Waiver Wire Watch: Week 14

Dec 05, 2016

Editor's Note: We're happy to have Brandon Niles on the Waiver Wire Watch this year. He'll work in conjunction with Senior Editor John Paulsen to compile the weekly list of pickups and generate recommended prices for FAAB leagues.

Here is a look at the top waiver wire pickups for Week 14. To be eligible for discussion, the player must be owned in 50% or fewer Yahoo leagues, though we’ll stretch the rules a bit for the RB position, which is usually very thin. We’ll also include suggested bid prices (with a $100 budget) for those leagues that use Free Agent Acquisition Budgets (FAAB). Of course, player value depends on league characteristics and team needs. Players are listed by position in order of importance. For extremely shallow or extremely deep leagues, be sure to review our Rest-of-Season Rankings (updated every Tuesday) to get an idea of how to value players not on this list.

Quarterbacks

Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens ($1)

Flacco tore up the Miami defense on Sunday, throwing for 381 yards and four touchdowns with only one interception. Baltimore is trying to maintain a lead in the AFC North division and has a tough slate of games ahead. However, Flacco typically plays pretty well late in the season and this week’s matchup against the Patriots should feature plenty of passing. Flacco has been disappointing, but he’s not a bad short-term streaming option in large leagues.

Next up: @ Patriots, Eagles, @ Steelers

Matt Barkley, Chicago Bears ($1)

Barkley didn’t do much against the 49ers with only 192 yards passing and no touchdowns. However, he didn’t have any picks and only had to throw the ball 18 times all game as the Bears dominated San Francisco with 36 rushing attempts. Barkley is far from a sure thing, but at this point in the season, I think it’s worth gambling on a guy trying to showcase his talents to earn a job for next year, especially considering the fact that he’s got an excellent schedule to close out the season, including games against the Packers and Washington in Weeks 15 and 16.

Next up: @ Lions, Packers, Redskins

Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles ($1)

Wentz had 308 yards and a touchdown against the Bengals on Sunday, but he also threw three picks. He’s a bit volatile but has a nice matchup against Washington this week and should be counted on to keep slinging it for the rest of the season. Wentz has added value in keeper and dynasty league formats, but he may be streamable this week in larger redraft leagues as well.

Next up: Redskins, @ Ravens, Giants

Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams ($1)

Goff is going to be cheap because early returns haven’t been thrilling from the rookie and the Rams offense has looked like trash for much of the season, especially against the Patriots on Sunday. However, he has some streaming value this week against the Falcons. Atlanta isn’t nearly as good on the defensive side of the ball as New England is, and the Rams will need to throw the ball. He’s not cracking my top 10 QBs this week, but he might crack the top-20, making him streamable in large and 2QB leagues.

Next up: Falcons, @ Seahawks, 49ers