Week 14 Waiver Wire: Fantasy Football's Top Breakout Candidates and Pickups

Most NFL fantasy leagues begin their playoffs in Week 13 or 14 so if you're reading this article, chances are you've made your postseason. 

Congratulations! But all of those regular-season wins mean nothing now. You have to nail your lineup every week or all that hard work and those early mornings were worth nothing. 

We're moving past the bye weeks, so your opponents are going to be at full strength. Maybe you got lucky and the starting lineup you drafted is mostly intact. But chances are you've suffered some season-ending losses on your roster. 

Here are some suggestions to guide you as you search the waiver wire ahead of the Week 14 matchups. 

The following players are owned in fewer than 60 percent of Yahoo leagues and are worth considering for your lineup in Week 14.  

Player	Team	Week 14 Opponent	% Owned (as of Sunday)
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
Joe Flacco	BAL	@NE	23%
Brock Osweiler	HOU	@IND	10%
Mike Gillislee	BUF	PIT	22%
Jerick McKinnon	BAL	@NE	44%
Chris Hogan	NE	BAL	15%
Brandon LaFell	CIN	@CLE	16%
C.J. Fiedorowicz	HOU	@IND	40%
Dennis Pitta	BAL	@NE	33%

Week 14 Waiver-Wire Pickups

Mike Gillislee, RB, Buffalo Bills 

D. Ross Cameron/Associated Press

As far as backup running backs go, if you can count on one to make it into the end zone most weeks, you've found yourself a high-upside flex option at the very least. 

And that's just what Buffalo running back Mike Gillislee has become for his fantasy owners:

The Bills rusher, who missed last week's game with a hamstring injury, returned in Week 13 and made a statement. He totaled 39 yards on four carries, for an average of a whopping 9.75 yards per carry, and found the end zone for the touchdown.

If you have handcuffed LeSean McCoy and Gillislee for some reason, it may be too risky to start the latter over the former. 

But if you have some underperforming rushers on your bench and Gillislee is available in your league, he's definitely worth a look for Week 14.

Chris Hogan, WR, New England Patriots

With tight end Rob Gronkowski out for the season, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is going to need someone to take over on the 67.5 yards per game the two have been connecting for on average this season. 

While it's natural many of the targets that would have gone to Gronkowski end up with Martellus Bennett, wide receiver Chris Hogan is showing Brady that he's good for the explosive plays. 

Hogan is second in the NFL in yards per catch, behind only...Gronk. And that could change soon as Hogan sees more opportunities. 

The wideout had four receptions for 23 yards and a touchdown on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams. As of right now, he may not be the best option in PPR leagues.

But in standard leagues, expect to see Hogan get lots of action for the Patriots over the next four weeks of the season.  

Dennis Pitta, TE, Baltimore Ravens

Speaking of Rob Gronkowski, if you're hurting in fantasy because you've lost your starting tight end for the season, Baltimore's Dennis Pitta could be a solid replacement. 

No tight end can measure up to Gronk when he's healthy.

But Pitta has been working his way back from a hip injury this season and, with two touchdowns in Sunday's win over the Miami Dolphins, is proving that he may be Joe Flacco's No. 1 red-zone target again, as Ravens.com's Ryan Mink points out:

Pitta's 19 points off 90 yards and the two touchdowns were the most among all tight ends in Week 13 heading into the Sunday night game. And given Pitta is only owned in 33 percent of all fantasy leagues, he's likely available in yours.

Pitta isn't a bad option to have on your bench heading into Week 14. 

Scoring stats and ownership stats via Yahoo Sports and current as of Dec. 4.