Week 14 Fantasy Football Rankings: Top 5* Players Available on the Waiver Wire

With the fantasy playoffs upon us, there aren't too many more chances to steal guys off the waiver wire. More and more of the players we've been talking about for weeks are gone and we're looking for diamonds in extreme amounts of rough.

At Footballguys we try to do that all year long, and I think it pays off when we have periods like the last three or four weeks when depth charts across the NFL and your fantasy league are tested and pushed to their limits.

These are the times which try a man's soul and fantasy roster.

So we dig deeper this week for guys who are mostly upside and who stand the best chance of exploding all over your opposition in the coming weeks.

*The asterisk in the title denotes super secret bonus players! Follow the clues and get your secret pick! Or just skip to the last slide you darn spoilsports.

Andrew Garda is a staff writer for Footballguys.com and is wondering if we'll ever see Mike Vick again this season.

Marion Barber

With Matt Forte down for the next month or so, he's effectively done for most fantasy seasons. He's effectively done for the NFL season too if the Bears can't pull it together down the stretch.

The Bears intend to take a two-back approach to the rest of the season, but Marion Barber will get the bulk of the carries for the offense going forward. Barber can run tough and be an effective between-the-tackles-style back and with Caleb Hanie being, well, Caleb Hanie, the Bears will need to run the ball often regardless of how much Mike Martz wants to throw deep.

The Bears will need to control the clock and that's done with the ground game.

Barber should be a productive back down the stretch for fantasy owners looking for a boost in their fantasy playoffs.

T.J. Yates

Granted, Yates isn't going to be mistaken for Aaron Rodgers. Nor Eli Manning. Probably not even Mark Sanchez.

On the other hand, he's no Blaine Gabbert or Chad Henne.

Yates looked surprisingly solid this past weekend and showed much better pocket presence and an ability to avoid pressure that I didn't think we'd see in his first game. He scanned the field effectively and did a good job delivering the ball on target both from the pocket and on the run.

It'd be better for owners if Andre Johnson hadn't ended up with yet another pulled hamstring, but even without him Yates could be a decent back-up quarterback for fantasy rosters. If he can keep his cool in the pocket and hand the ball off to Arian Foster, he'll be a safe plug-in for your team.

Brandon Saine

Against the Giants, James Starks aggravated his right ankle yet again, so undrafted free agent Brandon Saine stepped in and was pretty effective against a tired Giants defense. 

Not only was he pretty good carrying the ball, he showed great hands and a dangerous ability to gain extra yards after the catch.

While Starks is being pushed to practice and play against the Raiders this Sunday, he's aggravated that ankle each of the last few weeks. It makes more sense to rest him and get him healthy for the playoffs than to risk long-term damage by forcing him into the rotation.

So at least for one week, Saine is a very likely RB2/flex play for owners and with Grant being serviceable but not spectacular, there is plenty of room for the rookie to catch on and provide fantasy owners with better-than-expected points the next few weeks.

Andre Roberts

I wasn't buying Roberts last season when he lacked resemblance to anything close to a real quarterback for most of the year, but this year has been a different story.

While Early Doucet started off hotter, Roberts has slowly built a consistent number of targets and yards. If he could find the end zone, that would be great but with Kevin Kolb returning from his toe injury, Roberts has an excellent chance to do just that.

Defenses cannot risk leaving Larry Fitzgerald alone, so Roberts will face more and more single coverage and has the route running skills and speed to overcome that obstacle.

While he won't be anything close to an elite receiver, he could be a very productive WR3 or 4 and definitely a flex player with upside.

Kyle Williams

Williams is a bit boom or bust, but at this point in the season that's what you are looking for on the waiver wire. In two out of the last three games, Williams has a touchdown and 50-plus yards. That's the upside.

The downside? The week in between produced one target and no catches. And even this past week he did his damage on just two catches.

That said, with Braylon Edwards out and no other real option in the receivers corps beyond Michael Crabtree, Williams will get the opportunity to see more snaps which could translate to more yards.

The Niners prefer to run the ball, but chances are they won't always have that luxury and quarterback Alex Smith will have to throw. Williams should find himself the target of more than a few of those passes.

I don't think you can immediately plug him into your lineup, but grab him and hold him and you should get some use from him in your fantasy playoffs.

SUPER DUPER DEEP SLEEPER BONUS PICKS

Since we're at the end of the fantasy season and waiver wires are locking down, I thought I'd toss a few more last-minute Hail Marys for you to stash on your bench, or maybe even cherry pick for immediate use.

I'll start with my favorite guy, Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Johnson. Nobody knows exactly how bad Josh Freeman's shoulder injury is but if he's out, then Johnson is your man. If the 229 passing yards, touchdown and 45 rushing yards don't move you and the cannon arm isn't all that exciting, just consider his matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars and their currently beat-up defense.

I mentioned the alleged two-back approach for the Bears in slide one. If you are looking for a real deep pick, might I suggest Kahlil Bell, the other half of that committee? He's not remotely a safe bet week to week, but he will serve as a third down/scatback and has upside, especially in PPR league. Not safe to start immediately, but worth a roster spot in case he goes off.

I keep bringing up Riley Cooper in Philly, and he keeps sitting there in leagues. Maclin is out and Cooper had another 10-target, five-catch, 70-plus-yard game. As long as Maclin is out, Cooper is a WR3 or 4 with upside.

Andrew Garda is a staff writer at Footballguys.com - in crunch time for your season? Footballguys has the tools and talent to finish your season strong.