Week 14 Waiver Wire Wonders

Washington Football Team Wide Receiver Logan Thomas. Photo Credit: All-Pro Reels | Under Creative Commons License
Washington Football Team Wide Receiver Logan Thomas. Photo Credit: All-Pro Reels | Under Creative Commons License

How’s it going LAFB Network Fam, we’re back for another waiver article this week but this article might be a little different than ones in the past. This week marks the first week of the fantasy playoffs! If you’ve been reading up on your waiver wire articles then most likely you are already in contention for the championship.

If, however, you’re not in the playoffs then no worries! There’s always next year. SIKE! If you’re not in the playoffs now more than ever you should be paying attention to the waiver wire. Why might you ask? Well, I don’t know about you but if I’m not in the playoffs, I am doing everything in my power to make sure the managers in the playoffs aren’t getting the players off the wire. I’m more of a watch the world burn kind of guy.

Week 14 Waiver Wire Wonders

Quarterback

(IND) Philip Rivers @ Las Vegas Raiders

owned in about 40% of fantasy leagues

If you’re in the playoffs, I am hoping you already found your QB for the rest of the season. If not then I think you do some streaming with Philip Rivers this week against the Raiders. The Raiders just made Sam Darnold look like the player he was coming out of USC and that was with a bruised and battered Jets team.

Philip Rivers on the other hand has been on a hot streak these last three weeks. He’s thrown over 280 passing yards each game, multiple TDs per game, and only two picks. In three weeks Philip Rivers has been averaging 23.7 fantasy points per showing. Surprisingly enough, Rivers has already surpassed his TD total from the last two seasons (23, 18), and if you remember Rivers in San Diego, when it starts getting colder, Rivers gets hotter.

(CLE) Baker Mayfield vs Baltimore Ravens

owned in about 38% of fantasy leagues

As odd as it may sound, Baker Mayfield hasn’t been making his usual waves throughout the season as he has in the past. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t have to feed Odell Beckham Jr. or hear about how he can’t hit OBJ wide open, but either way, Mayfield has been fairly successful this season.

When I say successful, of course I mean the Browns organization, not so much a successful fantasy QB. Not until recently has Baker Mayfield really found his groove when it comes to our silly fantasy football leagues. In the last two weeks, Baker has six TDs, no picks, and 592 passing yards.

Speaking of no picks, on the season he only has seven picks. That’s less than Kirk Cousins, Tom Brady, Kyler Murray, Matthew Stafford, Russell Wilson, and at least five more starting QBs. Not too shabby for the man everyone called a bust last season.

Running Back

(LAR) Cam Akers vs New England Patriots

owned in about 53% of fantasy leagues

Mr. Cam Akers was on the waiver article last week, so this week I will try to keep it short and straight to the point. This week Akers had another very playable fantasy week with 16.4 fantasy points but more than that, he seems to be taking over in the backfield for the Los Angeles Rams. With 27 rushing attempts between the RBs in the backfield, Cam Akers had 21 of those touches. That’s pretty impressive considering the success both Malcolm Brown and Darrell Henderson had earlier in the season. Either way, the tides seem to be turning for the LA Rams and their backfield so it might be time to jump ship on Brown and Henderson for Cam Akers.

(DET) Adrian Peterson vs Green Bay Packers

owned in about 48% of fantasy leagues

Rostering AP might depend on D’Andre Swift and his health concerns. Swift has been sidelined the past couple of weeks because of a concussion but in his absence, Adrian Peterson hasn’t fared too bad. So far Peterson has had four rushing TDs in 31 rushing attempts and 112 rushing yards. The attempts and yards aren’t much to brag about but those four TDs have definitely made AP a playable fantasy asset.

In those two weeks, AP has had 17+ fantasy points in each week in an offense that doesn’t seem to know how to run the ball. Peterson might be a safe gamble this week if Swift doesn’t suit up for his third week in a row.

(NYJ) Ty Johnson @ Seattle Seahawks

owned in about 2% of fantasy leagues

Now if you’re looking for a big payoff on a gamble this week, Ty Johnson could be your man. Good ol’ reliable Frank Gore went down the second play of the game against the Raiders, so in came Johnson, and boy did he leave an impression. In 22 rushing attempts, Ty Johnson had 104 rushing yards and a score to total 19.7 fantasy points. It was his career-high in attempts, yards, and quite frankly, TDs.

Now as I am writing this of course you must remember this is the Jets we are talking about. They don’t run the ball and being a 0-12 team also means there might not be any cohesive offense to keep them afloat. If they’re down, more than likely they’re going to be passing it a bunch to get back into the game. So if you’re thinking Johnson is a slam play, take a step back and think about your other options and realize that he might be the biggest gamble in your playoff career.

Wide Reciever

(IND) T.Y. Hilton @ Las Vegas Raiders

owned in about 49% of fantasy leagues

When you first heard that Philip Rivers was going to be the QB for the Colts, one of the ideas you might have had was, “Hey, T.Y. Hilton now has someone to rely on to throw him the ball.” Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case until recently. I know I had Hilton in a few fantasy leagues myself but with his lack of productivity, at some point, I had to drop him. Now I might be kicking myself because of it.

In the past two weeks, Hilton has scored in each of his games. Not only that, he has had 80+ receiving yards in both of those games and had a completion rate higher than 72%. If he’s available on the wire I would take a good hard look at T.Y. Hilton to see if I could make some room on my roster for the heating up WR.

(LV) Nelson Agholor vs Indianapolis Colts

owned in about 40% of fantasy leagues

Now I know what you’re thinking, why isn’t Henry Ruggs III on the waiver article? Well between you and me, Ruggs has been the biggest variable on the Raider roster. He’ll do damage with only two targets but disappear weeks in between. Now if you look at Agholor, there is some kind of pattern that he and Derek Carr have been developing.

Believe it or not, the former Philadelphia Eagle leads all the Raiders WRs in fantasy points and TDs. In the 12 games he has suited up, Agholor has been averaging 10.2 fantasy points per week. Not only that, in the last three weeks Agholor has had 26 targets and 15 receptions, proving that he has been a staple for Carr in this offense.

(HOU) Keke Coutee @ Chicago Bears

owned in about 27% of fantasy leagues

If you didn’t know, now you know player. Will Fuller is out of the Houston lineup so Brandin Cooks and Keke Coutee have absorbed all of his targets. Coutee was on the waiver article last week and this is why. His Week 13 stats look as such: nine targets and eight receptions for 141 receiving yards. Overall he totaled 22.1 fantasy points and if he would’ve just taken one of those receptions into the endzone, he would have been a top 5 fantasy player. If you’re looking for another safe gamble, Coutee might have your name written all over him.

Tight End

(WAS) Logan Thomas @ San Francisco 49ers

owned in about 40% of fantasy leagues

Over and over I scream and yell about how Logan Thomas is a target machine and how he’s a monster on the field. This week was no different. Young Thomas had nine targets and receptions for 98 yards and a score, finishing his week with 24.8 fantasy points. On the season, Logan Thomas has 70 targets; that’s 7th among TEs in the league and when it comes to actual fantasy points, he’s 9th beating out players like Evan Engram, Rob Gronkowski, and even Noah Fant. The only critique that can be made about Thomas would have to be the team he’s on but he doesn’t have control over that part of his career.

(JAC) Tyler Eifert vs Tennessee Titans

owned in about 6% of fantasy leagues

If you’re hurting at TE or streaming TEs this season then I am sure you have seen the name Tyler Eifert on the waiver wire more than once. I too have thought about rostering the man but haven’t had the will nor the need to place him on my team. Luckily for me, I guess I haven’t needed to lean on him but if you are in need of a TE and Thomas isn’t available in your league, then Eifert might be an alright sub-in.

In the last three weeks, Eifert has 15 targets and 11 receptions from whoever has been his QB. These past two weeks were the first time he’s landed in double-digit fantasy numbers since Week 2 but the man has been a reliable target for the Jacksonville offense. Again, I don’t want to say put all your stock in Eifert but if you’re in need of a stream, he may be a playable option that won’t kill your week.

Washington Football Team Wide Receiver Logan Thomas. Photo Credit: All-Pro Reels | Under Creative Commons License

Washington Football Team Wide Receiver Logan Thomas. Photo Credit: All-Pro Reels | Under Creative Commons License