NFL Waiver Wire: Week 14 Pickups

Last week was a good one for the waiver wire with Jack Doyle, Benny Snell and Bo Scarbrough having decent games. Darrel Williams was on his way to a nice fantasy outing before getting hurt and, as speculated, Gardner Minshew is back as Jaguars starting quarterback this week. Three of the top-4 fantasy running backs last week? Raheem Mostert, James White and Derrius Guice, just like we had them ranked. Hopefully your team is playoff bound, so let's look at some potential pickups this week.

This column is geared toward "standard" 12-team leagues and based upon a $100 free-agent budget. Please, please adjust for your league based on both the number of teams (I'm in a 24-team league, for example) and budget.

QUARTERBACK

PRIMARY TARGET

Jacoby Brissett, IND - Brissett gets the matchup of the week, taking on a Tampa Bay team that allows the most fantasy points to quarterbacks. While it looked like the Bucs might have turned a corner shutting down Nick Foles in the first half Sunday, it now appears that Foles just might not be that good because Gardner Minshew came on in relief of Foles in the second half and threw for 147 yards and a score, re-affirming the Buccaneers are not a good pass defense. Brissett is one of the top streaming options this week. FAAB: $5-$10

Sam Darnold, NYJ - I warned people jumping aboard the Darnold bandwagon that the Jets have an unusual home/away split. Sure enough, Darnold had a dud of a game against a weak Cincinnati defense on the road Sunday and ended up with only 12.9 fantasy points. However, the NFL is  fluid, and Darnold makes for a great streaming target this week at home against the Dolphins. Miami doesn't have its top corner and allows the third-most fantasy points to quarterbacks. The Dolphins have allowed 27.5 (Carson Wentz), 28.9 (Baker Mayfield) and 36.4 (Josh Allen) fantasy points to quarterbacks in their last three games.  FAAB: $5-$10

RUNNING BACK

PRIMARY TARGETS

Alexander Mattison, MIN - He averages 4.8 yards per carry and those carries have mainly come in the "run the clock" out part of the game with defenses expecting run. Dalvin Cook suffered a shoulder injury Monday, and while the Vikings and Cook downplayed the injury following the game, it's telling that he didn't re-enter a close game in the late stages. Monitor Cook's status this week; Mattison would be the top pickup should Cook miss time. FAAB: $10-$20, maybe more if Cook is ruled out

Darwin Thompson, KC - During preseason, Thompson had some buzz about him as part of the high-powered Kansas City offense after the Chiefs used a sixth-round pick on him. He looked good  Sunday finishing out the win against the Raiders, who knew the run was coming, with four yards per carry and getting dragged by his own teammate into the end zone for a score. Damien Williams could be out multiple weeks, Darrel Williams has a hamstring injury and LeSean McCoy can't handle a full workload. This all adds up to Thompson having a significant role this week and being a viable option even against a stout Patriots' defense. FAAB: $10-$20

Derrius Guice, WAS - He's still available in 50 percent of Yahoo leagues, so he makes the cut this week. He's now averaging 5.5 yards per carry in a small sample and finished week 13 as the No. 2 fantasy running back with 27.7 fantasy points. The only hesitation is teams should sell out to stop the run and make Dwayne Haskins beat them through the air. The fact also remains that Adrian Peterson isn't going anywhere ,and he actually had 13 carries Sunday to Guice's 10. Guice should continue to get a few targets each week, and Bill Callahan is going to stick with a run-heavy gameplan even if they get behind. FAAB: $10-$20

Raheem Mostert, SF - Mostert is widely available (14 percent owned in Yahoo leagues), though I'm not as high as most on him. Matt Breida should be back this week, and Tevin Coleman is still around to get some work as well. As a result, it's hard to give Mostert a full endorsement, especially with a tough matchup this week at New Orleans. Mostert could be this week's Jonathan Williams, but he's going to get double-digit touches, making him a consideration. Just temper your expectations. FAAB: $5-$10

SECONDARY TARGET

Jordan Wilkins, IND - When Marlon Mack went down a few weeks ago I thought Wilkins, not Jonathan Williams, should be the player to target. I was completely wrong about that for one game as Wilkins took over the lead back role Sunday in the loss to the Titans. The problem is Marlon Mack's return should be soon (maybe this week), Tampa is solid against the run and maybe the Colts go back to Williams in more of a split this week. All of that doesn't instill a lot of confidence when bidding on Wilkins this week. FAAB: $3-$6

WIDE RECEIVER

SECONDARY TARGETS

Anthony Miller, CHI - He'll get the Cowboys this week at home but looking all the way back to last Thanksgiving he had a healthy 13-9-140 line and has gotten 13, nine and 11 targets in his last three games. He's talented enough to be the No. 1 wide receiver on a lot of other teams, and this Chicago offense may finally be coming around.  FAAB: $4-$8

Auden Tate, CIN - Tate is back on the fantasy radar now that Andy Dalton is back under center. He led the Bengals in receiving Sunday with a 7-4-66 line, though he didn't find the end zone like teammate Tyler Boyd. Out of Florida State, Tate has the upside, size and ability to be a No. 1 wide receiver much in the way Kelvin Benjamin could have been had he not been so lazy. FAAB: $3-$6

Hail Mary

Allen Lazard, GB - Lazard seems like he's Robby Anderson-lite in that he's a big make-or-break type of guy. While he had this one good game under his belt there's also the opposite side of the coin that he's a one-week wonder, which he's been this season. While Green Bay has been looking for a secondary option to Davante Adams, think of him as a lottery ticket this week with like a 6:1 chance to hit. FAAB: $1-$2

TIGHT END

PRIMARY TARGETS

Tyler Higbee, LAR - Unfortunately, he's not going to face the Arizona Cardinals every game but he's definitely carved out a role in the Rams' offense while Gerald Everett is out. Higbee finished with a 8-7-107-1 line against the Cardinals, and that could have been more if it was a closer game in the second half. This week he actually has another great home matchup against the Seahawks, who have a short week and allow the fourth-most fantasy points to tight ends. FAAB:$6-$12

HAIL MARY

Kaden Smith, NYG - Evan Engram or Rhett Ellison could be back this week, making Smith irrelevant if they return. However, he had a nice game agains the Packers with a 8-6-70 line, and it's obvious Daniel Jones likes to target tight ends. The Eagles have been solid against tight ends this season, allowing the fourth-fewest fantasy points to the position, which is one of the reasons Smith isn't ranked higher. FAAB: $1-$2

DEFENSE

SECONDARY TARGET

Green Bay D/ST - I'm going to keep picking on the  Redskins even though fading them didn't work out last week. The Packers are more or less a two-touchdown favorites, indicating that the game flow suggests that Dwayne Haskins will have to make some throws in this game. Green Bay has been the 10th-best team against quarterbacks this season from a fantasy standpoint, and multiple sacks and turnovers are in play. FAAB: $3-$6