Week 13 has come and gone and for many of us, the dream of the playoffs has evaporated. Sadly, the beloved fantasy football trophy for my home league will be leaving my house this year. Despite some brilliant moves, adding James “RB1nson” Robinson and Chase Claypool, I was not able to survive Saquon’s injury and DJ Chark’s quarterback-less season. Sure, I made the playoffs in almost all of my other leagues but losing the trophy hurts. It has become a staple in my home decor and I do not know how I will replace it. All I will have left is my championship pennants, made by the amazing folks at Oxford Pennants. Enough mourning though! The Week 14 Waiver Wire waits for no one and the playoffs are here!
Early Week 14 Waiver Wire Fantasy Football
Jalen Hurts (QB) – 1.4% of Rosters
Sure, the rookie out of Oklahoma threw an interception and only completed 42%, but he provided a spark and energy that Philadelphia has been lacking all season. Jalen Hurts sparked the Eagles with a deep bomb to Greg Ward for a late touchdown and made plays with his legs as well. Before going further, quick trivia question, identify which season belongs to Baker Mayfield, Jalen Hurts, and Kyler Murray in their first year as the starter at Oklahoma.
| G | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | AY/A | TD | Int | Rate | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | |
| QB A | 14 | 237 | 340 | 69.7 | 3851 | 11.3 | 12.2 | 32 | 8 | 191.2 | 233 | 1298 | 5.6 | 20 |
| QB B | 13 | 269 | 395 | 68.1 | 3700 | 9.4 | 10.4 | 36 | 7 | 173.3 | 141 | 405 | 2.9 | 7 |
| QB C | 14 | 260 | 377 | 69.0 | 4361 | 11.6 | 13.0 | 42 | 7 | 199.2 | 140 | 1001 | 7.2 | 12 |
QB A is Hurts, QB B is Baker, and QB C is Kyler. Other than a massive rushing disparity between Baker and the other two, the numbers are massively comparable. The only difference between the three is that Hurts was a second-round pick while Baker and Kyler went at #1 overall. Hurts has the arm talent to unlock a talented receiving corps and the rushing abilities to keep defenses honest. According to Phil’s Law of New Quarterbacks, “a new quarterback has about five weeks to take advantage of a lack of tape,” Hurts has until the end of the season and should be a strong fantasy option.
Cam Akers (RB) – 35.2% of Rosters
Cam Akers has seen an uptick in usage the past few weeks and capped it with a 22 touch performance on Sunday. Sure, second-year back Darrell Henderson broke an impressive run, but Akers was the featured back all day. He was physical, made plays, and found the endzone. With a matchup against New England next week, the Rams will look to keep the ball on the ground and keep Akers highly involved. If he can maintain this pace, Akers will be an RB2 available during the Week 14 waiver wire run.
Jalen Reagor (WR) – 18.4% of Rosters
The Eagles’ passing offense has been anemic the past few weeks with Carson Wentz slowly decaying and regressing as a quarterback. Now that Jalen Hurts has seemingly taken over, Jalen Reagor may finally get some more targets. Reagor has flashed the big-play athleticism that made him a dynamic collegiate player throughout the year. He also asserted his playmaker credentials with an electric punt return that made the Packers/Eagles game interesting for a hot minute. Reagor has not been targeted at anywhere near the volume needed to be a fantasy-relevant option. However, with Hurts in at quarterback, he may finally crack your starting lineup as a big-play dependent Flex option.
Ty Johnson (RB) – 0.3% of Rosters
The Jets are absolutely terrible. That being said, someone has to take running back snaps and with old man Frank Gore in the concussion protocol, it is now Ty Johnson’s time to shine. Johnson was the dominant back on Sunday and finished with 24 touches for 117 yards and a touchdown. A second-year back out of Maryland, Johnson showcased his receiving abilities last year in Detroit but looked capable of filling in for Gore until he is healthy. The Jets also have Josh Adams on the roster, but Johnson is younger and is more likely to factor into future plans for the New Jersey B Team. If Gore misses time, which seems likely, Johnson is an RB2 until he returns and a must-add during the Week 14 waiver wire.
Keke Coutee (WR) – 11.6% of Rosters
With the Texans’ receiving corps seemingly decimated by injuries and suspensions, it would have been logical for Deshaun Watson to struggle. The opposite happened, Watson barely missed a beat and that is in large part to a monster game from Keke Coutee. Coutee was targeted nine times, caught eight, and went for 141 yards. This is the kind of game many have been waiting on from the young and talented Coutee. He has flashed potential before, but this seems like his year. With a not-too-hard, but not-too-soft schedule coming up Coutee may not have a monster ceiling, but he is a nice flex option on a week-to-week basis.
Cordarrelle Patterson (WR) – 4.9 % of Rosters
The positionless wonder got his second-largest workload of the year Sunday. Cordarrelle Patterson has been awkwardly between positions his whole career, but the Bears finally seem comfortable getting him involved as a running back out of the backfield. With 10 carries on Sunday, Patterson showcased some of the athleticism that made him a highly coveted pick coming out of college. With soft matchups in the next three weeks against the Texans, Vikings, and Jaguars, Patterson is a great flex play each week. If he can maintain a 12-16 touch average, he may even be a nice RB2 option in deeper leagues. Patterson will be available during most Week 14 waiver wire periods.
Collin Johnson (WR) – 0.4% of Rosters
As the unofficial conductor of the Keelan Cole hype train, it pains me to list Collin Johnson as a waiver target. Johnson has posted back-to-back six target games and seems like backup-turned-starter Mike Glennon’s favorite target in Jacksonville. Glennon has been looking Johnson’s way all over the field, including the red zone and it is unlikely he will slow down in the weeks ahead. Jacksonville has tough matchups the next three weeks, but it is likely that they get down and need to throw. If Glennon is throwing he is looking Johnson’s way. Anyone getting consistent targets should be rostered in 12+ team leagues and Johnson is a nice flex option for the remainder of the season.
Cole Kmet (TE) – 0.5% of Rosters
The tight end wasteland continues to plague fantasy managers. With an explosion of uber-athletic players at all positions, it should not be this hard to find tight ends that are consistently involved. Yet somehow we are stuck looking at Cole Kmet and his seven targets from Sunday as something to get excited about. Sure, chasing past production can get you into tricky situations, but Kmet has actually been fairly involved over the past three weeks. Additionally, the Bears are a team preparing for their future which means more young guys getting reps. Kmet was drafted highly for a reason and the Bears will most likely try to see what they have in the young tight end. He is a nice streaming option if you do not have a consistent tight end option you can easily add from the Week 14 waiver wire.
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