Monday Night Football pending; Week 13 is in the books. For most fantasy football leagues, that makes this the final run of waivers before the playoffs. These are the biggest names—all available in over half of Yahoo leagues—to add heading into Week 14.
â–¶ Quarterback
Tyrod Taylor, Jets
You might not like it, but this is what peak quarterback streaming looks like. Taylor has made three starts this year. He has finished as the QB8, QB15, and QB5 (pending MNF) in those contests. He has hit 40 rushing yards twice and has thrown at least one passing touchdown in all three starts. Taylor will remain in the QB2 mix versus Miami.
Tyler Shough, Saints
Shough is averaging 13.6 fantasy points per game as the Saints’ starter. That would normally leave him on the QB2/3 border. The good news is that Shough’s production should get a boost from his opponent, the Bucs, this week. Tampa Bay is giving up the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. With one more week of byes on tap, Shough is a viable streamer, primarily in 2QB and Superflex formats.
Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins
There isn’t much I can say about Tua to paint him in a favorable light. He has one QB1 performance in his past seven games and is averaging a measly 11.3 fantasy points per game this year. On the bright side, if he were ever going to get out of this slump, it would happen against the Jets, whom he faces in Week 14. New York ranks 27th in EPA per dropback allowed this year.
â–¶ Running Back
Chris Rodriguez, Commanders
Rodriguez has cemented himself as the leader of the Commanders’ backfield with 26 carries over the past two weeks compared to just 13 totes for Jacory Croskey-Merritt. He has also out-carried the rest of the Washington backfield 4-2 at the goal line over the past month. Rodriguez is a two-down thumper, but the offensive environment for Washington should improve in Week 14 with Jayden Daniels expected to return. Rodriguez is looking like a potential RB3 for the fantasy playoffs.
Bam Knight, Cardinals
Trey Benson could be back this week, putting an end to our Bam escapades. If he isn’t, we’re getting another week of RB3 output. Knight has scored in three straight games. He has also led the Cardinals in carries in all three of those contests. Most importantly, his receiving role is on the rise. Knight has 11 receptions during that stretch, one of which went for a touchdown in Week 14. With 13 catches over his past three appearances, Michael Carter also has some value in PPR leagues.
Tyler Allgeier, Falcons
Allgeier is up to eight rushing touchdowns this year after scoring again in Week 13. Bijan Robinson only has five scores on the ground. Allgeier has 24 red zone carries to Robinson’s 22. Both backs have five carries inside the five. The Falcons aren’t the best offense for generating red zone trips, but Allgeier is a menace in scoring position and is available in over half of Yahoo leagues.
Blake Corum, Rams
It’s not a particularly high mark, but Corum has hit at least seven carries in six straight games. He has seen 38 percent of the team’s carries since LA’s Week 9 bye. Now the Rams are favored by 7.5 against the Cardinals. Corum is a poor man’s Allgeier, but on a far better offense.
Samaje Perine, Bengals
Perine returned to the lineup last week and immediately forced a backfield-by-committee. He logged a 41 percent snap share and saw 47 percent of the Bengals’ carries. That was worth 14 rush attempts in total, plus two receptions. Perine was playing a similar role before suffering his ankle injury. He had at least seven touches in three consecutive games. Perine is purely a committee back on a pass-first team, but he could luck into a good game or two over the final month of the year.
â–¶ Wide Receiver
Adonai Mitchell, Jets
Mitchell was bubbling under the surface over the past two weeks, racking up absurd air yard totals with almost no real yards to match. The regression finally hit in Week 13 when he posted an 8/102/1 receiving line backed by 163 air yards. In three games with the Jets, Mitchell has a 30 percent target share and a 60 percent air yards share. That’s WR1 stuff right there.
Dontayvion Wicks, Packers
Matthew Golden has missed the past two weeks with a shoulder injury. Wicks stepped up in his absence on Thursday with six grabs for 92 yards and two scores. He did nothing in the previous game but managed a 20 percent target share. That jumped to 24 percent on Thanksgiving. Wicks will only be on the fantasy radar if Golden and Jayden Reed—currently on IR—remain out for Week 14.
Devaughn Vele, Saints
Vele has done almost nothing for the Saints all year. He showed some signs of life two weeks ago with seven targets, but the former Bronco turned that workload into just three grabs for 37 yards. He made good on another high-volume outing this week with an 8/93/1 line on eight targets. Chris Olave was banged up and the Saints were playing from behind, but it’s still proof of concept that Vele can work as the team’s No. 2 receiver.
Jayden Higgins, Texans
Higgins has slowly been stacking usable weeks, hitting double-digit PPR points in five of his past seven games. His route rates and target share have slowly risen this year. Higgins is up to a 59 percent route rate with a 20 percent target share over the past month. While he’s not quite in the WR3 ranks yet, Higgins is a viable FLEX play who could take off if the Texans keep putting more on his plate.
â–¶ Tight End
Brenton Strange, Jaguars
Strange returned from IR two weeks ago and reclaimed his role as the team’s starting tight end. He turned five targets into 93 yards in Week 12. Strange followed that up with a 3/45/1 line on Sunday. In two games back, Strange has earned 18 percent of the Jags’ targets and 22 percent of their air yards. His route rate jumped from 69 percent two weeks ago to 81 percent in Week 13.
Isaiah Likely, Ravens
Likely finally delivered on Thanksgiving with five catches for 95 yards, operating as the splash-play No. 2 tight end that the Ravens thought they would have all year. He did, however, cough up a fumble at the goal line. Lamar Jackson returned to the lineup in Week 9. Likely, in turn, has been earning targets as of late, with that trend not so coincidentally starting in Week 9. From Week 9 onward, Likely has been targeted on 23 percent of his routes, a stellar number for a tight end. Likely is still operating as a backup tight end, but he now has some life as a high-ceiling TE2.
Dalton Schultz, Texans
With Juwan Johnson’s roster rate skyrocketing via the most recent run of waivers, Schultz now holds the distinction of being the highest-scoring tight end who remains available in at least half of all Yahoo leagues. His 19 percent target share ranks inside the top 10 among tight ends. A 15 percent target share has him inside the top-15. He is currently the TE10 on the year. It’s not flashy, but Schultz should be rostered in all formats.