5 Waiver Targets for Week 14! 🎯

Make sure to tune into today’s episode of the Upper Hand Fantasy Podcast set to release later on – Week 14 waivers! And in case you missed it, catch up on everything you need to know from Week 13’s action with Monday’s episode: Week 13 takeaways!

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• 49ers blow up their backfield in wake of Week 13 snow game, place RBs Christian McCaffrey, Jordan Mason on IR

  • Christian McCaffrey was clearly dealing with an injury when he was ruled out early in the game this past Sunday, so him winding up on IR –as disappointing as it is – was reasonably expected. What wasn’t expected was backup RB Jordan Mason also being ruled out for the next four games with an ankle injury of his own. The 49ers have had nightmarish luck with injuries this season and that pain has been felt almost equally as badly by fantasy managers of CMC, Brandon Aiyuk, and now Jordan Mason, as well. With Mason sidelined essentially for the rest of the season (he’s not eligible to return until Week 18; i.e. after the fantasy playoffs are over), it’ll be the Isaac Guerendo and co. show, with the ‘and co.’ part remaining to be determined. Fantasy managers shouldn’t expect too much from Guerendo, who will profile as a mid-to-low fantasy RB2 in what will likely be his first start as a 49er. However, given his instant opportunity to hold things down as the top option in the backfield the rest of the way, fantasy managers should prioritize the former Louisville speedster with their remaining FAAB budget.

• Colts HC Shane Steichen was non-committal when asked about the status of WR Josh Downs post-bye

  • Not exactly what you want to hear about the target-hogging WR1 for Anthony Richardson and the Colts offense. Without Downs in Week 13, Richardson plodded to just barely over 100 passing yards on the day but was able to rack up three total touchdowns, saving his fantasy managers from certain doom. Downs was originally labeled week-to-week ahead of Indy’s matchup this past weekend against the Patriots, and as we know, the timelines for return in those cases can tend to be highly unclear. At this point, it doesn’t sound like Steichen is too optimistic about the chances that Downs will return in Week 15 for the fantasy playoffs, but we’ll obviously have a much better idea of his status seven days from today. What we do know is that Downs won’t be available for managers this weekend with the Colts on bye, and an absence in Week 15 would make it three straight games for Downs out of the lineup if he’s ultimately sidelined. In that case, Adonai Mitchell would once again be worth a start as a boom/bust flex option despite the donut he posted in the same role this past weekend.

• Saints TE Taysom Hill’s knee injury suffered in Week 13 vs Rams confirmed to be torn ACL, will miss rest of 2024 season

  • No football player deserves a season-ending, long-term injury like an ACL tear less than Hill, who was beginning to find his feet as a do-it-all weapon in the Saints offense with the majority of New Orleans’ weapons sidelined with injury. Tests early Monday confirmed the extent of the injury, and it’s looking like a long timeline to recovery beginning now and extending well into the offseason – and likely into 2025. With Hill under contract for one more year beyond 2024, there’s a chance he’ll return in a similar capacity at some point next season; however, he’ll be 35 at that point, and he could be reset to his niche gadget role that he was stuck in for the majority of his career before his huge 42 point performance in Week 11. To reiterate, TEs Juwan Johnson and Foster Moreau could see increased run in the receiving game with Taysom Hill out of the lineup, while Alvin Kamara could become even more of a focal point in the Saints’ offense (if that’s even possible at this point). RB Kendre Miller is also set to return from IR this week, and he could see some run in the ground game with Taysom Hill’s workload vacated behind Alvin Kamara.

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WR Parker Washington, JAX

We talked about Washington being a potential target after WRs Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis went down with season-ending injuries in the weeks leading up to Jacksonville’s Week 12 bye. With the top-2 receivers on the depth chart out, Washington became a primary receiver in Jacksonville’s 2-WR sets, earning him the highest route participation (91%) of any Jaguars WR this past week.

He also led the team in production with a 12/6/103/1 line, earning targets from both Trevor Lawrence before Lawrence’s injury and Mac Jones after it. The matchup against the Texans obviously wasn’t the most challenging in the world, but a role like Washington’s in an offense that’s likely to be playing a lot of its games from behind the rest of the way can’t be left on the waiver wire. Devin Duvernay took over the slot role primarily with Washington transplanted from the inside to the outside with Brian Thomas Jr.

We shouldn’t be expecting week-winning performances like Washington’s WR4 finish in Week 13 the rest of the way, but he should be considered in lineups as a flex play the rest of the way based on volume alone.

RB Jonathon Brooks, CAR

Brooks hardly made a dent in Chuba Hubbard’s snap share this week, with Hubbard still leading the backfield split 80/20 this past weekend against the Buccaneers. That being said, Brooks drastically improved his per-snap utilization in Week 13 compared to his debut in Week 12, earning three targets on just six routes (50% target rate) and collecting six carries on the ground to Hubbard’s 12.

Brooks still has a long way to go before he can be considered in fantasy lineups, but his value as a high-end handcuff remains intriguing. Given the jump in total touches from 2 in Week 12 to 9 in Week 13, it’s fair to wonder whether that increase in usage will become a trend heading into Week 14. If it does, Hubbard could be banished to the RB2 realm – especially if Brooks is able to approach the 40% mark in snap share and maintain his role in the receiving game.

With the Panthers offense playing much better, more fantasy-relevant football than they have all season, Brooks can be a sneaky addition to fantasy teams looking to stash one of the top handcuffs who also has potential to carve out a real role for himself down the stretch.

WR Adam Thielen, CAR

Thielen turned back the clock in Week 13 against the Buccaneers to early 2023, connecting with Bryce Young on eight catches for 99 yards and a touchdown. He also missed out on an incorrectly ruled touchdown that wasn’t but still finished as the WR5 on the week despite that oversight on the part of the officials.

Thielen led the Panthers pass catchers in target share (25%) and target rate (26%) despite running the third-most routes of the Panthers WRs (Xavier Legette and David Moore both notched snap shares over 90%). It was a very good matchup for Thielen against the Buccaneers last week, which could have spurred on his big day – however, there hasn’t been a target earner in the passing game like Thielen since Diontae Johnson was traded to Baltimore.

It’ll be a volume game for Thielen, but a role like his on an upstart Panthers offense can’t be ignored on the waiver wire. He’ll have WR3 potential in a tough matchup against the Eagles next week and be an even more attractive option given the six teams on bye in Week 14.

WR Nick Westrbook-Ikhine, TEN

I’m finally conceding and allowing Nick Westbrook-Ikhine to make an appearance on the waiver wire list. Naturally, he won’t score another touchdown this season for that very reason – but he’s one of two Titans WRs who ran a route on every dropback from Will Levis (Calvin Ridley being the other).

NWI’s 21% target share agains the Commanders led the team on Sunday, and he turned it into two touchdown catches to bring his total to 8 touchdown catches over his past 8 games. At this point, his viability as a baseline flex option can’t be ignored, especially with the league’s easiest schedule for WRs the rest of the way. Matchups against Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and Jacksonville twice make up a schedule that NWI should have no trouble capitalizing on leading into and throughout the fantasy playoffs.

RB Kendre Miller, NO

Purely a speculative add at this point, Kendre Miller will be designated to return from injured reserve ahead of the Saints’ Week 14 matchup against the Gaints’ squishy run defense. HC Darren Rizzi said that he ‘has no dog house’ and that Miller is a ‘talented player’, and he could be back in action as soon as this week.

Normally, it would be a foregone conclusion that Kendre Miller would be relegated to a non-fantasy relevant role behind Alvin Kamara. But with Taysom Hill out for the rest of the season and MVS the only real option in the passing game outside of the platoon of Juwan Johnson and Foster Moreau, there’s a chance that Miller could get some increased run behind Alvin Kamara in between what’s likely to be a 30-opportunity workload the rest of the way for Kamara.

His upside isn’t that high on a Saints offense that’s seriously lacking teeth, but opportunity could be available by default in this offense with New Orleans getting clapped by the hand of attrition this season.