RADIO
Week 13 gave us a brief reprise from bye weeks. Unfortunately, they are back with a vengeance in Week 14 with six teams getting the week off.
For many, Week 14 also signals the end of the regular season in fantasy. That means that plenty of fantasy managers who need an extra boost heading into the playoffs may find themselves scouring the waiver wire to find a suitable starter.
In this article, I will be focusing on players under 65% rostered in fantasy leagues while adding a couple of deep sleepers for two-quarterback leagues (less than 25% rostered).
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:- Quarterback fantasy football rankings
- Running back fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
- Tight end fantasy football rankings
- Kicker fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Superflex fantasy football rankings
- IDP fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Single-QB Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers
Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers
Yahoo: 35% rostered
Russell Wilson got back on track in a big way against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13.
The veteran quarterback had been inconsistent since Pittsburgh’s Week 9 bye. From Weeks 10 to 12, Wilson completed 67.3% of his passes for 670 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions. He failed to score more than 14.0 fantasy points in two of those three games.
Wilson had no problem picking apart a bad Bengals defense in Week 13, completing 29-of-38 passes for 414 yards and three touchdowns with just one interception. It was Russell Wilson’s second game this season with more than 20.0 fantasy points (26.8).
Russell Wilson with the CLUTCH connection to Van Jefferson 💪pic.twitter.com/vSsHF79CIT
— Steelers Nation (@SteelerNationCP) December 1, 2024
The Steelers get another shot at a bad Browns defense in Week 14. Wilson had a modest game against them in their first matchup (13.8 fantasy points), but it is important to remember that the game was played in blizzard conditions. Cleveland allows 16.8 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this year.
Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
Yahoo: 54% rostered
Caleb Williams has found a way to produce at a high level despite a series of humiliating losses that forced his head coach to become the first coach fired during a season by the Bears in 100 years.
Nobody would have been shocked if the Bears offense, which has looked overmatched, completely fell apart against Green Bay, Minnesota, and Detroit in Weeks 11 to 13 with a new offensive coordinator.
Instead, we have arguably gotten a glimpse into the supreme talent that made Caleb Williams the top overall pick in the draft.
This Caleb Williams throw to Keenan Allen on third-and-14 shows a little of everything from the rookie quarterback.
Patience in the pocket, extending the play and avoiding defenders, and accurately throwing on the move. #Bears pick up 18 yards and convert the chains. pic.twitter.com/1g9pYKeRrr
— Nicholas Moreano (@NicholasMoreano) December 1, 2024
Over the last three weeks, the rookie has completed 64% of his passes for 827 yards and five touchdowns with zero interceptions. Williams has also added 19 carries for 142 yards. The quarterback has three straight weeks with at least 16.0 fantasy points scored, including consecutive weeks with 26.0+ fantasy points.
The 49ers are a brutal matchup, but Caleb Williams has shown the ability to overcome bad matchups over the last three games. The rookie quarterback is efficiently attacking defenses and has the rushing ability to generate a safe floor in fantasy.
Aidan O’Connell, Las Vegas Raiders
Yahoo: 2% rostered
Aidan O’Connell made his first start since Week 7 against a tough Kansas City defense. Nobody would have been surprised if he struggled and the Raiders were ultimately blown out.
Instead, we got an excellent performance from the second-year quarterback out of Purdue.
Tre Tucker hauls in a 58-yard touchdown pass from Aidan O’Connell.
It’s the longest reception of Tucker’s career. pic.twitter.com/n5nQP9lLEC
— Carter Owen (@carternowen) November 29, 2024
O’Connell completed 23-of-35 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions in a two-point loss to Kansas City on Friday. It was easily the best performance of his season against a defense that can give quarterbacks fits.
Now, the second-year quarterback enters a stretch of games against some of the best quarterback matchups in fantasy football. The Raiders have matchups against Tampa Bay in Week 14, Atlanta in Week 15, and Jacksonville in Week 16.
The Jaguars (22.9 PPG) and Buccaneers (22.0 PPG) are giving up the top two fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season. The Falcons (19.5 PPG) are allowing the seventh most.
O’Connell has two excellent weapons at his disposal in Jakobi Meyers and Brock Bowers. That should be more than enough to keep him fantasy relevant during the most important stretch of the fantasy season.
He’s a very appealing option in a week where six quarterbacks are on bye.
Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints
Yahoo: 15% rostered
New Orleans struggled against the Rams coming out of their Week 12 bye, but Derek Carr remains an interesting option in fantasy football despite the injuries to Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed.
Carr returned from an injury in Week 9 and played three games before his bye week. During that three-game stretch, the veteran quarterback threw for 753 yards and five touchdowns with zero interceptions. He scored 20+ fantasy points in two of three games.
Derek Carr can go through stretches of poor play, but his Week 14 matchup against the Giants is too enticing to ignore. New York is giving up 16.9 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this year and has generated just one interception on the season.
Two-QB Waiver Wire Pickups and Stashes
Will Levis, Tennessee Titans
Yahoo: 12% rostered
“Bad” Will Levis made a reappearance in Week 14 against the Commanders. Levis completed just 18-of-37 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions. The second-year quarterback still posted his fourth straight game with at least 16.0 fantasy points despite his inaccuracies as a passer.
Would you build around Will Levis? He's been solid in his last four games:
🟩 72.5 (W10)
🟩 69.8 (W11)
🟨 63.6 (W12)
🟦 86.8* (W13)(*in-game PFF grade)pic.twitter.com/H607g94iMD
— All-22 (@All22_PFF) December 1, 2024
Since returning to the starting lineup, Levis has seven passing touchdowns with just one interception. He has thrown two passing touchdowns in three of those four games. He also has at least five rushing attempts and 10 or more rushing yards in three games since getting healthy.
Few quarterbacks have a better fantasy playoff stretch than Levis. From Weeks 14 to 17, the Titans face off against Jacksonville (22.9 PPG), Cincinnati twice (20.7 PPG), and Indianapolis (16.6 PPG). It is hard to feel good about playing Levis, but he is a top-end streamer for the remainder of the fantasy season.
Cooper Rush, Dallas Cowboys
Yahoo: 5% rostered
Nobody will feel excited starting Cooper Rush, but he has an excellent stretch of fantasy matchups on the horizon. From Week 14 to 16, Dallas will play the defenses allowing third-most fantasy points per game (Cincinnati), sixth-most fantasy points per game (Carolina), and second-most fantasy points per game (Tampa Bay).
Rush had a rough start to his 2024 starting tenure but has stabilized in recent weeks. The veteran backup has three straight games with at least 11.8 fantasy points scored. Over the last three weeks, Rush has 796 passing yards with four touchdowns and just one interception.
🚨🏈🦃 COOPER RUSH DOING SOME THANKSGIVING COOKING! 😋#NYGvsDAL ➡️ https://t.co/bCXI20qtzM
— Bodog (@BodogCA) November 28, 2024
Dallas’s defense continues to struggle, forcing the Cowboys into passing situations. That bodes well for Rush, a quarterback who can produce respectable fantasy stats through volume thanks to his conservative play style.
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