Week 14 Waiver Wire Pickups: Sleepers Who May Still Be Available

The onset of NFL Week 14 means waving goodbye to the stashes. 

With the playoffs getting underway for many owners, there isn't a reason to find long-term solutions anymore, so the strategy on the waiver wire naturally shifts toward immediate production.

Such an avenue of pursuit won't always feature the biggest or most attractive names and tends to lean on injury openings, matchups or trends to work. But owners who have made it this far shouldn't struggle in any of these areas after making it through what has been one of the tougher seasons in recent memory. 

Here's a look at the top waiver targets for Week 14 based on standard Yahoo leagues.

Week 14 Waiver-Wire Targets

Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, SF (16 percent owned) 

DeShone Kizer, QB, CLE (4 percent owned)

Peyton Barber, RB, TB (7 percent owned)

Giovani Bernard, RB, CIN (12 percent owned)

Mike Davis, RB, SEA (10 percent owned)

Jermaine Kearse, WR, NYJ (46 percent owned)

Marquise Goodwin, WR, SF (33 percent owned)

Corey Coleman, WR, CLE (37 percent owned)

Stephen Anderson, TE, HOU (0 percent owned)

Ricky Seals-Jones, TE, ARI (29 percent owned)

Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, SF (16 percent owned)

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Sometimes it takes going bold with a name owners wouldn't expect in order to find success in playoff matchups or otherwise this time of year. 

Case in point, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Forced into action in Week 12 and given the starting spot in Week 13, Garoppolo looked solid putting up 11.52 points over 37 attempts on the road. 

It wasn't an easy matchup, either, as Rob Lowder of Niners Wire pointed out: 

But it sure gets easier in Week 14. Not only does Garoppolo have another week with the San Francisco playbook and timing with his new weapons, he gets a cupcake of a matchup against the Houston Texans. 

Those Texans allow the second-most points to opposing quarterbacks on average this year, including two allowances of 30 or more points. While he likely won't hit such a number, it's clear Garoppolo has a desirable ceiling for those owners who happen to be in need at the spot. 

Giovani Bernard, RB, CIN (12 percent owned)

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As mentioned, injuries can play a big part in fantasy playoff success this time of year. 

Look at Giovani Bernard of the Cincinnati Bengals, a guy who went relatively unused for most of the season while sitting behind Jeremy Hill and Joe Mixon and working his way back slowly from a season-ending injury the year prior. 

But Hill has been on injured reserve, and Mixon went down with a concussion in Week 13 with the Pittsburgh Steelers in town. All Bernard did when called upon was total 9.6 points on 13 carries for 77 yards. 

Seasoned owners know all about what Bernard can do when featured in the Cincinnati offense. He's the definition of versatile, hence 630 carries and 208 catches over the course of his five-year career, so owners who scoop him up should expect nothing less if Mixon isn't healthy. 

Provided the game went down on Monday and Mixon has a short week to get ready, Bernard should be the feature back with a full workload, which is a huge boost at arguably the most important fantasy position of all. 

Jermaine Kearse, WR, NYJ (46 percent owned)

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The problem with this time of year for owners is the fact percent-owned numbers can suddenly matter less than most of the season. 

Here, the number next to New York Jets wideout Jermaine Kearse is a little higher than we'd like, but it's impossible not to talk about him with owners in win-or-go-home situations. 

Kearse is impossible to miss—he isn't a breakout star like fellow wideout Robby Anderson, but he's benefiting from the surprising play of Josh McCown just the same and has 15.7 or more points in each of his past two outings as well as double-digit target numbers in both. 

The total numbers from the stretch and the top highlight are worth a look: 

While Kearse doesn't have the best matchups moving forward, he's a target hog on an offense with few weapons and isn't likely to be considered the top priority thanks to Anderson's breakout. 

Meaning, Kearse should see the usual looks and produce well, giving him an attractive floor for owners who happen to find themselves in iffy situations when it matters most. 

Stephen Anderson, TE, HOU (0 percent owned)

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None of this means owners can't find success with an unknown. 

Here's Houston Texans tight end Stephen Anderson, for example, who broke out last week with 13.9 points on a strong 12 targets. 

With guys like Bruce Ellington and C.J. Fiedorowicz hurt, Anderson isn't going anywhere as a safety valve, especially because of his versatility that helps him stay on the field, as Rotoworld's Evan Silva pointed out: 

With how up and down tight end has been all year, it's shouldn't come as a surprise to see an unknown like Anderson emerge for what could be a hot stretch right now. 

Just in time, too, as owners search for alternatives for regulars like Rob Gronkowski and otherwise seek out high-upside options to help boost lineups in unexpected spots. With the usage likely remaining the same, Anderson should have a big day against a struggling 49ers defense.

All scoring info, points-against info and ownership stats courtesy of Yahoo standard leagues.