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

The NFL’s wacky weekday scheduling has created some problems for fantasy football leagues, but oddly enough, it seems helpful with the waiver wire. Typically reserved for the Tuesday following the Monday night game, in recent weeks claims have been made on Thursdays and Wednesdays. The biggest benefit of that is getting a better idea of which of your injured players might sit out and need a one-week streaming replacement instead of guessing on Tuesday who might be practicing later in the week. 

Week 14 also means one thing: playoffs. In just about any standard league, the playoffs will begin in earnest this week, and the right—or wrong—waiver wire pickup could be the difference between championship pursuit and first-round disappointment. Luckily, with no more byes the rest of the season and the NFL committed not to cancel any games because of COVID-19, it’s unlikely that any players will miss time, save for an injury.

Ahead of the first week of bracket play, here are a few waiver pickups to add to your roster either as a streaming option or a consistent contributor.

Philip Rivers, QB, Indianapolis

Eric Christian Smith/Associated Press

Streaming a quarterback in any round of the playoffs isn’t ideal, but if it has to be done, it has to be done. Rivers has struggled this season a bit in Indianapolis compared to previous years when he was a must-start fantasy gun-slinger. He has, however, been improved the last four weeks, throwing for more than 288 yards in each of the last four contests, with eight touchdowns and two interceptions. 

The Colts get a favorable matchup this week with Las Vegas’ 25th-ranked pass defense, which should give Rivers a chance to throw the ball around the yard. 

Other Options: Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia; Andy Dalton, Dallas; Baker Mayfield, Cleveland

Ty Johnson, RB, New York Jets

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

Starting anyone on the Jets’ offense is a risk considering their offensive line play, but with Frank Gore’s injury, Johnson got a hefty 22 carries in New York’s loss to the Raiders last week. He’s rostered on less than 2 percent of teams, and as long as Gore remains out with a concussion, he’s likely to take on a heavy workload alongside Josh Adams. 

New York is on the road this week, but they’ll get a favorable rushing matchup against Seattle’s defense, which remains in the bottom-third of the league against the run. Only one hesitation: If Seattle’s offense has success early against the Jets’ porous pass defense, Johnson could see a decreased share of carries as they throw more often to catch up. 

Still, there are few good running back options this week, and if you’re desperate, Johnson is worth the pickup. 

Other Options: Gus Edwards, Baltimore; Cam Akers, Los Angeles Rams

T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Like his quarterback counterpart in Rivers, Hilton has seemingly found his groove the last few weeks, hauling in four catches for 81 yards and a touchdown against Tennessee, and eight more catches for 110 yards and a score against Houston. His production has otherwise been inconsistent, but if he and Rivers have finally developed a rapport, this could be a great week for a streaming start. 

Good passing offenses have feasted on Las Vegas, with Tampa Bay scoring 45 points in Week 7, Kansas City scoring 35 points in Week 11 and Atlanta racking up 37 in Week 12. The Colts aren’t quite on the level of those groups, but Hilton is a high-upside play if you’re in a need of a fill-in wideout. 

Other Options: Keke Coutee, Houston; K.J. Hamler, Denver; Denzel Mims, New York Jets

Follow Keegan on Twitter @ByKeeganPope.