Fantasy Football 2018: Top 10 waiver wire Week 14 pickups
Fantasy football owners have plenty of options to pick up on the waiver wire this week, as several running backs emerged as likely contributors during the fantasy playoffs.
With Matt Breida and James Conner injured on Sunday, Leonard Fournette suspended, and Melvin Gordon out for a few weeks, several running backs had the opportunity to emerge as fantasy football contributors during the fantasy playoffs.
There were also several strong performances at the wide receiver position from young talents like Courtland Sutton and Chris Godwin, who have always been on the cusp of a fantasy breakout during the 2018 season. Each of those two wideouts has been on waiver wire lists this year, and they remain intriguing options for fantasy owners.
In Week 13, Godwin and San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Dante Pettis had monster performances, ranking among fantasy’s scoring leaders. Buffalo Bills rookie quarterback Josh Allen is in the midst of a remarkable turn-around, and his rushing ability could allow him to join Baltimore Ravens first-year signal-caller Lamar Jackson as fantasy playoff studs.
Allen may finally have a true standout wideout in Zay Jones, who caught two touchdown passes to finish with 24.7 fantasy points of his own last week, and that will be a development to watch for owners banking on Allen as a streaming option.
A few of those names are on this week’s list of waiver wire pick-ups, so check out which 10 players should be targeted in leagues for Week 14 and beyond.
Jeff Wilson Jr., RB, San Francisco 49ers
When healthy, Matt Breida has been a monster for the San Francisco 49ers, and he produced over 100 yards of rushing in Week 12. Unfortunately, Breida’s had trouble staying healthy this season, and he suffered an injury during pre-game warm-ups, just weeks after finally recovering from an ankle injury that hampered his breakout campaign.
With fellow rising star Raheem Mostert out for the season, Breida needed someone else to emerge behind him on the 49ers roster. Jeff Wilson Jr. stepped up to the plate in a big way despite the blowout loss to the high-flying Seattle Seahawks, as he ran for 61 yards and added a whopping 73 receiving yards in a career performance.
Wilson Jr. looks like a huge asset out of the backfield for the 49ers, as eight receptions on nine targets is nothing to scoff at. A healthy Breida remains the weapon of choice in the 49ers backfield, but Wilson has showed up well on the ground this season when given opportunities, as he’s averaging 4.3 yards per carry and nearly 50 rushing yards per game.
Breida aggravated his ankle injury in Week 13, so Wilson could be the primary ball-carrier in the 49ers offense next week. The Denver Broncos are a tougher matchup on the ground than the Seahawks, but Wilson should still remain effective, especially if he can continue to obtain targets from Nick Mullens.