Dynasty Waiver Wire: Week 14

Levi Chappell Posted On December 9, 2019

By now, you know whether or not you have made the fantasy playoffs. I am also sure that you have either let your friends know that you made the playoffs, or your friends have let you know that you missed the playoffs with a friendly “you suck” text or a GIF of some kind. No matter what side of the fence you fall on, I want to congratulate you on winning. I realize that you may have gone 2-12 and you don’t feel like you “won” much, but we have all won because fantasy isn’t only about wins and losses.

If I’m being completely honest, fantasy football and the friends/family I play it with have gotten me through some tough times. So while fantasy sports is ultimately pointless, it can keep relationships thriving and friendships stronger (hopefully not the other way around). My guess is that if you were not in a fantasy football league with certain people, you would hardly ever text them or talk to them. Fantasy football brings people together and gives us a reason to text each other terrible trades at one in the morning or send the “Butt Fumble” GIF at any given moment.

So like I said before, we are all winners. But enough of the feel-good crap. Let’s get down to some actual football talk.

So you are either in the playoffs or looking forward to your rookie draft. Either way, the waiver wire is still of significant importance. At this point in the season, an effective waiver wire pickup could help propel you to a championship, or it could help build a valuable trade asset in the offseason. It’s time to pay attention to the players listed below.

Shallow (18-22 man rosters)

DeAndre Washington, RB OAK

Huge news for playoff matchups this week was Josh Jacobs being out with a shoulder injury. This thrust Washington into the starting role, and he filed in admirably. He received 20 total touches and turned that into 96 yards and a TD. Jacobs’ status is still uncertain, and if he were to miss additional time, Washington slots in as a flex start for the fantasy playoffs.

Drew Lock, QB DEN

In the most surprising result on Sunday, the Broncos blew out the Houston Texans 38-24. Lock was dealing from the first snap and showed flashes as to why Denver is hoping he will be their QB of the future. He threw for over 300 yards and three TDs in a statement game. Lock and the Broncos take on the Chiefs next week, and he is a solid QB2 option next week.

Darwin Thompson, RB KC

I had high hopes for Thompson coming into this year, and while he has not lived up to the off-season hype, he has been given a chance in recent weeks with Darrel Williams going on IR and the continued absence of Damien Williams. His rushing stats aren’t great, but he is clearly the best pass catching option out of the backfield and made some impact plays on Sunday against the Patriots. He will continue to receive a decent workload as long as Williams is sidelined.

Kendrick Bourne, WR SF

I have been a Jimmy Garoppolo skeptic for a while now. While many people wanted to anoint him before he had even started 16 games… I wanted to see it first. I have come around slowly, but I am starting to believe that he is a quality QB who can take the Niners on a playoff run. Obviously the entire Niners offense benefits from that, and Kendrick Bourne was a large beneficiary on Sunday. He only caught three balls, but two of those were for TDs, which now gives him five in the last six games. Bourne has developed an undeniable chemistry with Jimmy G.

Other “Shallow” roster players to keep an eye on:

Keke Coutee, WR HOU
Dare Ogunbowale, RB TB
Ian Thomas, TE CAR

Average (23-27 man rosters)

Hayden Hurst, TE BAL

I really liked Hurst coming out of college. So did the Ravens, so much so that they drafted him in the very first round, two rounds earlier than Mark Andrews. Not all has turned out well for Hurst. He has been plagued with injuries to start his career, but it is now Andrews who is dealing with an injury. It is not considered serious, but if Andrews has to miss any time moving forward, Hurst moves into the streaming option for a shallow position. He caught three passes for 73 yards and a score, and will try to keep the momentum moving forward.

Jalen Richard, RB OAK

As I mentioned above, Josh Jacobs was inactive on Sunday which allowed Washington and Richard to take some extra reps. Richard is more of a pass catcher, and received nine total touches and turned them into 46 yards. Richard is worth a speculative add until Jacobs is back.

Brian Hill, RB ATL

Remember Brian Hill? Hill’s name was all over waiver wires a couple of weeks ago. But some subpar performances and Devonta Freeman being back in the lineup put a real damper on his playing time. But on Sunday, he carried the ball nine times for 62 yards and hit paydirt. Sunday’s performance was by far his most proficient outing of the year. Look for Hill to stay involved behind Freeman for the remainder of the year.

Marcus Johnson, WR IND

Johnson came out of nowhere and had a couple of nice performances. But week 14, was his best performance to date. He eclipsed 100 yards receiving (105), while catching three passes, one of which landed him in the end zone. Johnson is taking advantage of his playing time with injuries to bigger name wide receives. Johnson creeps into the WR3/4 category next week barring the wide receiver rotation has not changed due to health.

Other “Average” roster players to keep an eye on:

Foster Moreau, TE OAK
Demaryius Thomas, WR NYJ
Alex Erickson, WR CIN

Deep (28+ man rosters)

Breshad Perriman, WR TB

What looks like some terrible news, Mike Evans may have significantly injured his hamstring. He looks like he could be out for the rest of the year and that would vault Perriman into a starting role. Perriman has a lot of athleticism, and has shown flashes at times, but will need to provide more consistency moving forward.

Isaiah Ford, WR MIA

Ford played well in what is a very depleted wide receiving group in Miami. He received nine targets, and caught six of them for 92 yards. DeVante Parker disappointed many fantasy owners on Sunday, but Ford may be a nice add moving forward. I would not recommend starting Ford moving forward, but then again, this is dynasty football and we are always looking for that next player that can contribute.

Justin Watson, WR TB

Many dynasty owners liked Watson as a prospect, and have waited around for him. With Evans out, this may be his opportunity. I like him more than Perriman moving forward. He immediately showed up once Evans was knocked out of the game, catching five of his eight targets for 59 yards and a score. Consider Watson a valuable add in the coming weeks and months.

JP Holtz, TE CHI

The Chicago Bears have been desperately trying to get production from their tight ends. On Thursday Night, Holtz led the Bears in receiving with 56 yards on three catches. Trey Burton has been put on the IR, and Adam Shaheen has battled injuries and inconsistency as well. If Holtz can string together a couple more solid performances, he may be looking at competing for a starting gig next year.

Other “Deep” roster players to keep an eye on:

David Blough, QB DET
Steven Sims Jr., WR WAS
Nick O’Leary, TE JAX

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Levi Chappell

Contributor at Dynasty League Football

Fueled by coffee, Levi spends most of his days in the real estate industry. When not in the real estate world, he is engulfed in dynasty and other sports. When other kids were playing with lincoln logs and legos, Levi was reading sports almanacs... for fun. "Too much fantasy" is not in his vocabulary.