Waiver Wire Targets Week 14 2017

By Armando Marsal

Most antasy leagues kick off their playoffs this week. With injuries continuing to be a big factor for fantasy owners, the best way to go about them is to make the waiver wire a priority. By this point, there is no need to be hanging onto any player that has not produced up to your expectations, especially with players that can help your fantasy teams right now still available. The waiver wire may be thin in your leagues, but for the most part there is usually a player or two that can add value to your roster. With that said, let’s take a look at some of this week’s top waiver wire targets.

Quarterback

Jimmy Garoppolo – 49ers: Garoppolo completed 26-of-37 passes for 293 yards and one interception in his 49ers debut. While this was not the greatest performance, he did complete 71.8 percent of his passes and finished seven yards short of 300 passing yards. He has two good matchups in the upcoming weeks against the Titans and Texans, two defenses that have been generous to quarterbacks. For owners dealing with injuries to quarterbacks and/or those in two-quarterback leagues, Garoppolo could be a viable streaming option in the next two games.
Others to consider: Josh McCown – Jets

Running Back

Peyton Barber – Buccaneers: Barber followed up his two-touchdown game in Week 12, with 23 carries for 102 yards and four receptions for 41 yards in Week 13. He drew the start for the injured Doug Martin and received 77 percent of the carries. Even if Martin returns this week, Barber figures to see some work and he faces off against a Lions defense that has allowed 10 rushing touchdowns in their last seven games and an average of over 100 rushing yards per game during that’s stretch. If Martin is out, Barber could be considered a RB2 this week.

Mike Davis - Seahawks: Davis played in 73 percent of the Seahawks snaps in Week 13 and was very efficient. He rushed for 64 yards on 16 carries and also caught four passes for 37 yards. He looks like a very capable running back and should continue to see work down the stretch for Seattle. He has the ability to both catch passes out of the backfield and run effectively, making him a viable flex option this week even against a tough Jaguars defense. The Seahawks still have matchups against the Rams and Cowboys, who have struggled against the run.

Others to consider: Rex Burkhead – Patriots, Giovani Bernard – Bengals, Theo Riddick - Lions

Wide Receiver

Marquise Goodwin – 49ers: In Garoppolo’s first start, it was Goodwin who received the most targets for the 49ers, with eight. He caught all eight of his targets for 99 yards. Goodwin has scored double-digit fantasy points in six of his last eight games (PPR formats) and could be considered WR3 with upside, in the next couple of weeks with matchups against the Titans and Texans.

Josh Gordon – Browns: Gordon was peppered with 11 targets in his season debut. He caught four of those targets for 85 yards in a tough matchup against the Chargers. He does get a nice matchup in Week 14 against the Packers who have been generous to wide receivers. Gordon should continue to see plenty of targets for the remainder of the season and has displayed in the past that he can be an elite wide receiver when he is on. He could be of huge help to fantasy owners during their playoff run.

Others to consider: Jermaine Kearse – Jets, Josh Doctson – Redskins, Trent Taylor – 49ers

Tight End

Cameron Brate – Buccaneers: Brate and Jameis Winston did not waste any time in getting reacquainted, as Brate caught two of his six targets for 37 yards and two touchdowns. He has now scored a touchdown in all but four games with Winston under center this season. The Bucs face off against the Lions in Week 14, who have allowed four touchdowns in their last three games to opposing tight ends.

Others to consider: Austin Seferian-Jenkins – Jets

For any questions, feel free to reach out to me on the Twitter machine @Armando_Marsal. Best of luck to all.