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Through The Wire - Week 14



By Antonio D'Arcangelis | 12/8/20 | Updated: 12/9/20

Targeting weekly waiver picks is a completely subjective business, but this column hopes to point out some obvious and not-so-obvious selections to help your team from week to week while you strive to collect fantasy wins, reach your league playoffs, and win the elusive title that your friends say is out of your grasp. While I’m a big proponent of making trades to bolster your roster, the waiver wire can be an almost limitless resource when it comes to discovering fantasy value in strange places. Each week, I’ll highlight some of the popular (and not-so-popular) players who can help your squad and may still be available in your league. I’ll also provide a brief update on the players I covered the previous week.

Feedback is always welcome, appreciated and encouraged. I’ll get to as many e-mails as I can.


Quarterbacks

Jared Goff, LAR – Goff seems relatively hard to decipher on a weekly basis, but he’s among the Top 15 fantasy QBs in 2020 and he’s coming off a solid week where he completed 37 of 47 passes for 351 yards and one TD in a 38-28 win over the Cardinals. He also carried the ball four times for 1 yard, but notched a rushing TD in the process. There aren’t a ton of favorable matchups that jump out this week, and Goff has a tough matchup vs. NE, but he’s in a smash spot in Week 15 against the Jets – so if you’re looking ahead to the fantasy playoffs, he’s your guy.

Philip Rivers, IND – UPDATE: Rostering and playing Rivers is far from exciting, as he’s posted only three games this season north of 20 fantasy points in standard formats – but he has put up a 3263-18-9 passing line this season and has a solid fantasy floor in this matchup with the Raiders. If you’re looking for safety and a shot at 20-25 points from your QB, he’s owned in just 25-30 percent of fantasy leagues.

Taysom Hill, NO – Drew Brees (ribs) has a shot to play against the Eagles, but with the Saints running at 3-0 since Hill took the reins, he doesn’t need to be rushed back. Hill is coming off another solid game (232-2-0 with 83 rushing yards on 14 carries), but he did fumble three times and turn one over. If he gets the start again, he’s worth a look.

Other QBs to consider: Alex Smith, Tua Tagovailoa, Jalen Hurts

UPDATE:

Kirk Cousins, MIN – Cousins is now a Top 10 Fantasy QB in 2020 after a third straight week of solid production: 305 yards-3-1 in Sunday’s 27-24 overtime win over the Jaguars. He should be owned in all formats.

Running Backs

Adrian Peterson, DET – Peterson (owned in just 10-25 percent of fantasy leagues) tallied 57 rushing yards and two TDs on 16 carries during Sunday’s 34-30 win over the Bears. He’s been getting more carries with D’Andre Swift on the shelf, but would retain his role if Swift can’t play Week 14 against Green Bay.

Ty Johnson, NYJ – Johnson is universally available and has showed promise in the past, but he broke through with a big game Sunday, rushing 22 times for 104 yards and a TD while hauling in both of his targets for 13 yards in the brutal loss to the Raiders. He would likley remain the Jets’ lead back in Week 14 against the Seahawks if veteran Frank Gore is unable to clear concussion protocol.

J.D. McKissic, WAS – McKissic took advantage of the injury to Antonio Gibson, rushing five times for 8 yards and caught 10-70-0 on 10 targets in Monday’s surprising 23-17 win over the Steelers. Gibson's status for Week 14 is up in the air, but I expect McKissic to be heavily involved in the fantasy playoffs regardless.

UPDATE: Gibson has turf toe, so McKissic is an excellent add this week.

Other RBs to consider: Cordarrelle Patterson (WR/RB eligible in some leagues), Peyton Barber, Jeff Wilson, Tony Pollard

UPDATE:

Cam Akers, LAR – Akers rushed for 72 yards and TD to go with a 22-yard catch on his only target, while Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown combined for nine touches, 101 yards from scrimmage and another TD. He’s a committee back who is now nursing a shoulder injury and was listed as a non-participant in practice on Monday.

Ito Smith, ATL – Todd Gurley was back for the Falcons and Smith is being evaluated for a head injury. His status is up in the air for Week 14.

Devontae Booker, LV – Booker eventually got going and finished with 50 rushing yards on 16 carries, adding just one 1-yard reception on two targets in Sunday’s win over the Jets. If Josh Jacobs (ankle) can’t go again in Week 14, Booker is worth deploying as a RB3/flex against the Colts.

Corey Davis

Wide Receivers / Tight Ends

Corey Davis, TEN – Davis (55-65 percent owned) continued his breakout campaign with 11-182-1 on 12 targets in Week 13 against the Browns. He should be owned in all formats for his upside in this potent offense.

Cole Beasley, BUF – Beasley gets no respect, but he went off on Monday with 9-130-1 on 11 targets in the Bills’ 34-24 win over the 49ers on Monday night. The veteran slot man needs just 203 receiving yards over his last four games to hit the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in nine-year career, and I’m betting he gets there.

Keke Coutee, HOU – Looks like I was a week off on Coutee, who caught eight of his nine targets for 141 yards during Sunday’s 26-20 loss to the Colts. Deshaun Watson seems to really like him, and he’s owned in just 12-20 percent of leagues.

Tim Patrick, DEN – Drew Lock isn’t much to write home about, but he’s on the same page with Patrick, who hauled in all four of his targets for 44 yards and two TDs in Sunday’s 22-16 loss to the Chiefs. He and the Broncos WRs get another favorable matchup against Carolina in Week 14.

TE Logan Thomas, WAS – Thomas had his best game as a pro Sunday, hauling in all nine of his targets for 98 yards and a big TD in Monday’s upset win over the Steelers. He’s looking like a TE1 ahead of a Week 14 matchup against the 49ers.

TE Dan Arnold, ARI – Arnold is a deeper league add but he did catch two of three targets for 61 yards – both for TDs in Sunday’s 38-28 loss to the Rams. He’s worth a look.

Other WRs/TEs to consider: TE Cole Kmet, Henry Ruggs III, Quintez Cephus, Laviska Shenault, Greg Ward, Cam Sims, TE Jordan Reed

UPDATE:

Deebo Samuel, SF – Samuel didn’t really get rolling until about halfway through this one, but he finished with 6-73-0 on nine targets and added a 3-yard run in the to the Monday night loss to the Bills.

TE Robert Tonyan, GB – Tonyan was a top add of Week 13 and it paid off with 4-39-1 on five targets Sunday.

Jakobi Meyers, NE – Meyers wasn’t needed much on Sunday with the Pats’ running game going so well, but he caught just two of six targets for 15 yards. The next game against the Rams should be better, unless he’s covered by Jalen Ramsey. Stay tuned.

Gabriel Davis, BUF – The rookie was targeted just four times but caught 3-68-1 in the Bills’ Monday night win. He’s a WR4/flex with upside this week.