Week 14 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Picks From the Experts

Running Backs

Each week we at FFSpin.com scour the injury reports and analyze the box scores to offer up some players that are primed for fantasy glory but may still be floating around as free agents.  

Four offenses (Kansas City, Oakland, NY Giants and NY Jets) are having their way with opposing defenses and are averaging over 145 rushing yards per game.  The worst rushing offenses call Seattle, Arizona, Detroit, Dallas and Denver home; although in Denver’s defense, things have been trending upward since the return of Knowshon Moreno.  Those teams are hobbling along at a clip of only 90 yards per contest.

The five best teams at plugging up the run (allowing less than 90 yards/game) belong to Pittsburgh, Chicago, NY Jets and San Diego.  Temper your expectations for Cedric Benson (vs. Pitt) and Ronnie Brown/Ricky Williams (vs. NY Jets) as they have matchups with these stout defensive lines in Week 14.

The worst run defenses (allowing over 130 yards/game) exist in Carolina, Washington, Tampa, Oakland, Arizona, Indy, Denver, and Buffalo.  Many elite options have the potential to explode in favorable Week 14 matchups.  Peyton Hillis (@ Buffalo), Knowshon Moreno (vs. ARZ) and MJD (vs. Oakland) are primed to carry your fantasy teams to round two.

Now that we are entering the fantasy playoff weeks (Weeks 14-16), let’s take a look at the remaining NFL schedule to determine which teams face defenses that have been shredded by opposing RBs and which teams face a bevy of formidable pass defenses that should be avoided if you have a legitimate alternative.

Best Playoff RB schedules (Weeks 14-16): Denver, Tampa, Oakland, Dallas and Jacksonville.

Worst Playoff RB schedules (Weeks 14-16): Philadelphia, Chicago, Cincinnati, New Orleans and NY Jets.

VIEWS

Razzball.com is on board with adding Tim Hightower if available as Beanie has floundered and the Cardinals have a favorable remaining schedule.

FantasyFanPlay.com recommends the Cowboys Tashard Choice as he proved in Week 13 that he could be the Cowboys RB of the future.

BrunoBoys.net.com notes that James Starks has a legit chance of become the feature back for the Pack over the final four weeks. We caution that the presence of Brandon Jackson, John Kuhn and Dmitri Nance limits Starks’ upside potential.

FFToolbox.com points out that the 49ers Anthony Dixon could be a valuable asset in Week 14 as they face a struggling Seattle run defense.

FFtoday.com believes that Javarris James could see his role expand due to the rash of injuries among the Colts backfield.

FANTASY FOOTBALL SPIN

James Starks

The 6’2", 211-pounder from Buffalo University came out of nowhere to lead the struggling Packer ground game in Week 13 win over San Fran’s 14th-ranked run defense.

Brandon Jackson has failed to impress since taking over for Ryan Grant as he has averaged 44 yards/game with only three TDs through 12 games. Starks finished with 18 carries for 73 yards and head coach Mike McCarthy praised him for his running and pass protection which should bode well for increased playing time in the final month of the season. 

Dimitri Nance was rumored to see an increased workload but a concussion made him inactive for Week 13. The red zone carries are still up for grabs which will limit Starks upside but we expect him to get the majority of the carries between the 20s.

Green Bay’s schedule ranks as the ninth most favorable for RBs for the playoff weeks (14-16) with matchups against Detroit (24th), New England (16th), and the NY Giants (eighth).

Tashard Choice

Marion Barber suffered a calf injury in Week 12 is unlikely to be an option until Week 15 at the earliest. He was averaging only 3.1 YPC and should be see his workload reduced regardless of the injury. 

Heading into Week 13, the Dallas run game ranked 31st (76 yards/game).  The 25 year old RB out of Georgia Tech averaged an impressive 5.5 yards per carry in limited action last season. Barber has had two straight injury plagued seasons and Felix Jones, despite being one of the more dynamic open field runners, has yet to carry the ball over 15 times in a single game. 

He is dynamic, but there is something missing there as well.  In Week 13, Choice carried the ball 19 times for 100 yards and a touchdown but struggled to score in the red zone as he was stuffed on four occasions against a struggling Indy defense.

Regardless, he has earned 15+ carries going forward and should be a legit flex option for favorable matchups in Weeks 15/16 against weak run defenses in Washington (26th) and Arizona (29th).

Michael Bush

One of our favorite preseason sleepers was surpassed on the Raider depth chart by Darren McFadden but returned to fantasy relevance in Week 13 in San Diego. The physical 245-pound RB finished with 23 carries for 95 yards and a touchdown as the silver and black dominated the Chargers from the opening kickoff. 

McFadden will continue to be the lead back but look for the Raiders to employ a ground and pound attack that should make Bush worth considering based on a favorable stretch of games on the upcoming schedule.  Oakland doesn’t face a defense ranked among the top 20 in run defense over the next three weeks including cream puff defenses Denver (31st) and Indianapolis (30th) in Weeks 15/16.

Jarvarris James

The Colts running game has struggled all season amid injuries to Joseph Addai, Mike Hart, and Donald Brown. Addai and Hart are likely to miss yet another game in Week 14 and Donald Brown has failed to impress (especially in the red zone).

Rookie Javarris James has struggled yardage wise carrying 28 times for only 63 yards (meager 2.3 YPC). On the plus side he has emerged as the short yardage back and has now scored five TDs (two in Week 13). His upside is limited as he’s unlikely to see more than five to seven carries per game unless Donald Brown is re-injured but those in TD leagues might want to consider the new younger James boy in the Colts backfield.

CJ Spiller

The first-round pick has struggled with injuries but looked healthy in Week 13 vs. Minnesota as he carried seven times for 35 yards (five YPC). He has only 48 carries for 199 yards (4.1 YPC) and 20 catches for 82 yards on the season but could cut into Fred Jackson’s workload as the Bills could look to see what the future holds in the final month of the season.

His dynamic playmaking / pass catching skills make him worth considering in deeper PPR leagues if you have the roster spot. Buffalo’s schedule ranks as the 16th most favorable for RBs for the playoff Weeks (14-16) with matchups against Cleveland (21st), Miami (13th), and New England (16th).

HANDCUFF

If you have roster space and you are solid at the position, rather than reaching for a player that you may not use in the playoffs, considering using your waiver spot to handcuff a running back like LeSean McCoy with Jerome Harrison.  There is a whole of list of important handcuffs, and if one of your starting running backs goes down, you are probably better off with their handcuff and a hit or miss No. 3 RB in your starting lineup.  

Don't miss the the Fantasy Football Spin on week 14 waiver picks at Wide Receiver and Quarterback.