Fantasy Football 2020 Week 14 Waiver Wire Pickup Advice

Is your fantasy team in need of new blood? Each week I’ll bring to you the best pickups to make ahead of the waiver deadline. All the players I list will be owned in fewer than 50 percent of leagues, with the ownership percentage coming from Yahoo.com.

Quarterbacks

Philip Rivers, Colts (40% Owned): It’s playoff season, so at this point we are only throwing names out there you can put in your lineup right now. Rivers has been delivering fantasy relevant performances against a string of soft matchups, and he has another one this week in the Raiders. Rivers has thrown for at least 285 yards in four straight games, and T.Y. Hilton has looked like his old self in back-to-back weeks, joining Michael Pittman Jr. and RB Nyheim Hines as big play threats. Rivers can’t run a lick, so his floor is low if his opponent can get after him; don’t expect Las Vegas to get after him. He also has the Texans again in Week 15, so you’re looking at a capable plug and play for the next two weeks.

Running Backs

Adrian Peterson, Lions (48% Owned): Peterson can be abandoned if D’Andre Swift is cleared to play, but if not AP is looking at a heavy volume game in a fantastic matchup. Peterson has rushed for four touchdowns in his last two games, posting nearly identical stat lines. It’s not pretty and he’s not explosive in the least, but this man can scrape out fantasy relevance when given enough touches. Green Bay entered Week 13 ranked just 24th in rush DVOA, so Peterson figures to be a candidate for another trip to the end zone if he is leading the backfield.

J.D. McKissic, Football Team (44% Owned): McKissic had disappeared from Weeks 11 and 12 as quickly as he arrived in Weeks 9 and 10 as a pass-catching maven in this offense with Alex Smith. Antonio Gibson went down early vs. the Steelers last night and, lo and behold, McKissic caught all 10 of his targets. Without Gibson, McKissic is essentially a high-volume WR, and he’ll see the field plenty because the main rushing option is Peyton Barber. McKissic’s next three matchups are at San Francisco (Arizona), vs. Seattle, vs. Carolina. Nothing to be scared of there, and he’s got a very high floor for as long as Gibson is on the sideline.

Phillip Lindsay, Broncos (45% Owned): Lindsay was a total dud vs. the Chiefs despite seeing 14 carries, his third-most all season. It was a letdown for Lindsay truthers like myself, but Melvin Gordon hasn’t proven to be dominant by any means. If Lindsay is once again trusted with double-digit carries, even if it’s just 10, he should be able to pierce the Panthers for a big play or two. He’s a low-floor, high-ceiling home run threat that you can play if you’re dealing with a lot of injuries. At this point in the season, finding any RBs with any kind of ceiling on waivers isn’t easy.

D’Onta Foreman, Titans (1% Owned): Foreman is the clear handcuff for Derrick Henry. While he has zero standalone value, should Henry go down Foreman becomes a lead back in one of the NFL’s best rushing offenses. He’s not Henry by any stretch, but he’ll be playable if disaster strikes the NFL’s leading rusher.

Wide Receivers

Nelson Agholor, Raiders (40% Owned): Henry Ruggs’ miracle Hail Mary to beat the Jets could’ve – nay, should’ve – been Agholor. He beat the Jets down the field on the play before, and Derek Carr missed him. While Agholor and Ruggs have similar potential for big plays, Agholor was targeted 11 times in the game, and has seen at least six targets in three straight. He’s the Raiders top receiver, and even though his upcoming matchups with the Colts and Chargers aren’t easy, you can at least count on Carr looking his way.

Allen Lazard, Packers (41% Owned): Lazard isn’t always going to pop, but with Aaron Rodgers he always has the chance to. The upcoming schedule for Rodgers – at Detroit, vs. Carolina, vs. Tennessee – is a fantasy playoffs wet dream. Davante Adams is going to feast, with the rest being shared by Lazard, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and TE Robert Tonyan. It will be those other guys eating at times, but believe Lazard will have a big game or two during this stretch. In three-WR leagues, a guy like Lazard will come in handy as a high-floor WR3 with upside.

Tim Patrick, Broncos (21% Owned): Patrick found pay dirt twice vs. the Chiefs this week, while his much more widely owned teammate Jerry Jeudy had one catch. The upcoming matchups for Denver are favorable – at Carolina, vs. Buffalo --  and he’s become Drew Lock’s primary receiver. He doesn’t have the highest ceiling because of this offense’s limitations, but he is a steady hand at WR3/FLEX.

T.Y. Hilton, Colts (45% Owned): Hilton has been great for two weeks in a row, topping 80 yards twice, scoring a touchdown in each game, and seeing 11 targets this past Sunday. I am skeptical of this resurgence, but at the same time with the Raiders and Texans lined up, I’d be willing to play him in a pinch. Just beware that Hilton does have a low floor, and that floor actually has a trapdoor too.

Denzel Mims, Jets (11% Owned): Mims took a step back last week in target share, garnering just three after being at seven or more for three straight weeks. Mims still turned them into two catches for 40 yards, proving he’s become a weekly safe bet to at least not goose his owners. The Jets offense really sucks, so he’s a floor play for sure, but he’s had 40 or more yards in every game he’s played. The floor is fairly high for a guy owned in this few leagues, and with Seattle up next he has a shot at his first NFL touchdown.

Keke Coutee, Texans (27% Owned): Coutee went nuts this week on the Colts, gashing them for 141 yards on eight receptions. With Will Fuller and Randall Cobb out, and Kenny Stills off the team, it makes sense that Coutee is seeing this target share. We’ve been here before with him though, and he does not always take full advantage of opportunity. With Houston’s dearth of receiving options, he’s playable, but I would not feel comfortable whatsoever.

Tight Ends

Anthony Firkser, Titans (9% Owned): Firkser is proving himself capable as a pass-catcher, and should be involved in the game plan if Jonnu Smith misses more time. His production this week did come in garbage time, but it all counts for fantasy owners. Jacksonville and Detroit are surprisingly decent against opposing TEs, but the Titans’ approach defies numbers most weeks. They force defenses to load up on Derrick Henry so much, and also present massive threats at WR with A.J. Brown and Corey Davis, that the TE is often left with awesome matchups. Firkser is sneaky good if Smith is ruled out.