have been a top-12 D/ST unit in fantasy football going back to Week 9. Every single week. The Cardinals have averaged almost five sacks per game in that span and should have a good matchup this week at home against the Seahawks.
- Against the Seahawks in Week 12, Arizona sacked Geno Smith five times and picked him off as well to finish as DST6 on the week. With Seattle’s running game struggling a little bit and the Seattle offense being a bit hot and cold in the passing game, Arizona is an awesome play this week.
Tennessee Titans – Sleeper Roster – 5%
- While the Titans did themselves zero favors by allowing 42 points to the Commanders last week, they’ll look to shrug off that blitzkrieg from Washington and look to next week, where the Titans will host the Jacksonville Jaguars.
- Say what you want about the Titans, but getting Mac Jones across from them isn’t a bad thing. Jones hasn’t exactly been a bastion of good quarterback play with three interceptions in his two starts. The Titans have slow down most offenses this season, so taking them against a Jaguars team that has a chance to completely bottom out under Jones.
New Orleans Saints – Sleeper Roster – 15%
- Taking the Saints is a bit of a dicey proposition. On one hand, they’ve got one of the best matchups in fantasy coming up in Week 14 against the New York Giants, who could be led by Tommy DeVito or Drew Lock. No matter who, there’s turnover-worthy plays on the horizon.
- They’re going to be a top-five defense this week in Week 14, and that’s with six teams on bye. Beggars cannot choosers here, so if you’re streaming the position, the Saints are cheap and should at least provide a solid baseline level of fantasy points in a great matchup.
