Staying active on the waiver wire is an important way for season-long fantasy owners to improve their teams and get an edge on the competition. Shifts in opportunities for players due to injuries or performance cause value spikes that owners can take advantage of to fill in roster holes to build a championship lineup.
Each week, we will discuss waiver wire targets at each position to consider for both the week ahead and the rest of the fantasy season.
Week 14 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Adds
* Current roster % in home leagues is noted in parentheses (from Sleeper)
Russell Wilson, QB (Pittsburgh Steelers) (41%)
Let Russ Cook! Russell Wilson evoked memories of the mid-2010s on Sunday with an incredible performance in a shootout 44-38 win over the Bengals. He finished 29-38 for 414 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. He eclipsed 400 passing yards for the first time since 2019.
Wilson now has three top-10 fantasy finishes in the six weeks since he took over the starting job from Justin Fields. Mike Tomlin’s offense now utilizes Fields as a change-of-pace running option, which takes away some potential fantasy value for Wilson with his legs, but he proved on Sunday that his arm is perfectly capable of creating enough explosive plays.
The normally stout Cleveland Browns defense is currently ranked 25th in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks. Wilson completed nine passes for more than 20 yards against the Bengals and should continue to pepper George Pickens, Calvin Austin Jr., and others with targets this week.
Looking for more fantasy football content? Make sure to check out Sean Koerner’s and Chris Raybon’s weekly fantasy football rankings by subscribing to FantasyLabs’ 2024 fantasy football kit to see how other waiver wire candidates look this week.
Isaac Guerendo, RB (San Francisco 49ers) (5%)
The 49ers’ season continues to be fraught with setbacks after a blowout loss in snowy Buffalo on Sunday night. They lost Christian McCaffrey once again to a potential season-ending PCL injury and backup tailback Jordan Mason to a high ankle sprain. Rookie Isaac Guerendo is next in line to take the lead-back role in a run-heavy offense.
Guerendo is averaging a strong 5.9 yards/carry on 42 attempts this season. In Week 8, he saw 18 total touches and turned that into 102 total yards and a score for a top-12 fantasy week. He needed just 10 carries to amass 99 rushing yards in Week 6.
The 49ers want to run the ball, and Guerendo should see plenty of carries against the Bears. He is a must-add waiver pickup if available and could turn into a fantasy playoff all-star if he earns the feature-back workload.
Now available: our NFL DFS SimLabs Lineup Generator that creates advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation.
Adam Thielen, WR (Carolina Panthers) (50%)
An overtime fumble by Chuba Hubbard erased an incredible late-game performance by Adam Thielen and Bryce Young that put the Panthers in winning position on two different occasions against the Buccaneers.
Thielen bobbled, then caught a diving attempt in the back of the end zone to give Carolina the lead with less than a minute remaining in regulation. He then made an incredible one-handed catch in overtime on third down to move the Panthers toward a potential game-winning field goal.
Young is finally showing signs of life over the last few games, and Thielen has returned from injury as a consistent target with eight catches for 99 yards and a score on Sunday. He is worth picking up, as Carolina should continue to air it out with at least 35 pass attempts in each of the last two games.
Jake Ferguson TE (Dallas Cowboys) (63%)
The Cowboys starting tight end might be found on waiver wires after two games missed from a concussion sustained in Week 11. It is possible that Jake Ferguson may not return to the lineup this week, but the upcoming schedule for Dallas is juicy for tight ends.
Dallas faces Cincinnati, Carolina, and Tampa Bay over the next three weeks. Each defense ranks in the bottom five against fantasy tight ends. Before his injury, Ferguson delivered four top-10 tight end weeks from Weeks 3-9. He normally sees at least 80% of the team’s tight end targets when healthy, but somehow has only totaled five red zone opportunities on the season.
Ferguson is a perfect playoff target for fantasy owners needing tight end help.
Be sure to check out all the pick’ems Sleeper has to offer with Sleeper promo code LABS1 for a $1500 deposit match.
New Orleans Saints, D/ST (14%)
The New Orleans defense has failed to create a turnover in the last two games and only sacked Matthew Stafford twice last week. However, they are next in line to face a hapless Giants offense that is last in points per game (15.3) as they waver between backup quarterbacks Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito at the helm.
Likely a one-game streaming play, the Saints are a strong matchup option this week. They rank 19th in points allowed (23.4) this season and have tallied three sacks in three of their last five games. The team is playing hard for interim head coach Darren Rizzi in an NFC South that is still anyone’s to win.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
Daily Fantasy Football Week 17 NFL DFS Stacks and Picks on DraftKings and FanDuel
Week 18 NFL DFS WR Picks Breakdown: Ja’Marr Chase is a Stud
NFL DFS Lineup Optimizer Rules and My Favorite Angle for Sunday’s Wild Card Round
NFL Wild Card Round DFS Top Model Picks and Value Plays on DraftKings and FanDuel
