Roman Bruno

Content Contributor

Week 13 of the NFL season was full of fantasy football excitement, disappointment, and everything in between. There were also plenty of injuries, and fantasy teams are certainly looking to either find replacements or just upside bench depth. Here are 5 players on the fantasy radar as waiver wire pickups for Week 14 (percentages according to ESPN):

RB James Cook (BUF) – 25% Rostered

Cook had the best game of his rookie season last week against the Patriots. On the ground, he had 14 carries for 64 yards. He also had six receptions for 41 yards. The Bills are notorious for employing a committee backfield, and Devin Singletary has not gone away. However, Cook is starting to emerge as a more consistent option and could eventually supplant Singletary. If Cook can continually get this type of volume in the future, he certainly can provide value to fantasy teams in the playoffs. Cook is easily the top RB of these waiver wire pickups, so go ahead and claim him. It is uncertain whether Cook can put up these types of performances in consecutive weeks, but it is still a great sign.

QB Tyler Huntley (BAL) – 0.4% Rostered

Starting Ravens QB Lamar Jackson left their Week 13 matchup early with a knee injury, and he did not return. On Tuesday, news came out that Jackson suffered a sprained PCL, which could potentially keep him out for 1-3 weeks. It looks unlikely that Jackson suits up this week against the Steelers. However, Huntley has been more than a serviceable backup, as he showed flashes last season in Jackson’s absence. With six teams on bye this week, managers may be looking to Huntley to hold down the fort. For Jackson fantasy owners, you should certainly be looking towards Huntley if you are not rostering a second QB. Both Huntley and Jackson have relatively the same skill-sets, but the Ravens offense has been subpar the past couple weeks. Huntley can be trusted to start, however. Consider him a high end QB2 this week.

It was inconsistent (some big games, some not so much) but in the 6 games the last two years that Tyler Huntley has played over 50% of the snaps he’s averaged over 15 PPG. https://t.co/6YOiLRlZib

— Matthew Berry (@MatthewBerryTMR) December 6, 2022

WR Michael Gallup (DAL) – 44% Rostered

Despite only having 23 receiving yards, Gallup caught four passes, two of which being touchdowns. Dallas whooped the Colts 54-19 on Sunday night, so Gallup did not have to do much once the game got out of hand. This is back to back 10+ point performances for Gallup, and hopefully he can continue that trend as the Cowboys WR2. However, it is very possible Dallas winds up signing Odell Beckham Jr.. This would impact Gallup’s volume in a negative way. No deal has been done, so there is nothing official as of yet. Gallup is a good fantasy option in the meantime because of how good the Cowboys offense is.

WR Darius Slayton (NYG) – 33% Rostered

Slayton has done well assuming the Giants WR1 role after the loss of Wan’Dale Robinson. Last week, Slayton had six receptions for 90 yards in their tie against Washington. His volume could be improved, but he is making the most of his targets. Slayton has averaged nearly 10 fantasy PPG this season, which puts him as a FLEX/WR3 option. Unfortunately, Slayton faces the Eagles this week, which is a very poor matchup for WRs. The Giants low passing offense will not change overnight, but Slayton is talented enough to command a better target share than what he is getting. Consider him a solid fantasy add on waivers but not a startable option in Week 14.

TE Hunter Henry (NE) – 26% Rostered

Henry has not been a consistent, startable option this season. The Patriots offense in general has not been very good in 2022 under Matt Patricia (obviously). He only has two touchdowns this season, so if you ever were going to start him, you would need to bank on him scoring. However, he faces the Arizona Cardinals this week, which have been the best matchup for TEs all season. That is where the Patriots will look to exploit them, so Henry could have a significant role. This is the silver lining for Henry. Consider him the best TE streaming option this week against the slumpbuster Cardinals.

Honorable Waiver Wire Pickups: QB Jared Goff (DET), RB DeeJay Dallas (SEA), TE Daniel Bellinger (NYG), RB Zonovan Knight (NYJ)

Photo Credit: Jessica Rapfogel-USA TODAY Sports