The Phinest Waiver Wire Targets – Week 14 – The Fantasy's Phinest

Week 14 Waiver Wire Targets

Just one more week until the fantasy playoffs begin! Isn’t this an exciting time? Your hard work in setting your lineups and fighting through injuries has led to this point. This moment! As we head into the final week of the regular season for fantasy football, we have to review some more options off the waiver wire to help you potentially lock in that fantasy playoff spot. You may have a gap or two with the recent wave of injuries from Week 13. Both Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson will miss the next few weeks behind injuries. Lawrence sustained a high-ankle sprain against the Cincinnati Bengals and Rhamondre Stevenson suffered an ankle injury against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Rhamondre Steven is expected to miss “weeks” due to his own ankle injury.

Trevor Lawrence was stepped on by his left tackle during the play. Looks like his ankle. Latest report is that he's being checked via x-ray. Not a good look for the Jaguars QB.#trevorlawrence #jacksonvillejaguars #cincinnatibengals #week13 #mondaynightfootball pic.twitter.com/4dOeCR4B5u
— The Fantasy's Phinest Podcast (@FantasysPhinest) December 5, 2023

With players falling out at the most crucial of times (especially if you need to win this week to get into the playoffs), there are some options on the waiver wire that you can get to help plug a hole or two in your fantasy lineups. So here are six players you need to target this week to get you some added help.

Waiver Wire Targets

*Roster percentages via NFL Fantasy

Ezekiel Elliott, RB – NE (25% Rostered)

Ezekiel Elliott may be at the top of the waiver wire list this week. As mentioned earlier, Rhamondre Stevenson is expected to miss “weeks” behind his ankle injury. That would leave Elliott with the backfield to himself. Once Stevenson went down, Elliott saw a season-high 21 touches. Be aware that Elliott did play through a thigh injury against the Chargers. Stevenson wasn’t a participant in practice this week and looks unlikely to play against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14. That would leave the backfield duties largely to Elliott.

Zay Jones, WR – JAX (8.2% Rostered)

Another injury that will allow a player to take a bigger role in the teams’ offense. Wide receiver Christian Kirk went down in the first series against the Bengals with a groin injury which was later updated to a core injury. Per head coach Doug Pederson, the injury may require surgery. With Kirk expected to miss time, Zay Jones will be expected to step up in his role with the Jaguars offense. Jones finished second on the team in targets with eight targets for 78 yards. Hopefully, Trevor Lawrence’s injury won’t hold him out for long.

Noah Brown, WR – HOU (13% Rostered)

Noah Brown is another wide receiver who should see an added boost in production going forward. With Tank Dell going down with a fractured fibula which will force him to miss the remainder of the season, Brown will be asked to step up and fill the gap left by Dell in the Texans offense. We’ve already seen Brown have some nice games with an increased role and with Dell’s target share now up for grabs, Brown should be another intriguing target for fantasy managers. During Weeks 9 & 10, Brown was red hot scoring 27 and 24 fantasy points on 14 combined targets.

Roschon Johnson, RB – CHI (2.5% Rostered)

Johnson hasn’t been able to get much going this season despite being what was thought of as one of the best rushing situations to be in for fantasy in the Chicago Bears offense. However, prior to the Bears bye week, Johnson led the Bears backfield with 10 carries for 35 yards and saw an additional five targets for 40 yards. While those numbers don’t jump right off the page the intriguing part of it all is that fellow Bears running back Khalil Herbert was healthy and active for the game. Herbert saw just eight touches in the game behind the rookie running back. If this is a sign of things to come, Johnson could be in line for more work with the Bears facing a losing season and missing the playoffs.

Gardner Minshew, QB – IND (8.4% Rostered)

While he may not be quarterback you want, he might be the quarterback you deserve… at least for right now if you’re missing your top guy because of injury or the bye. Minshew was solid in Week 13 against the Tennessee Titans, tossing 312 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Minshew’s next three games are against CIN, PIT, and ATL so there may be some opportunity to get something out of Minshew especially if you’re a Trevor Lawrence owner. Minshew finished as the QB11 for Week 13, putting up 18.7 fantasy points.

Tyjae Spears, RB – TEN (7.5% Rostered)

With Derrick Henry having to depart early against the Colts, Spears stepped in and held down the fort rushing for 75 yards and 16 carries. Spears also saw six targets for 13 yards on four receptions. Should Henry miss Week 14 Spears would slide right in as the top guy for the Titans. Spears has been playing the backup/complimentary role with Derrick Henry on the field and would likely get the full compliment of work with Henry out of the mix.