Week thirteen of the 2021 NFL season is over and for those of you who thought all hope was lost, remember that the Detroit Lions managed to win their first game of the season. So good things can happen. Of course, in this same week, the Detroit Lions were also mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. The lesson we can learn here is that even when good things happen, in the end, hope is a lie. But some of us still have false hope to cling to, and that is where the waiver wire happens. When all hope is gone, the only place left to look is the waiver wire! If I don’t mention someone whom you think I should be talking about, just know there are many reasons why I overlooked them. Maybe they are owned in most leagues. Maybe they are so bad I don’t even consider them. Maybe it’s because your opinions cannot be trusted. After all, you are here. So let us examine the best week fourteen waiver wire players for your championship run…
Week Fourteen Waiver Wire Quarterbacks
Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints (51% rostered)
It is my favorite time of year: when I get the opportunity to invoke the Blake Bortles Rule. What is the Blake Bortles Rule, you say? It is one of the tenants of winning at fantasy football. All you have to know is that you don’t have to be good at football to be good at fantasy football. For a two-year stretch, Blake Bortles was a consistent QB1. Enter Taysom Hill. It is easy to hate on him as a quarterback, but it is hard to hate his production. In week thirteen, Taysom Hill was the QB4, despite throwing 4 interceptions. His rushing prowess and Sean Payton’s ability to put Hill in the best position to succeed, in spite of his many limitations, makes Taysom Hill the number one quarterback addition to any roster
Week Fourteen Waiver Wire Running Backs
Jordan Howard/Boston Scott/Kenneth Gainwell, Philadelphia Eagles (11%/36%/13% rostered)
Is death an option? Because if your team is counting on any of these three guys to save your season, death is the state of your playoff hopes. Sure, Kenneth Gainwell had 87 all-purpose yards and 1 touchdown in week thirteen, but he did it against a Jets defense that has given up the most fantasy points to opposing running backs. We’ve played this game of Eagles running back Russian roulette all season, and the only winner is whoever is playing you when you are forced to start an Eagles running back.
Dontrell Hilliard/D’Onta Foreman, Tennessee Titans (29%/44% rostered)
Since Tennessee was on a bye in week thirteen, I’m going to copy/paste my write-up for these two from last week. If it weren’t for the deaths of every running back in week twelve, we would be spending the week thirteen fourteen waiver wire article trying to convince ourselves that Dontrell Hilliard is a good idea. With 131 yards and 1 touchdown, it makes sense why Hilliard would seem like a good idea. However, D’Onta Foreman also had a decent game with 109 rushing yards. It also bears mentioning that 68 of Hilliard’s yards came on one run. Hilliard only had 12 carries to D’Onta Foreman’s 19, yet both were on an equal snap count. Truth be told, it is hard to tell who will be the lead back in Tennessee. The one thing you can be sure of is whichever one you decide you should grab, it’ll probably be the wrong choice.
Rashaad Penny, Detroit Lions (4% rostered)
I’ll be honest, I’m throwing Rashaad Penny out here because he is a healthy running back and all the guys in front of him are varying degrees of hurt. Having said that, Penny’s 62 all-purpose yards in week thirteen doesn’t have me thinking he’ll come in and save my season. If he clears waivers and you are desperate, take a flyer. Just know it probably won’t matter in the end.
Week Fourteen Waiver Wire Wide Receivers
K.J. Osborn, Minnesota Vikings (4% rostered)
Is there anything more terrifying in football than a high ankle sprain? With Adam Thielen’s NFL career essentially destroyed by this most devastating of ankle injuries, this will leave a 92 target void in the Minnesota Vikings passing game. Enter K.J. Osborn. Osborn filled in for Thielen in week thirteen with 4 catches for 41 yards and 1 touchdown. While he probably won’t duplicate Thielen’s production, Osborn should be in line for 7 targets a game and get very good looks while opposing teams try to stop Justin Jefferson. K.J. Osborn should be the number one waiver addition in week fourteen.
Russell Gage, Atlanta Falcons (30% rostered)
After K.J. Osborn, I really think Russell Gage deserves consideration. In week thirteen, Russell Gage had 11 catches for 130 yards and a top-five fantasy football finish amongst wide receivers. More importantly, since coming back from injury, Russell Gage leads all Falcons in targets. This includes noted rookie phenom, Kyle Pitts. The opportunity is there for Gage to be consistently successful. The only thing really holding him back is that he plays for the Atlanta Falcons.
Week Fourteen Waiver Wire Tight Ends
Tyler Conklin, Minnesota Vikings (32% rostered)
Once again, I find myself recommending a waiver wire tight end. The problem is that all the good ones are taken. And so are the average ones. Perhaps the only tight end left on your waiver wire worth a damn is Tyler Conkin. In week thirteen, Conklin had 7 catches for 56 yards. Those are pretty uninspiring numbers, right? Do you know what is more uninspiring than those numbers? Conklin finished as the TE7 for week thirteen. Pretty uninspiring is exactly what you can expect from a productive fantasy tight end on the waiver wire at this point in the season.
Do you want more 2021 NFL discussion? Then check out these links!
Discord!
Podcast!
Patreon!
Twitch!
