Fantasy Football Week 14 Cheat Sheet: Identifying Sleepers for Deep Leagues

For most fantasy football managers, Week 14 of the 2023 NFL season marks their last chance to secure a playoff spot or improve their postseason position.

That puts a tremendous amount of pressure to maximize every part of your roster.

So, if you have less than a full deck of cards on hand—due to the perpetually climbing injury count or the fact the Arizona Cardinals and Washington Commanders are on a bye—you might need to pivot toward a waiver-wire wild card. Let's examine which available players might be worth a waiver claim.

Waiver-Wire Cheat Sheet

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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - NOVEMBER 26: Tyjae Spears #32 of the Tennessee Titans runs the ball during the game against the Carolina Panthers at Nissan Stadium on November 26, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans defeated the Panthers 17-10. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

Player (Yahoo Roster Percentage)

1. Noah Brown, WR, Houston Texans (49%)

2. Roschon Johnson, RB, Chicago Bears (25%)

3. Tyjae Spears, RB, Tennessee Titans (46%)

4. Gardner Minshew, QB, Indianapolis Colts (25%)

5. Romeo Doubs, WR, Green Bay Packers (58%)

6. Jayden Reed, WR, Green Bay Packers (59%)

7. Jonathan Mingo, WR, Carolina Panthers (16%)

8. Joshua Dobbs, QB, Minnesota Vikings (48%)

9. Demario Douglas, WR, New England Patriots (23%)

10. Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Bengals (6%)

Noah Brown, WR, Houston Texans

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CINCINNATI, OH - NOVEMBER 12: Houston Texans Wide Receiver Noah Brown (85) advances the ball during the NFL football game between the Houston Texans and the Cincinnati Bengals on November 12, 2023, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Noah Brown was unguardable in Weeks 9 and 10, then he missed two weeks with a knee injury and finally he was overlooked in a crowded receiving group in Week 13, failing to catch either of his two targets in his return.

Well, Houston's receiving room is suddenly less congested, as star rookie receiver Tank Dell suffered a season-ending fractured fibula Sunday. That opens the door for Brown to again emerge as one of the top receivers in the Texans' prolific passing attack.

Prior to Browns' knee injury, he appeared on the verge of a full-fledged breakout. Between Weeks 9 and 10, he collected 13-of-14 targets for 325 yards and a touchdown. He was the 10th-best fantasy scorer and No. 2 receiver (behind CeeDee Lamb) over that stretch, per FantasyPros.

The potential for Brown to see anything close to that level of volume makes him at least a flex consideration, but he has a real chance to become a locked-in starting receiver down the stretch.

Roschon Johnson, RB, Chicago Bears

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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - NOVEMBER 27: Running back Roschon Johnson #23 of the Chicago Bears runs with the ball during an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on November 27, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images)

While the Bears' backfield is crowded, there are reasons to believe Roschon Johnson might be taking control of it.

At the very least, the rookie fourth-rounder has at least positioned himself for an increased role moving forward.

Prior to Chicago's Week 13 bye, Johnson got as busy as he's ever been in Week 12. Now, the Bears didn't have D'Onta Foreman in that contest, but Khalil Herbert played and was decidedly less involved than Johnson, who had the upper hand in both carries (10 to six) and targets (five to two). Johnson's 15 touches yielded a healthy 75 scrimmage yards, leaving the Bears with no obvious reasons to dial back his involvement.

If anything, Chicago might want to up his usage coming out of the bye, as the Bears might want to see exactly what they have in their rookie rusher before heading into what could be a transformational offseason for the team.