Don’t look now but Week 14 features some of the scariest bye-week situations we’ve seen all year, so it’s time to get ahead of the chase and prepare for it. This article features players under 50% rostered in Yahoo leagues each week, who you can pick up right now rather than wait for the bidding wars that erupt on your usual waiver wire runs.

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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Stashes Ahead of Week 14

Trevor Lawrence (QB – JAX): 36% Rostered

Before getting injured in Week 9, Trevor Lawrence was having his most productive two-game stretch of the year, scoring 42.9 points across Weeks 8 and 9. Between Weeks 5 and 9, Lawrence was a top-12 quarterback three times, making him a viable starter. His remaining schedule isn’t imposing whatsoever.

Lawrence plays the Texans, Titans, Jets, Raiders and Titans again. There are plenty of bad defenses in the mix there. If Lawrence is past his shoulder issues, he could be very fantasy-relevant the rest of the way.

#Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence looked much more comfortable today imo throwing at practice. Hes expected to play Sunday against Houston: pic.twitter.com/c8QooUhiFc

— Demetrius Harvey (@Demetrius82) November 29, 2024

Jameis Winston (QB – CLE): 15% Rostered

The Browns don’t have quite as friendly of a schedule as the Jaguars do but Jameis Winston makes his own rules and matchups with the Steelers, Chiefs, Bengals and Dolphins. Interceptions are inevitable with Winston, but he will also provide plenty of passing yards.

Since Week 8, Winston attempted at least 40 passes in all but last week’s snow game. In the three previous games before that, Winston averaged 321 passing yards and two touchdowns per game. Across the course of the season, the highest yardage average is Geno Smith‘s 275.9. Only four quarterbacks are averaging two or more passing touchdowns per game.

Jordan Mason (RB – SF): 40% Rostered

The 5-6 49ers are injury-depleted and dealing with a more competitive division than they’d like. Every week feels like a further step along a tightrope that could snap at any moment. Riding a two-game losing streak, the Niners head to Buffalo for a game that could feature plenty of snow and the kind of cold weather never seen in San Francisco.

If the 49ers lose, they’ll be 5-7 and potentially four games back in their division. It could very well be time to start making some business decisions.

Christian McCaffrey hasn’t looked good since his return from Achilles tendonitis, lacking the usual burst he had. It’s fair to wonder if he’ll recover it during the season, or potentially at all. The Niners are a smart enough team that once out of contention they’ll likely shut down plenty of their banged-up stars and that could present an opportunity for Jordan Mason to be relevant once again.

Lukas Van Ness throws Christian McCaffrey out the club pic.twitter.com/qE6nincxdz

— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) November 25, 2024

Braelon Allen (RB – NYJ): 33% Rostered

Along a similar vein, Braelon Allen should be rostered in all leagues right now with Breece Hall questionable for Week 13, despite having a bye week to heal up. Interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich has said Hall is trending in the right direction but the level of concern was clear when the Jets added Zonovan Knight to the roster as insurance.

The Jets have one of the easier strength of schedules remaining for the running back position with games against the Seahawks, Dolphins, Jaguars, Rams and Bills coming up. If Allen finds his way into the lineup he can be a league-winner.

Trey Benson (RB – ARI): 23% Rostered

The Cardinals don’t have a stand-out schedule for running backs but Trey Benson is worth rostering regardless as the Cardinals hunt down a playoff spot. James Conner has never played more than 13 games in a year and has missed time over the last few weeks due to getting banged up in games.

Benson has performed well on a limited basis, averaging 5.0 yards per carry on 53 touches and catching all five of his targets. Allen and Mason are stronger targets but don’t be afraid to take a shot on Benson, who might just play for the best offense of the trio.

Cedric Tillman (WR – CLE): 45% Rostered

Between Weeks 7-9, Cedric Tillman looked like a league-winner, scoring 66.5 PPR points and finishing no worse than WR12. Week 11 brought Tillman’s first quiet game (WR50) before the snow game against Pittsburgh brought a concussion to Tillman’s door.

Tillman has started to get dropped to the waiver wire by fantasy managers who would prefer someone healthy enough to play in Week 13, but if you can spare a bench spot, remember that six teams have bye weeks in Week 14 when Tillman will be back for a less snowy (probably) game against the Steelers. Tillman has shown enough to be a trusted starter and shouldn’t be on waivers.

Cedric Tillman has a little extra time since they play MNF.
We should get word by tomorrow if he has a chance to play, but I would plan on avoiding for Wk13 either way.

Bump to Jerry Jeudy, Elijah Moore https://t.co/qRdHO2NsT6

— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) November 29, 2024

Marquez Valdes-Scantling (WR – NO): 29% Rostered

Nobody wants to tout Marquez Valdes-Scantling because we’ve been here before plenty of times. If you can’t succeed with Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen, what makes this different? Well, the key difference is the lack of competition.

The Saints have virtually nobody behind Valdes-Scantling, with fellow wide receivers Dante Pettis, Kevin Austin and Cedrick Wilson all failing to earn a target in the last two weeks. Meanwhile, Valdes-Scantling has five catches for 196 yards and three touchdowns in those two games. In Week 14, the Saints play the Giants. Enough said.

Mike Williams (WR – PIT): 11% Rostered

Coming off the mini-bye that teams get when they play on Thursday, the Steelers have had an extra couple of days to bring Mike Williams up to speed on their offense. Frankly, they need him to get up to speed. The Steelers’ passing offense is George Pickens or bust this year.

With games coming up against the Eagles, Ravens and Chiefs in the fantasy playoffs, the Steelers need to be less one-dimensional. Williams is a talented player. While he doesn’t have the highest floor he’s the kind of player that can be good to roster if you’re facing an uphill battle against a team projected for more points than yours.

Hunter Henry (TE – NE): 47% Rostered

Over the last six games, Hunter Henry has 40+ receiving yards in all but one game. His target share has never dipped below 20%.

Henry does have a Week 14 bye, which isn’t ideal, but if you’re struggling at the position there are few more reliable pieces of an offense than Henry, who is the PPR TE11 since Week 6, averaging 10.9 points per game.

Will Dissly (TE – LAC): 43% Rostered

The Chargers are on the upswing and have a very real shot at making some noise in the playoffs. Will Dissly has established himself as the clearcut starter and Hayden Hurst was moved to injured reserve (IR) this week, further clearing the way for Dissly to continue having a mini-breakout season.

Since Week 7, Dissly has averaged 48 receiving yards per game and looks to have a nice schedule in the fantasy playoffs with games against Tampa in Week 15 and the Patriots in Week 17. In Week 14, Dissly faces the Chiefs, who have struggled to defend the tight end position all season.

Justin Herbert hitting Will Dissly for a 29 yard TD on a four verts concept with 3 TEs on the field.

The 2024 Chargers! pic.twitter.com/KiVXBsqLdK

— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) November 18, 2024

Tampa Bay Buccaneers D/ST: 51% Rostered

This is the priority move of the weekend with Tampa facing the Raiders, Chargers, Cowboys and Panthers in the coming weeks. The Buccaneers’ defense has regressed this year but they still bring pressure and can flummox some of these lesser starters at the quarterback position.

Los Angeles Chargers D/ST: 39% Rostered

In the fantasy playoffs, the Chargers face the Bucs, Broncos and Patriots. The Chargers’ defense ranks in the top 10 in several categories and should have a solid floor in these games, even if it’s a little unspectacular.