At this point in the season you should either be planning for gaps in your playoff weeks with the waiver wire. If you are counting on someone off the wire to get you into the playoffs, then your stint in the playoffs if you do make it is likely to be short-lived.
However given the bloodbath at running back we saw in week 12, probably a lot of rosters that are locked into the playoffs are scrambling to cover.
In the battle of the backups, Mattison outperformed Jamaal Williams with 22 carries for 91 yards and a score, with an extra 34 yards through the air. Williams played well with 17 for 71 but only one catch for 9 yards. Chuba Hubbard was on bye.
Boston Scott did absolutely nothing for the Eagles, and we don’t really know why. Sanders reinjured himself so Scott may be worth holding onto through the Eagles week 14 bye, but there isn’t much evidence to suggest that he is.
Let’s take a look at our waiver wire pickups for week 14 and see who can help us in the playoffs.
Waiver Wire Quarterbacks for Week 14
Honestly I can’t really recommend adding anyone from this list, but for the truly desperate, here are some reasons for optimism.
Zach Wilson, 6% rostered
His rapport is established with Elijah Moore who saw 30+% of his teams targets. Wilson did better as a result, and he gets the Jags week 16 of the playoffs. Other than that he is borderline unusable, playing the Saints this week and then getting Miami week 15, and Tampa Bay week 17. Tampa Bay is no longer a plus matchup for QBs.
Jared Goff, 6% rostered
Goff gets Denver this week, then Arizona week 15, Atlanta week 16, and Seattle week 17. Two good matchups on paper for the playoffs, and he finally discovered he has a talented rookie to throw to. Tough to trust under the best of circumstances.
Drops: Baker, Lawrence
Waiver Wire Running Backs for Week 14
Do not add Travis Homer based on points. His TD was a 78-yarder that came on a fake punt. Will not happen again.
Kenneth Gainwell, 12% rostered
Is Gainwell to backup to own in Philly? He was week 13 when he delivered 12-54-1 rushing line plus 5 catches for 33 yards. Will he be in week 15 when the Eagles come back from their bye? Impossible to say. Gainwell does get WFT, NYG, WFT for the playoff weeks so not bad in terms of potential opponents.
Drop: Boston Scott
Waiver Wire Wide Receivers for Week 14
Well at least we get a slightly more promising crop at the wide receiver position, but few of these guys are likely to repeat their performances.
Amon Ra St. Brown, 6% rostered
The rookie finally exploded when it was way too late to make a difference in Detroit’s season, but he did help them get their first and likely only win this season with 10 catches of 12 targets for 86 yards and a score. The Lions have no reason not to feature him and see what they have before the 2022 draft. He gets Airzona week 15, then Atlanta and Seattle, so a decent playoff schedule.
KJ Osborn, 4% rostered
With Adam Thielen injured and likely to miss the Thursday night matchup with the Steelers, its likely that Osborn sees more attention in week 14, but his playoff schedule is not great with the Bears, Rams, and Packers on tap.
Laquon Treadwell, 0% rostered
Despite the absolute rout last week, Treadwell managed 62 yards on 4 catches for the Jags. He gets Tennessee this week before a playoff schedule of the Texans, Jets, and Patriots. He could prove useful as he appears to be Jacksonville’s WR1 for some reason.
Drops: Shenault, Raymond, Bryan Edwards
Waiver Wire Tight Ends for Week 14
Tyler Conklin, 30% rostered
Conklin will also receive additional attention with Thielen out, and caught 7 of 9 targets this past week for 56 yards. His playoff schedule is not that favorable, same as Osborn (obviously) so think of him as a one-week filler.
Cole Kmet, 26% rostered
Kmet saw his targets drop from 11 in week 12 to 7 in week 13, but I think he still makes for a decent TE2 down the stretch. He gets the Packers this week, but has the Vikings, Seahawks, and Giants in the playoffs. He’s getting steady attention and there just aren’t that many targets for the Bears.
Drops: Fant, Uzomah
Streaming DST for Week 14 and Playoffs
Chargers, 26% rostered
The Chargers get the Giants this week making them an excellent streamer, but also get the Texans week 16 and the Broncos week 17. Just have other plans for week 15 when they play the chiefs.
Steelers, 46% rostered
Do we trust the Steelers after holding the Ravens to 19 points? I’m not even sure if they can be trusted this week against the Vikings, who did manage to crack 30 even in a loss to Detroit. The main reason I like them is for their week 17 matchup against Cleveland, as Baker Mayfield should be some kind of cyborg by then.