Rizzla presents his week fourteen waiver wire rankings and discusses the players that are worth at least ten percent of your total FAAB budget.
In many league the fantasy football regular season is now over and if you are still reading these columns, congratulations. If you are in a smaller league that forgoes quarterfinals there is one week left to secure playoff seeding. We will focus our discussion on players worth a tenth of your starting FAAB budget this week as there just are not any names that are deemed worthy of the 15 percent minimum we espoused in recent weeks. Adam Humphries and Chris Godwin both narrowly missed out on our 55 percent availability minimum but should be scooped up in every competitive league they are still available in.
Dante Pettis finally broke out for the San Francisco 49ers this past Sunday exploding for five receptions, 129 yards and two touchdowns. Available in 96 percent of yahoo leagues Pettis is a strong talent that mysteriously failed to get it going this season despite Pierre Garcon and Marquise Goodwin missing multiple games. Pettis should be scooped up where available as he has the talent to continue to make a difference in the fantasy playoffs.
Nyheim Hines had a solid ppr outing against the Jacksonville Jaguars in week thirteen posting a 9-50 receiving line while chipping in five rushing yards. Hines is still stuck behind Marlon Mack but with Mack only showing out against the bad teams Hines looks like he could have some value in weeks fourteen and fifteen with the Texans and Cowboys on deck. Available in 74 percent of yahoo leagues Hines should be added even if it is just to block playoff rivals. Make the add where possible.
82 Percent available Curtis Samuel put up six receptions for 88 yards on eleven targets in week thirteen and while it is going to be difficult to predict which receiver shows up on a weekly basis, Greg Olsen being done for the year opens up more opportunities for both Samuel and DJ Moore. Samuel leads the Panthers in air yards over the past four weeks and could make some noise in deeper leagues as a flex2/3 with the Browns, Saints and Falcons on tap for the fantasy playoffs. Add Samuel where needed.
The 94 percent available Jaylen Samuels looks destined to be one of the hottest pickups of the week with James Conner feared to have suffered a leg contusion late in the Sunday Night Football contest against the Los Angeles Chargers. Samuels is an H-back type that has excellent hands and could be a weekly threat for 100 yards from scrimmage if given enough burn. The tight end eligible Samuels is a must add even if it is just to block your potential playoff opponents from doing so.
Bruce Ellington should be scooped up in deeper PPR leagues after another solid ppr showing with seven receptions in week thirteen. Granted he only went for 35 yards receiving but he has now recorded six plus receptions in three straight games and after leading the team in targets and receptions against the Rams, should stay heavily involved in the Lions offense throughout the fantasy playoffs. Available in 91 percent of yahoo leagues Ellington is a deep league flex2/3.
Available in 70 percent of yahoo leagues Jordy Nelson may finally be healthy after a convincing ten reception, 97 yard performance against the Kansas City Chiefs in week thirteen. Nelson was rightfully left for dead following dud after dud for the Oakland Raiders but is finally showing signs of life. There is a strong possibility Nelson all but disappears once again especially when one considers the Raiders saw their second most offensive snaps of the season in week thirteen and that Nelson played the most slot snaps he has played since week four, but he is worth a gamble as a ‘number one’ receiver, even if it is for arguably the worst offense in the NFL.
Shanahan alert. Jeff Wilson Jr. led the 49ers in rushing yards against the Seahawks. Who is Jeff Wilson Jr.? That is the question many fantasy owners are asking themselves and I will admit that Wilson was not on my own radar either but watching him play in the 49ers scheme it is clear that he is a zone scheme back with good to great vision that could have continued success under the spawn of the mad RB scientist. Wilson exploded for 15 carries for a modest 61 rushing yards with a whopping eight receptions for 73 receiving yards.Taking a quick look at Wilson’s playerprofiler.com page indicates that Wilson is a slower back with a moderate speed score but as we know 40 time and speed score are not ‘end all, be all’s in the NFL’. The 99 percent available Wilson should be added in all formats with Matt Breida once again dealing with an injury as Alfred Morris has continued to be a healthy scratch and is no longer in the plans of a team already looking towards 2019.
