Happy Tuesday and welcome back to my weekly Waiver HUB! It’s time to hit the waiver wire and do what you can to improve your team moving forward. Mike Hubbard here, you can follow me on Twitter (@FantasyHubbard) for all things fantasy football throughout the season. Feel free to tweet me or message me with any comments or questions you might have regarding fantasy football.
Week 13 is in the books following a MNF dramatic last second win for Brady and the Bucs. The goat made it happen but believe me this game wasn’t pretty for either side. Bucs are still atop the division and take on the stout defense of the 49ers in SF this weekend while the Saints get a BYE week that stops the bleeding from their 9-loss season.
Week 14 kicks off on Thursday with a matchup between the 5-7 Raiders and the 3-9 Rams. This game doesn’t exactly grab your attention but it’s still important for your fantasy team and getting into the playoffs. The Raiders will look to stay hot after winning their last 3 games. The line favors Vegas by 6 points with an over/under of 44.5. Give me a Raiders victory by a score of 27-13.
Regardless of your fantasy record you should always be ready to add and drop and be aware of waiver opportunities. Another week gone, another opportunity to make your team stronger and inch your way to that league trophy and an offseason of bragging rights.
Below are my top waiver wire priorities this week. Go get those hopefully available players to help your chances at a championship run. Good luck this week and remember to check back every week to stay informed on who you could target off waivers.
TOP PRIORITY OF THE WEEK
Zonovan Knight – New York Jets
Knight is back on the list this week to add because he has been great playing these last 2 weeks. He took over for Michael Carter and has taken full advantage of his opportunities. The undrafted RB has 29 carries for 159 rushing yards and also has caught all 8 of his targets for 62 receiving yards in his only 2 games. Even if Carter is able to return in week 14, I believe Knight will have a role in the offense that can be beneficial to your fantasy team. His matchup with Buffalo isn’t the greatest for Zonovan, but after that he gets the Lions, Jaguars, and Seahawks.
Quarterbacks
Jared Goff – Detroit Lions
Goff had a great game in week 13 throwing for 340 passing yards and 2 passing TDs. He now has 6 multi-TD games including 2 games with 4 TDs. Goff hasn’t thrown an INT in an entire month, and he is clicking with his pass catchers. Amon-Ra St. Brown is just a stud consistently putting up WR1 numbers, Swift out of the backfield is lethal, and now he has the rookie Jameson Williams on the field who can definitely make a positive impact. Goff also has options like DJ Chark, Josh Reynolds, and Kalif Raymond. Goff is not short on players to target, and the Lions are 6th in the NFL averaging over 26 points per game. Goff is a solid streamer to pick up this week when he faces the Vikings defense.
Running Backs
James Cook – Buffalo Bills
Cook had 14 carries for 64 rushing yards in week 13. He has double digit carries in 2 of his last 3 games and those 2 games resulted in a total of 150 rushing yards. He also was contributing to the pass game catching all 6 of his targets last game for 41 receiving yards. He is clearly becoming more involved in the offense even with a healthy Singletary. Singletary has scored 4 rushing TDs in his last 3 games, so if Cook continues to be involved, he should hopefully get in the end zone soon as well. Cook and the Bills take on the Jets next who shut down all Bills RBs just 5 weeks ago so I’m sure revenge is on their minds.
Zonovan Knight – New York Jets
SEE TOP PRIORITY OF THE WEEK TOP OF PAGE
Cam Akers – LA Rams
Don’t look now but Akers scored 2 TDs in week 13 and had a season high 17 carries. He finished with 60 rushing yards which is the 3rd time he has hit that mark this season. It figures Akers is now starting to play better and more often now that Stafford, Kupp, and ex-Ram Henderson are all out of the picture. Akers has 6 games this season with at least 1 rush for double digit yardage. He isn’t involved in the passing game but it’s hard to pass up on a RB that is getting a good workload. He should have a good game playing Vegas in week 14.
Wide Receivers
Darius Slayton – New York Giants
Slayton might not be available in your league anymore but if he is you better scoop him up. Slayton is the WR1 for the Giants and is tied with Barkley for most targets on the team this season with 52. Slayton’s 33 receptions are the most by any Giant WR and he leads the team in receiving yards with 566 which is 266 more than next best Richie James. Slayton has 6+ targets in all but 3 games this season and has 58+ receiving yards in all but 2 games. Salyton doesn’t have the most favorable fantasy playoff schedule, but he is the top WR options for a team that needs to throw and can’t rely on Barkley every down.
Nico Collins – Houston Texans
Nico may have only caught 3 passes in week 13 but he had 10 targets which is tied for his season best. He has also scored 2 TDs in his last 4 games while being targeted 7+ times in all 4 of those games. It is unclear what is going on with Brandin Cooks right now, but Nico has become the top guy in his absence and has been getting looks even with Cooks playing. After Houston plays Dallas this week, Nico will get favorable matchups against KC, Tennessee, and Jacksonville.
Michael Gallup – Dallas Cowboys
Gallup is another WR that is probably owned by now but if he isn’t then you need to add him. Gallup had just 23 receiving yards in week 13 where he caught 4 of his 7 targets. Luckily the yardage wasn’t important compared to the 2 TDs passes he caught in a big win over the Colts. CeeDee Lamb demands a lot of attention so Gallup should be able to continue to get targets most likely being overlooked. Gallup has 6 or more targets in 5 of his last 7 games. Gallup is worth the add on an offense that can obviously drop a 50 piece on defenses any week.
Tight Ends
Greg Dulcich – Denver Broncos
Dulcich led the entire Broncos offense in targets, receptions, and receiving yards in week 13. He caught 6 of his 8 targets for 85 receiving yards. Courtland Sutton is considered day to day right now so depending on his status, Dulcich could be in for even more work. His 85 yards receiving were the 2nd time he has hit that mark in his rookie campaign. Kansas City is a 9-point favorite in Denver this weekend leading me to believe Russel Wilson will have to air it out to stay competitive and as we have seen he clearly likes Dulcich.
Evan Engram – Jacksonville Jaguars
Engram is back on my waiver list again and for good reason. The Jaguar TE had 7 targets in week 13 and turned those into 5 receptions for 30 yards and caught his 2nd TD of the season. He takes on Tennessee next who has trouble defending pass plays so Engram could be in for another solid number of targets depending on the game flow.