Joe Serpico shares his top fantasy football waiver-wire pickups heading into Week 14.
Week 13 was a reminder why I’m an advocate for adding handcuff running backs at this time of the season. Rather than rostering a second tight end or fifth and sixth receivers, add backup running backs in the event of an injury to the player ahead of them on the depth chart. Zack Moss’ value skyrocketed last week with an injury to Jonathan Taylor. We could see similar scenarios in the upcoming weeks. Players who should be on your radar are Rico Dowdle, Elijah Mitchell, Joshua Kelley, Ty Chandler, Kenneth Gainwell, Zamir White, Jamaal Williams and D’Ernest Johnson.
Ezekiel Elliott, RB, New England Patriots: An injury to Rhamondre Stevenson makes Elliott a priority add as we near the playoffs. He racked up 92 total yards in relief of Stevenson, catching four passes as well. He needs volume to be effective, and that shouldn’t be an issue with Stevenson out of the lineup. Elliott is a RB2/FLEX until Stevenson returns.
Tyjae Spears, RB, Tennessee Titans: Spears has shown glimpses of being a dynamic player, getting most of his work in the pass game. Derrick Henry left Sunday’s game with a concussion and Spears received 20 touches as a result. There have been only a handful of players to play the following week after a concussion this year, so it’s likely Henry is out this week. Spears is a better player than Elliott at this stage of their careers, but Elliott will likely get multiple games as the lead back.
Antonio Gibson, RB, Washington Commanders: Brian Robinson Jr. has been one of fantasy’s unsung heroes this season, but he picked up a hamstring injury Sunday. Fortunately for Robinson, the Commanders are on a bye this week, so he’ll have an extra week to heal. Gibson still needs to be added if you roster Robinson in case it is a long-term injury, while the rest of us wait and see the extent of the injury. It wasn’t long ago that Gibson was a league winner at this point in the season.
Elijah Moore, WR, Cleveland Browns: Amari Cooper was another key player lost to a concussion this week, leaving Moore as the team’s top option. The Browns’ passing game showed a pulse with Joe Flacco under center, and Moore was already a player I recommended picking up weeks ago. Expect Moore to get around 10 targets this week.
New Orleans Saints D/ST: I don’t typically recommend defenses for waiver purposes, but if you’re battling for a final playoff spot, you need all the points you can get. The Saints have two juicy matchups on deck with the Panthers and Giants coming up. Spend the dollar or two and watch the Saints’ defense wreak havoc against two of the league’s worst offenses.
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