Everyone needs to get ready! There is only one week left in the regular season before the beginning of the fantasy playoffs in most leagues. One last chance for that big playoff push and secure a postseason berth or strengthen the roster for a deep run. Whatever camp fantasy managers finds themselves in; this fantasy football waivers week fourteen edition will unquestionably help solve the mystery of the pickup jungle. It must be noted as well that there were a ton of injuries involving many significant players this past Sunday. Surely, all fantasy lineups will need fortifying this week.

It certainly doesn’t help keeping a roster complete when there are six (count them!) teams taking their bye this week. Whomever came up with this schedule clearly wasn’t thinking of the impact it would have on fantasy lineups. There is no need to fear, however, as the Fantasy Professor is here! The teams resting this week are the Falcons, Bears, Packers, Colts, Saints and Commanders (still trying to get used to that name). As a reminder, all ownership percentages are taken from ESPN.

Top Week Fourteen Running Back Waiver Pickups

James Cook, Buffalo Bills, 25.5% Owned

Admittedly, it is difficult to fully comprehend the exact situation of the Buffalo Bills’ running game. Is the featured back Devin Singletary or James Cook? Perhaps the answer is as simple as they both will be. That was certainly the case Thursday night against New England, even though Cook was the leader in touches. For the game, Singletary had 13 carries for 51 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Cook had 14 rushes for 64 yards.

The major difference was in the passing game. Singletary didn’t have a single catch, while Cook caught all six of his targets for 41 yards.  Cook also beat out Singletary in fantasy points 16-11. Singletary is ownership is 90 percent, so there is no further reason to discuss him. However, Cook is available in quite a few leagues and ready to help fantasy managers.

Buffalo’s next opponent, the Jets, isn’t a great matchup for running backs, but with so many teams on bye this week, Cook is at the top of the running back list on this fantasy football waivers week fourteen edition.

Samaje Perine, Cincinatti Bengals, 45% Owned

For the third straight week, Samaje Perine appears in these articles. It was expected that Joe Mixon would return to the lineup the past two games, but he remained sidelined for both. It would certainly be wise to hold on to, or pick up, Perine until Mixon’s status is known. Even when Mixon is 100 percent healthy, Perine will get his touches moving forward. It is significant that in Mixon’s absence, Perine has made a name for himself, especially in the game against Kansas City.

That is putting it mildly, as Perine ran all over the Chief defense to the tune of 106 yards, by far his highest total of the season. His 5.0 yards per carry marked the fifth time this year that Perine has hit the mark. He also caught six passes for another 49 yards. In the past three weeks, Perine has carried the ball 49 times and caught 14 passes. The fantasy points have come in bunches for Perine, as he has scored 30, 18 and 23 in his last three games.

The best news was saved for last. In week 14, the Bengals have their Ohio rival Browns. The Cleveland defense has been brutal against running backs in 2022, ranking a putrid 30th against the position. Whatever happens with Mixon, Perine is a must add off the wire if available.

Jerick McKinnon, Kansas City Chiefs, 27.2% Owned

Don’t look now, but there are a couple of Chiefs running backs worth owning in fantasy. The first is Isiah Pacheco, but he almost certainly isn’t available anywhere in fantasy. The second is Jerick McKinnon, who managers actually have a chance of seeing on their waiver wire. McKinnon surfaced in a big way against Cincinatti, rushing eight times for 51 yards, a mammoth 6.4 yards per carry average. He also caught two passes, one for a touchdown.

Most importantly, McKinnon provided 13 fantasy points for his managers. Any player this available in the high-powered Kansas City offense this available simply demands attention. The Broncos are next on the schedule. While they have a strong defense, their vulnerability is against running backs, as they rank exactly in the middle at 16th.

Denver is also a mess of a franchise at the moment and the feeling here is that the Chiefs will take advantage of that. If running back is a current roster issue, check the wire to see if McKinnon is available and act accordingly if he is.

Another running back worth considering:

Apparently, the Rams do have a player that can carry the football. Who knew as this team has become a clown car show this season. That player is Cam Akers. Of course, Akers has had his share of issues, including scoring just 11 fantasy points in his previous three games. He is also right around 50 percent owned, which prices him out of a lot of leagues. However, he did have 17 carries for 60 yards and two touchdowns against Seattle Sunday. As the Raiders are 26th against running backs in 2022, if available, Akers should get consideration.

Top Week Fourteen Wide Receiver Waiver Pickups

DJ Chark, Detroit Lions, 19% Owned

A receiver on a fast-paced offensive team that is widely available is DJ Chark. In case it wasn’t noticed, the Lions put 40 points on Jacksonville Sunday, a team that clearly has issues on defense. Chark was targeted six times, catching five for 98 yards. All that was missing was the touchdown, which Chark scored in week 12 against Buffalo. Chark has now scored nine and 14 fantasy points in his last two games.

Chark has been an afterthought as he missed six games earlier in the season. All of that drama is in his past now, however. Looking at the schedule shows the Vikings coming to Detroit this weekend. As with Jacksonville, there isn’t a lot to like about Minnesota’s defense, as they rank 26th against both quarterbacks and receivers.

Managers can look to start both Chark and Jared Goff (see below). Expect Chark to match or exceed the 15 fantasy points he scored against Philadelphia in week one. At less than 20 percent owned, Chark has big upside this week for anyone who claims him.

Devin Duvernay, Baltimore Ravens, 32.6% Owned

For the second time this season, Devin Duvernay makes the cut on one of my articles. After playing the tight defense of the Denver Broncos Sunday, the Steelers will probably feel like a picnic to Duvernay and the Ravens. Despite that defense, Duvernay caught all six passes thrown his way for 34 yards. He finished with 13 fantasy points. Admittedly, that’s not a lot to get excited about. However, that is a stable floor for a wide receiver.

Best of all, much better should be expected by all Duvernay managers in week thirteen. The Steelers are dead last in points allowed to fantasy wide receivers. There simply isn’t a better matchup than this in the fantasy realm. Expect Duvernay to score his first touchdown since week three against New England in this game. He has had three games this season with over 20 fantasy points and Duvernay can be locked into that range this weekend.

This is one of those don’t overthink it situations. If wide receiver is a need, add Duvernay this minute.

Isaiah McKenzie, Buffalo Bills, 20.8% Owned

Last week, Isaiah McKenzie made the cut and was included in my article. In his last two games, McKenzie has made his fantasy floor and ceiling very apparent and for that reason, merits a second straight mention. Against the Patriots, McKenzie caught all five of his targets for 44 yards. He scored nine fantasy points. Certainly, not great, but even top wide receivers have produced less.

The ceiling for McKenzie came the week before against the Lions. In that game, McKenzie was targeted ten times and came away with six catches for 96 yards and a touchdown. He also had two carries. As mentioned with Cook above, the Jets have an excellent defense. That is evident against the pass and the run.

Even so, if wide receiver is a roster need, McKenzie can help keep the roster healthy. McKenzie is widely available, so acting today is the prescribed medicine on this fantasy football waivers week fourteen edition.

Top Week Fourteen Tight Ends Waiver Pickups

Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars, 34.8% Owned

The tight end position has been in almost complete disarray this season, especially lately. Even so, Evan Engram looks like he can solve a whole lot of problems for fantasy managers in week fourteen. Even though the Jaguars got run out of the building by the Lions, Engram had himself a nice game, both in real life and in the fantasy realm. Engram was targeted seven times, catching five for 30 yards.

The yardage is certainly nothing to get excited about. Fortunately, that wasn’t the end of Engram’s afternoon, as he scored a touchdown, his second of the season. Engram ended with 14 fantasy points and a manager will take that from his tight end any day. There have been five games this season in which Engram has scored more than 10 fantasy points.

True, he has been inconsistent, but with the current state of the position, Engram is good as it gets right now in the waiver jungle. Tennessee is next up for Jacksonville and the Titans are not good against tight ends (ranking 20th) or quarterbacks (ranking 30th). Engram should be good for double digit fantasy points this coming Sunday and is highly recommended on this fantasy football waivers week fourteen edition.

Daniel Bellinger, New York Giants, 2.0% Owned

Nothing further needs to be said regarding the wasteland that is the tight end position. It is what it is, which brings us to Daniel Bellinger. He returned to the Giants lineup after missing four games. He caught all five of his targets for 24 yards, a modest total to be sure. The New York receiving corps has been hit hard this season with injuries and inefficient play. If Bellinger can play at all like the player they expected when drafting him in the fourth round, he would make a nice addition to a fantasy roster.

The hope is that Bellinger can play like he did in weeks five and six, in which he checked in with ten and 14 fantasy points. He caught his second career touchdown pass against Baltimore in week six. Obviously, Bellinger has the talent and just needs to stay healthy and work on his chemistry with quarterback Daniel Jones.

The Giants face Philadelphia in week fourteen and the Eagles have been excellent against tight ends this season. This fantasy football waivers week fourteen edition recommendation is more for the playoffs than this week. However, if there is nowhere else to turn, Bellinger is very available and can be plugged into the lineup until the starter is healthy. This is where we find ourselves when dealing with tight ends in December 2022.

Top Week Fourteen Quarterback Waiver Pickups

Mac Jones, New England Patriots, 5.8% Owned

Without question, Thursday night’s game against Buffalo wasn’t pretty for Mac Jones and the Patriots. However, the loss can’t be totally pinned on Jones, as he delivered decent stats despite being under pressure the entire night. Jones finished 22 of 36 for 195 yards and a touchdown. He did not throw an interception. Over the past two weeks, Jones has thrown three TD passes without a single interception. In fact, Jones hasn’t had a pick since week eight.

As is often the case when looking for a player to claim off waivers, the schedule must come into focus. Such is the case here as the Patriots’ next two opponents are soft against the pass. Those teams are the Cardinals and Raiders. Arizona ranks 28th overall in defense and 30th against the pass. Obviously, when there are only 32 teams in the league, those are awful statistics. Similarly, Las Vegas ranks 23rd overall and 25 in pass defense.

Given the two teams that Jones will face in his next two games, there is plenty of fantasy potential here. It is likely that Jones will post a game close to the one he did against the Vikings in week twelve. In that contest, Jones completed 28 of 39 for 382 yards and two touchdowns. Fantasy managers will take that all day, every day and Jones has clearly earned a spot on this fantasy football waivers week fourteen edition.

Jared Goff, Detroit Lions, 29.6% Owned

Those that thought we had heard the last of Jared Goff after he disappeared against the Giants in week 11 couldn’t have been more wrong. All Goff has done in the two games since is throw four touchdown passes and zero interceptions. Additionally, he has produced 580 yards of passing offense. Against Jacksonville, Goff completed 31 of 41 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns. Great as that was, the best may be yet to come.

As stated above when discussing Chark, Minnesota looms in week fourteen. As good as the Vikings are on offense, they are that bad on defense. They rank no higher than 24th against any fantasy category and are 26th against quarterbacks. Detroit’s defense is just about as bad, meaning the game between the two should be a track meet.

Expect lots of scoring and if one of your quarterbacks is taking time off this week, Goff instantly solves the problem.

Mike White, New York Jets, 13.4% Owned

It is difficult to name a player who has risen from obscurity to such promising heights as quickly as Mike White of the Jets. Even though the Jets lost to the Vikings and White threw a couple of interceptions, there was a lot to like about him in the real and fantasy worlds. He completed 31 of 57 passes for 369 yards.

Hopefully, he will not be called on to throw so many passes going forward, as that is not a recipe for success. Looking at the fantasy schedule for the playoffs shows the Jets facing Detroit, Jacksonville and Seattle. White could very easily be a league winner for the manager that picks him up before it is too late.

The Last Word

Thank you for joining me for this fantasy football waivers week fourteen edition! As always, I welcome any and all suggestions, comments and input from my readers. Let’s discuss! Follow me on twitter @kevin62wilsea. Please feel free to share this article. Tune in for the Belly Up Fantasy Live Preview Show every Sunday morning at 11 AM EST on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or BellyUpTV. Be sure to turn to Belly Up Sports and Belly Up Fantasy for all the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL happenings and the latest sports news! 

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