In this edition of Win the Waiver Wire, Curtis Patrick shares his top waiver targets for Week 14 in seasonal fantasy football leagues.
After a long season of churning our fantasy depth, the playoffs are finally here and your rosters should be tuned up. In leagues that don’t shut down the waiver wire for the playoffs, claims now serve a dual-purpose of fortifying your own options as well as blocking your opponents from improving, too. This is not a time to get lazy; stay on your game until the hardware can be hoisted above your head!
*For the purposes of this week’s article, I’ll be using ESPN “percentage rostered” data. Players are listed in the order of priority, by position. To make the most of my time and yours, I only provide analysis for players who are available in around 50% of leagues.
Running Back
Cam Akers (available in 64.8% of leagues)
Cam Akers was featured in this space last week and didn’t disappoint for those who invested, turning in 21 carries for 71 yards and rushing TD. It’s hard to complain about a free RB posting his second consecutive RB2 fantasy week, but there’s a gaping hole in his usage that will prevent his ceiling from being unlocked if nothing changes during the playoff run.
Your eyes don’t need checked; Akers has been targeted just four times this season and never more than once in a single game. Most appropriately viewed as the NFC West version of Damien Harris for now, Akers should be owned in every league but is more of a flex-play consideration than starting RB cornerstone.
Ty Johnson (available in 99.7% of leagues)
No stranger to chunk plays, Ty Johnson averaged over 7.5 yards per carry for his collegiate career on 348 attempts. The highlight was his stunning 19-year-old sophomore season in which he averaged over 9.0 yards per carry.
Perhaps the most surprising development of the Week 13 was Johnson logging over 20 carries after Frank Gore left the game with a concussion. That he succeed on those carries comes as little surprise based on his history, though. Pending the results of Tuesday Night Football, Johnson ranks RB3 in expected points for the week.
With Gore and La’Mical Perine both viewed as questionable at best right now for Week 14, Johnson is a priority add for playoff depth. In the event he gets an extended look, he’ll draw Seattle a squad that’s softened against RBs of late, having allowed 16.0 or more PPR to opposing RB1s four of the past five games.
