Fantasy football waiver wire: Week 14 free-agent forecast

Here are the top targets for the Week 14 waiver wire in fantasy football.

The final week of byes are here, and fantasy football managers will be scrambling to fill their lineups as they make a push for the playoffs.

Teams on a bye in Week 14 include the Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, and Washington Commanders.

We’ll be taking a look at the top available players rostered in ESPN leagues, using the 75% rostered mark as the threshold. If you have any questions about prioritizing a certain player over another, don’t be afraid to hit me up on Twitter (@KevinHickey11). Your questions, comments, and roasts are always welcome!

We also will be taking a look at some deeper players to stash and the top streaming options for the upcoming week.

Fantasy football waiver wire recommendations refer to 12-team league formats, unless specifically stated.

Check back for any updates throughout Monday and Tuesday as more injury news becomes available.

Panthers cut Baker Mayfield, offering opportunity for QB-needy Saints

The Panthers cut Baker Mayfield once he asked for it after a demotion; should the QB-needy Saints submit a waiver claim?

There’s no question the New Orleans Saints will be in the quarterback market next year. Jameis Winston has flamed out, they know who Andy Dalton is, and there aren’t any other realistic options on their roster — Taysom Hill’s days as a full-time quarterback are behind him. So you have to think there’s at least some passing interest when the Carolina Panthers waived Baker Mayfield on Monday.

As first reported by the Athletic’s Joe Person, Mayfield was granted his release after being demoted to the third-string unit this week, with the Panthers planning to start Sam Darnold and P.J. Walker tabbed as his backup. It’s been quite a fall from grace for the former No. 1 overall draft pick. He’s looking for a fresh start, but do the Saints make sense for him? Do they even have a shot at winning him from the waiver wire?

Let’s start with that first question. Beggars can’t be choosers, and the Saints are so weak at quarterback now and moving forwards that they can’t afford to blithely pass up on other options. Neither Carolina nor Mayfield’s old Cleveland Browns have been seen as offensive powerhouses in recent years while experiencing a lot of coaching turnover, but Mayfield’s hands are dirty there too. He hasn’t played well enough to elevate either franchise. Things could go differently for him in New Orleans’ established system, but odds are he is who he is after 69 games in the NFL (including the playoffs). It’s worth a shot to see if he offers more than Dalton and Winston. Just don’t bet the farm on him fixing every problem.

Now for the second question. Waiver wire priority this time of year is determined by winning percentage, and that’s at least a silver lining for the Saints after their 4-8 start to the season. They’re currently at No. 7, but they’ll be slotting in somewhere inside the top-11 with a win on Monday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and they move into the top-5 with a loss.

Either way, there aren’t many quarterback-needy teams ahead of them between Justin Fields’ Chicago Bears (at No. 2), Russell Wilson’s Denver Broncos (No. 3), and Trevor Lawrence’s Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 6). Maybe the directionless Houston Texans or Matthew Stafford-less Los Angeles Rams roll the dice. Everyone is looking at the San Francisco 49ers here after Jimmy Garoppolo’s season-ending foot injury, but they won’t have a shot until No. 24.

What about the salary cap? Any team claiming Mayfield off of waivers will be on the hook for less than $2 million in salary over the last stretch of the regular season (specifically $1,349,444), which is affordable even for a team at its limit like New Orleans (who are currently under the cap by roughly $2.4 million). They can fit his contract on the books if they want to.

We’ll find out if the Saints took action here soon, once the daily NFL transactions wire updates on Tuesday (at around 3 p.m. CT). Odds are some team will claim Mayfield, if nothing else off the confidence of their pre-draft evaluation coming out of Oklahoma. New Orleans lacks options, and this could be one path they choose to explore. It wouldn’t hurt anything.

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Best Fantasy Football waiver wire pickups for Week 13

These players could help out for a week or two, or they could be season-long difference-makers.

After the 11th full slate of regular season action, the NFL and fantasy football are into the back half of the season.

If you had a tough injury in Week 11, or you have a player hitting their bye week at an inopportune time, we’ll scan the waiver wire. For potential pickups, we’ll consider players who are available in at least 50% of ESPN fantasy leagues.

Let’s take a look at some of the potential waiver wire pickups that could help your teams heading into Week 12 of the NFL campaign.

Broncos tired unsuccessfully to claim a defensive back off waivers

The Broncos put in a claim for DB Justin Layne but the Bears beat Denver to him.

The Denver Broncos tried unsuccessfully to add some depth to their secondary earlier this week.

After defensive back Justin Layne was waived by the New York Giants on Monday, the Broncos put in a claim to add the cornerback off the waiver wire. The next day, Layne was awarded to the Chicago Bears off waivers.

Denver is currently No. 7 in the NFL’s waiver order, so if anyone above them puts in a claim for the same player, the higher team is awarded the player. Chicago is just one spot above the Broncos, currently No. 6 in the waiver order.

So who was Denver trying to get? Layne is a 24-year-old defender who entered the league as a third-round pick out of Michigan State with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019. He’s struggled to live up to his high draft status, failing to earn any starts with the Steelers from 2019-2021.

After playing primarily as a special teams player in Pittsburgh, Layne joined the Giants earlier this year and played in seven games. He occasionally rotated in on defense but again played mostly on special teams.

The Broncos were probably looking to add some depth to their own special teams units when they put in a claim for Layne earlier this week.

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Saints made unsuccessful waiver wire bid for former Cardinals RB Eno Benjamin

The Saints were among four teams to try and claim former Cardinals RB Eno Benjamin off of waivers, but he went to the team with highest priority: the Texans

Well that’s disappointing. The Arizona Cardinals made an odd move this week in letting go of running back Eno Benjamin, who had been a big player for them this season; and he was popular on the waiver wire, with ESPN’s Field Yates reporting that four teams submitted claims to add him, including the New Orleans Saints. With the Saints slotted in at No. 4 on waiver wire priority, they had a good chance of getting him.

But the top-ranked Houston Texans submitted a claim too, and that’s where Benjamin wound up. Yates adds that the Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs also tried to snag Benjamin off of waivers, but they wouldn’t have had a chance even if the Texans didn’t get involved. Both teams are behind the Saints in waiver priority.

Benjamin would have been a nice addition. The second-year pro has averaged 4.0 yards per carry in the NFL while catching 30 receptions in 19 games, and he’s under contract through 2023. For a team like the Saints that expects to be without its top running back at some point (a suspension is looming for Alvin Kamara after his alleged involvement in a Las Vegas brawl early this year), that matters.

So where do the Saints go from here? New Orleans is also managing an injury to backup Mark Ingram II, and they made the oddly-timed decision to cut both of their practice squad running backs on Tuesday. Their depth chart is in flux, and it remains to be seen how it will stabilize ahead of their Week 11 game with the Los Angeles Rams. Hopefully Ingram can return to back up Kamara along with special teams ace Dwayne Washington, but this feels like a bigger question that won’t be truly answered until the offseason.

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Fantasy Football: 15 best waiver wire targets for Week 11

Rachaad White headlines this week’s list of the top waiver wire targets in fantasy football.

We’re approaching Week 11 of the 2022 NFL season, which means the fantasy football playoffs are right around the corner.

If your team needs some help to make a late-season push, these waiver wire targets could be exactly what you’re looking for. This week’s list includes options at quarterback, tight end, wide receiver and running back.

The most notable player this week is Buccaneers rookie running back Rachaad White, who rushed 22 times for 105 yards in Germany in Week 10. Leonard Fournette (hip) has extra time to recover during Tampa Bay’s bye this week, but White should still be a priority add on the waiver wire.

Another running back to keep an eye on is fellow rookie Kyren Williams, who made his offensive debut with the Rams on Sunday. Williams only rushed one time on Sunday, but he led L.A.’s backfield with three targets, and his role will likely increase in the coming weeks.

Check out the full list of fantasy football waiver wire targets below.

Fantasy football waiver wire: Week 11 free-agent forecast

Check out the top waiver wire targets for fantasy football in Week 11.

With trade deadlines approaching and the playoff picture coming into focus, fantasy football managers only have a few more weeks to utilize the waiver wire in hopes of finding some depth to help them win a championship.

Teams on a bye in Week 11 include the Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks.

We’ll be taking a look at the top available players rostered in ESPN leagues, using the 75% rostered mark as the threshold. If you have any questions about prioritizing a certain player over another, don’t be afraid to hit me up on Twitter (@KevinHickey11). Your questions, comments, and roasts are always welcome!

We also will be taking a look at some deeper players to stash and the top streaming options for the upcoming week.

Fantasy football waiver wire recommendations refer to 12-team league formats, unless specifically stated.

Check back for any updates throughout Monday and Tuesday as more injury news becomes available.

Fantasy football waiver wire: Week 10 free-agent forecast

Here are the top waiver-wire targets for fantasy football in Week 10.

As fantasy football playoff brackets begin to take shape, the waiver wire will continue to be a vital part of the process going into the second half of the season.

Teams on a bye in Week 10 include the New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots.

We’ll be taking a look at the top available players rostered in ESPN leagues, using the 75% rostered mark as the threshold. If you have any questions about prioritizing a certain player over another, don’t be afraid to hit me up on Twitter (@KevinHickey11). Your questions, comments, and roasts are always welcome!

We also will be taking a look at some deeper players to stash and the top streaming options for the upcoming week.

Fantasy football waiver wire recommendations refer to 12-team league formats, unless specifically stated.

Check back for any updates throughout Monday and Tuesday as more injury news becomes available.

Fantasy football waiver wire: Week 8 free-agent forecast

Here are the top waiver wire targets in fantasy football for Week 8.

We’re essentially halfway through the fantasy football season, and there are several waiver-wire implications entering Week 8 from this past slate of games.

Teams on a bye in Week 8 include the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs.

We’ll be taking a look at the top available players rostered in ESPN leagues, using the 75% rostered mark as the threshold. If you have any questions about prioritizing a certain player over another, don’t be afraid to hit me up on Twitter (@KevinHickey11). Your questions, comments, and roasts are always welcome!

Fantasy football waiver wire recommendations refer to 12-team league formats, unless specifically stated.

Check back for any updates throughout Monday and Tuesday as more injury news becomes available.

Fantasy Football: 15 waiver wire targets for Week 6

These 15 waiver wire targets could help improve your fantasy football team.

We’re now five weeks into the 2022 NFL season and players claimed off the waiver wire could help save your season if you’ve started poorly.

This week’s list of top waiver wire targets is headlined by three running backs.

In Arizona, James Conner (rib) and Darrel Williams (knee) were both injured on Sunday, leaving Eno Benjamin as the Cardinals’ top running back by default. If Conner and Williams miss any time, Benjamin’s value will skyrocket.

Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., Brian Robinson returned from the reserve/non-football injury list in Week 5 and quickly emerged as the Commanders’ lead running back. Robinson seems likely to emerge as a starter soon.

Finally, in Seattle, Rashaad Penny suffered a fractured tibia on Sunday, leaving rookie Ken Walker as the Seahawks’ top running back going forward. Given his talent and Seattle’s run-oriented offense, Walker is the most important waiver-wire target of the week.

This week’s list also includes waiver wire options at quarterback, tight end and wide receiver. Let’s get to the list!