NFL

10 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets Heading Into Week 14

Most fantasy leagues have just one week left in the regular season. It's crunch time.

Here are some of the best additions you can make to your squads this week. (I'll stick to players rostered on no more than 60% of Yahoo teams and also list some other viable pickups who may be available in shallower leagues or relevant only in deeper leagues).

Quarterbacks
Jared Goff, Lions

Roster Percentage: 50%

Jared Goff was a top streamer for Week 13, and he came up big, blowtorching the Jacksonville Jaguars for 340 yards and two touchdowns. He's in another smash spot this week.

Goff is at home versus the Minnesota Vikings. Over their last two games, the Vikings have given up 382 passing yards to Mac Jones and 369 passing yards to Mike White. For the year, Minnesota has allowed the eighth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks (18.9).

With all of the Detroit Lions' best wideouts finally healthy, we should have zero hesitation plugging in Goff in season-long leagues, and he's on the radar in DFS, as well.

Others to Consider:
Ryan Tannehill (17%; vs. Jaguars), Kenny Pickett (13%; vs. Ravens), Sam Darnold (2%; at Seahawks), John Wolford (1%; vs. Raiders)

Running Backs
James Cook, Bills

Roster Percentage: 23%

Sometimes the previous week's Thursday night game can slip through the cracks a little after all of Sunday's action. Don't miss out on James Cook, who saw an uptick in usage this past Thursday.

In Week 13, Cook bested Devin Singletary in rushing yards (64 to 51), carries (14 to 13), catches (6 to 0) and receiving yards (41 to 0). Singletary still led the way in snaps by one, but Cook's 43% snap rate was a season-high mark. His previous career-high snap rate was 26%.

Cook's arrow is pointing up, and he's worth adding. We'll need to see this kind of usage stick before trusting him in lineups, but if Cook starts running as the Bills' number-one back, he could win leagues down the stretch.

Travis Homer/Deejay Dallas, Seahawks

Roster Percentage: 1% and 3%

Kenneth Walker III left early with an injured ankle on Sunday and was quickly ruled out for the rest of the contest. That doesn't bode well for his chances of suiting up in Week 14, so these two need to be picked up.

Unfortunately for us, we can't be sure what the Seattle Seahawks' backfield will look like sans Walker, because Travis Homer didn't play in Week 13 and DeeJay Dallas also left injured.

My hunch is Homer -- as long as he's able to play -- is the back most likely to take Walker's early-down snaps, and Homer has solid pass-game ability, too, giving him a chance to see a high-volume role for however long Walker is out. He's the priority for me over Dallas, though Dallas is a fine add, as well.

Jordan Mason, 49ers

Roster Percentage: 15%

Jordan Mason operated as the backup to Christian McCaffrey in Week 13, and he ran well, totaling 51 yards on eight carries.

The San Francisco 49ers had held CMC to snap rates between 63% and 66% in three straight games before Week 13, but CMC wound up playing 82% of the snaps last week. If that kind of usage holds, Mason is only a handcuff -- albeit a valuable one.

But even in that role, there's a chance Mason pushes for double-digit touches week in and week out in a run-friendly offense, and if something happens to CMC, Mason would likely be thrust into heavy usage.

He's someone I'm keeping on my bench wherever possible.

Others to Consider:
Zonovan Knight (47%), Cam Akers (46%), Tyler Allgeier (45%), Jerick McKinnon (41%), Alexander Mattison (35%)

Wide Receivers
Michael Gallup, Cowboys

Roster Percentage: 51%

After a big game on Sunday night, Michael Gallup has now seen at least seven targets in three of the Dallas Cowboys' four games since their bye week. He shouldn't be on the wire in roughly half of Yahoo! leagues.

Usually more of a down-the-field threat, Gallup hasn't been getting much love in the red zone, but that changed in Week 13 as he recorded two red-zone touchdowns.

The Dallas offense is humming, scoring at least 28 points in five straight games, and Gallup is a good way to get exposure to it. He has played at least 76 percent of the snaps in five of the past seven games.

D.J. Chark, Jaguars

Roster Percentage: 16%

D.J. Chark looks to be embarking on a late-season surge.

Week 11 was his first game action since Week 3. After getting eased into things in Week 11 (16% snap rate), Chark has played 73% and 84% of the snaps in the last two games. The production has followed as he scored a short touchdown in Week 12 before going for 98 yards on five catches in Week 13.

The Lions have a wonderful matchup in Week 14 against Minnesota, a team that has surrendered the third-most half-PPR points per game to receivers. Chark rates out as WR3 with upside for what may turn into a shootout. If you're hurting at wideout in the last week of the season with byes, you could do a lot worse than Chark.

Nico Collins, Texans

Roster Percentage: 29%

Nico Collins has lived in the "Others to Consider" section this season. It's about time I write him up.

Collins has played a lot of snaps for most of the year -- at least 72% in four straight weeks -- and while he's lacked upside in a dreary Houston Texans offense, Collins has been consistent, either scoring a touchdown or going for 40 receiving yards in 8 of his 10 games.

With Brandin Cooks sidelined in Week 13, Collins ran as Houston's number-one receiver, and it resulted in 10 targets. He managed to catch only three of those looks for 35 yards and a score, but with Houston gunning for the first pick in the 2023 draft, Cooks might not be back in a hurry.

Even with Cooks in the fold, Collins is a decent option, but if Cooks continues to miss time, Collins is a weekly flex play.

DeVante Parker, Patriots

Roster Percentage: 14%

DeVante Parker is playing quite a few snaps for the New England Patriots, logging snap rates of 87% and 85% the past two games. In that span, he's totaled eight targets, six catches and 96 yards.

Those numbers are nothing to write home about, but the Pats' passing game has back-to-back friendly matchups versus the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders, giving Parker a shot to produce.

With six teams on bye this week, Parker is a fine dart throw against a Cards pass defense we rank as the league's 11th-worst.

Others to Consider:
Darius Slayton (61%), Kadarius Toney (43%), Isaiah McKenzie (37%), Mack Hollins (31%)

Tight Ends
Greg Dulcich, Broncos

Roster Percentage: 37%

Given the mess that tight end is, it's hard to believe Greg Dulcich is on the wire in more than 60% of Yahoo! leagues. Since debuting in Week 6, Dulcich has gone for 40-plus yards in four of seven games while playing at least 70% of the snaps in every game but one.

On top of that, Courtland Sutton exited early in Week 13, potentially opening up some targets in Denver's offense.

Playing the Kansas City Chiefs this coming week, Denver should need to air it out, making Dulcich a solid streamer.

Others to Consider:
Evan Engram (43%), Hunter Henry (35%), Mike Gesicki (35%), Chigoziem Okonkwo (0%)

Defenses
Pittsburgh D/ST

Roster Percentage: 28%

If Lamar Jackson can't play, the Pittsburgh D/ST becomes an appealing Week 14 streamer in a home game versus the Baltimore Ravens.

Baltimore coach John Harbaugh said Sunday that Lamar is going to be out "days or weeks," which makes things clear as mud. Given Jackson's quick rule-out in Week 13, he seems like a longshot to play against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and that would mean Tyler Huntley on the road against a defense that's been much better since T.J. Watt came back. Sign me up.

Others to Consider:
Tennessee D/ST (31%; vs. Jaguars), Las Vegas D/ST (11%; at Rams), Arizona D/ST (10%; vs. Patriots)