In most league formats, Week 14 marks the last week of the regular fantasy football season. Your last chance to add and drop players who will or will not be with your team for the crucial playoff weeks. Perhaps you do not need to add anyone and you have been rolling with the same guys all year. In that case, consider yourself lucky.
Being active on the waiver wire is always one of the biggest keys to building a playoff contender, and that continues to hold true as the fantasy season hits the final stretch.
Here are six waiver wire pickups to target entering Week 14:
(AP Photo/Gary Landers)
RB Raheem Mostert: 14.1% rostered (ESPN)
In what was once a crowded backfield in San Francisco with Matt Breida and Tevin Coleman having a majority of the carries, it was hard to judge which 49ers running back would be worth adding. Mostert has survived the injury bug that has started to attack this 49ers offense and has taken over as the lead back.
Against Baltimore in Week 13, Mostert totaled 19 carries for 146 yards and a touchdown in a downpour that lasted all game. Mostert brings a dynamic speed and toughness aspect to this young 49ers team.
The upcoming schedule isn’t great, but Mostert has flex appeal—especially if something happens to Coleman and/or Breida.
For most you, the fantasy football playoffs have arrived. And if you are reading this article, you’re probably in the playoffs. Congratulations. (If you’re still fighting to win the consolation bracket for pride or for a keeper/dynasty league, best of luck and better luck next year.)
Your roster got you into the playoffs. It never hurts to trust those championship-caliber stars. But it’s always important to build out your bench and depth, even when you’re one of the best teams in your league. A few of these players could be helpful, depending on how many players are in your league.
Here are seven players to target on the waiver wire after Week 13.
7. Gardner Minshew, QB, Jaguars
Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
ESPN: 10%. Yahoo! 8%.
It’s likely that Minshew is in and Nick Foles is out as Jacksonville’s starting quarterback. And in a half of play on Sunday, Minshew managed just over 10 points in standard leagues. He produces in fantasy, particularly because he runs well. The Chargers defense is tough next week, but Oakland is a solid matchup in Week 15.
6. Zach Pascal, WR, Colts
ESPN: 25%. Yahoo! 17%.
With T.Y. Hilton out in Week 13, Pascal shined against the Titans with seven receptions and 109 yards. He’s a solid possession receiver when he’s in the lineup, but goes missing in action when better receivers are healthy.
5. Jordan Wilkins, RB, Colts
ESPN: 6%. Yahoo! 3%.
I mentioned that he might take the job away from Jonathan Williams. And it seems Wilkins is, at least, the top back in a timeshare in Indianapolis. Wilkins had 13 touches (11 carries, 2 receptions) for 56 yards. Williams had nine touches (8 carries, 1 catch) for 24 yards. Wilkins outplayed Williams, and seems likely to take an increased share in the backfield. The major caveat: Marlon Mack is reportedly eying a Week 14 return.
4. Cole Beasley, WR, Bills
ESPN: 24%. Yahoo! 32%.
He has turned up in recent weeks, and is becoming a viable option in both standard and PPR. In the last two weeks, he has 12 receptions for 186 yards and two touchdowns. It seems the Bills offense is getting better as the season progresses and Beasley is quarterback Josh Allen’s safety valve.
3. Mike Gesicki, TE, Dolphins
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ESPN: 10%. Yahoo! 19%.
As the Dolphins are making a late-season push into competency, Gesicki, a 2018 second-round pick, has six or more targets in the last five games. He has had a touchdown in each of the last two games. Perhaps things are beginning to click for the young tight end, who was a high-profile draft prospect.
2. Darwin Thompson, RB, Chiefs
ESPN: 5%. Yahoo! 5%.
When Darrel Williams suffered an injury in Week 13, the Chiefs began to feed Darwin Thompson (11 carries, 44 yards, 1 touchdown), who was the rookie many thought might be a breakout candidate at the start of the season. Instead, Damien Williams’ struggles and injuries led to emergences from LeSean McCoy and Darrel Williams. Perhaps Thompson has earned himself a bigger role as the season winds down.
1. Bo Scarbrough, RB, Lions
ESPN: 47%. Yahoo! 43%.
He is definitely the lead back in Detroit, and it’s wild to think he couldn’t get a job in the NFL. Scarbrough hasn’t been brilliant, but he’s an Alabama product who has been competent. His touch total has increased every week since he rejoined the Lions. He had 21 carries for 83 yards in Week 13. It may not be much in terms of points, but it’s the volume you want out of FLEX option.
The Miami Dolphins will see their second year tight end go toe to toe with another 2nd-round tight end from the 2018 NFL Draft this weekend.
With the 42nd pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins selected TE Mike Gesicki from Penn State — a receiving threat with explosive athleticism and a knack for making big plays down the field. Just seven picks later, the Philadelphia Eagles drafted their own tight end: South Dakota State’s Dallas Goedert, who was felt by many to be the best tight end prospect in the class.
Fast forward to Week 13 of the 2019 NFL season and these two players are facing the first time sharing the field together as professionals. Gesicki figures to command a fair share of targets, given the lack of depth for Miami’s pass catchers. Goedert? He may be bracing for the biggest game of his young NFL career as Eagles’ star TE Zach Ertz continues to battle through a hamstring injury.
Should Ertz not play, the Dolphins will see their reality and their alternate reality on the field simultaneously at Hard Rock Stadium in a chance to hopefully feel vindicated over the selection of Gesicki back in April, 2018.
To this point in their careers, the arrow points towards Goedert being the better pro. Goedert has the edge over Gesicki in receptions (64 to 53), yards (623 to 524) and touchdowns (8-1). All of that despite playing as the TE2 in Philadelphia behind Ertz, who has logged 183 receptions for 1,875 yards and 11 touchdowns in those 27 games in which he’s shared the roster with Goedert.
The good news for Miami? Gesicki is at least starting to turn the corner. He’s experienced career highs in receptions and yards in November (against the Jets) and scored his first career touchdown last week against the Browns. The second year tight end still needs to find more separation on his routes and continue to play with more physicality, but at least he’s become honed in enough to find soft spots in the defense and then use his speed after the catch.
Tight ends are traditionally the position requiring the most time to transition into the NFL, as they’re asked to fill a lot of roles versus their college experience. That’s true for Gesicki, but the Dolphins are still hoping to see their 2018 tight end come out on top of the head to head action.
What are the key storylines to watch this week for the Miami Dolphins in Week 11?
The Miami Dolphins have gone from a winless tank job (or so many would have you believe) to holding back-to-back victories. And if the Dolphins can come back home this week and prevail in their second matchup of the year against the Buffalo Bills, the Dolphins will officially be streaking with three straight wins for the first time since the beginning of the 2018 season.
The Bills represent a winnable game for Miami, based on each team’s play at this time. In fact, in the 31-21 decision on October 20th earlier this year in Buffalo, they played each other fairly close. The Dolphins were better on third down with fewer penalties. But unfortunately, the Bills didn’t give the ball away — while Miami had two turnovers. Step one to achieving streaking status will be protecting the football.
Ball security will be something to watch — but here are three more storylines in this week’s Dolphins Dive for NFL Week 11.
Mike Gesicki heating up
While critics have called tight end Mike Gesicki a late bloomer, since the departure of running back Kenyan Drake the second year tight end has become more involved when quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick needs to check down from a primary target.
In this past two games, Gesicki has caught 9 passes for 123 yards — but he also logged a fumble against the Colts. Can we see Gesicki log a touchdown next?
Jerome Baker has been on a roll
There have been signs of improvement from the Miami Dolphins as the year has gone on. This is in part thanks to the consistency of linebacker Jerome Baker.
Turning in eight tackles and a forced fumble last week against the Colts, Baker recorded his third straight contest with seven or more tackles posted. His communication and versatility are proving to be key as the Dolphins bank on him to cover a lot of ground and fill a lot of roles. Continuing this pattern would be helpful in securing the ‘W’ over Buffalo.
Frank Gore needs 73 more
In addition to facing his former team for the second time this season, future Hall of Fame running back Frank Gore is close to beefing up his resume for gold jacket glory. Should he gain 73 yards on Sunday in South Florida, Gore will have passed former Detroit Lion and NFL Hall of Famer Barry Sanders for third-highest career rushing yard total. Gore has slowly been phased out of the Bills offense in favor of Devin Singletary — but he’s one big run away from third place on the all-time rushing list.
The Bills will travel to Miami to face the red hot Dolphins who are coming off two wins.
The Buffalo Bills are coming off a disappointing loss on Sunday to the Cleveland Browns, after a last minute touchdown from Baker Mayfield.
The Bills now face the streaking Miami Dolphins who are coming off two unexpected wins. If the Bills can pullout the victory in Miami they can help secure themselves in one of the two Wild Card positions.
That being said, the Bills must win the games within the game to defeat Miami. Here are five matchups to watch during Bills vs. Dolphins:
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
Josh Allen vs. Ryan Fitzpatrick
Josh Allen has been compared to a lot of quarterbacks during his career, including two former Buffalo quarterbacks: Tyrod Taylor, and Ryan Fitzpatrick.
While playing Cleveland on Sunday, Bills quarterback Josh Allen threw the ball 41 times, tying his career-high. He also threw for 266 yards, which is his career-high. That 41 attempts may seem like an outlier, but Allen and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll seem like they want to make that the norm.
During the week, Allen said that he had the “green light” to take more shots down the field. This could be an excellent week to try this new approach, Miami’s secondary is one of the worst in the NFL, allowing on average 244.9 yards per game. If Allen can take advantage of this green light it may be a long day for the Miami defense.
If there’s one quarterback in the NFL that always seems to have the green light, it’s Ryan Fitzpatrick. Bills fans remember Fitzy’s time in Buffalo, he had plenty of big moments, but just as many disappointing ones too.
Fitzpatrick has shown that same inconsistency with the Dolphins. In his first game against Buffalo he showed off his playmaking abilities. He threw for 282 yards, one touchdown, but a crucial interception in the red zone. Fitzpatrick has led the Dolphins to two straight victories, which seemed almost impossible at the beginning of the season.
If either of these two gunslingers can get their offenses on track early, it will be a tough outing for both defenses.
