Mike Fanelli | Mon, Dec 2nd 2024, 7:10am EST

6 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups: Deep Leagues (Week 14)

Doing your weekly waivers in fantasy football can be more stressful than performing life-saving surgery on a loved one without any professional tools or medical knowledge. While that might be a slight exaggeration, deciding which players to add off the waiver wire each week can be stressful.

Finding and adding the right guys in shallow leagues is simple, as there are plenty of appealing options, and the waiver wire is full of talent. Unfortunately, making your waiver wire claims in deeper leagues can be a massive pain in the neck.

However, I’m here to help by giving fantasy players six waiver wire targets they should add in deeper leagues in Week 14.

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 14

All the players in this article are rostered in under 20% of ESPN leagues.

Will Levis (QB – TEN): 4.7% Rostered

Many have refused to add Levis off the waiver wire because of his name. However, his raw numbers have been solid. After struggling to start the season, the second-year pro has played well since returning from a shoulder injury. Levis has averaged 240 passing yards, 1.8 touchdowns, and 16.8 fantasy points per game over the past four weeks, totaling 16.1 or more in all but one contest, including back-to-back outings.

Last week, he only completed 48.6% of his pass attempts against the Washington Commanders. Yet, the former Kentucky star had completed 68% of his pass attempts over the previous three games. More importantly, Levis has an appealing fantasy football playoff schedule, facing the Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, and Jacksonville Jaguars. Furthermore, he faces the Jaguars in Week 14, making him an excellent streaming option or bye-week replacement quarterback for fantasy players.

Antonio Gibson (RB – NE): 16.9% Rostered

Hopefully, anyone who needed a last-minute replacement at running back added Gibson off the waiver wire last week. The veteran running back was productive in Week 13 despite Rhamondre Stevenson leading the Patriots with 21 touches for 94 scrimmage yards. Gibson had seven rushing attempts for 62 yards against the Indianapolis Colts, scoring 12.2 half-point PPR fantasy points. He scored his first touchdown of the season in the last-minute loss.

Unfortunately, the Patriots have their bye in Week 14, meaning fantasy players can’t use Gibson as a bye-week or injury replacement this week. However, the former Memphis star is a must-add in deeper leagues. He has 13 rushing attempts for 93 yards and 17.2 fantasy points over the past two weeks, averaging 7.2 yards per attempt. Furthermore, Gibson has a solid upcoming schedule, including a Week 16 matchup against a poor Buffalo Bills run defense.

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (WR – TEN): 19.9% Rostered

This will be the last time fantasy players see Westbrook-Ikhine’s name in this article, with the veteran wide receiver barely making the cut-off line. He had no fantasy impact before the bye week, totaling zero half-point PPR fantasy points. However, Westbrook-Ikhine has been outstanding over the past eight weeks, totaling eight receiving touchdowns despite having only 20 receptions. The veteran wide receiver has scored in all but one game since the bye.

Westbrook-Ikhine had his best fantasy performance in the Week 13 loss to the Washington Commanders. He had three receptions for 61 receiving yards, two touchdowns, and 19.6 fantasy points, setting season-highs in touchdowns and fantasy points. More importantly, the veteran had eight targets, bringing his average to 6.3 per game over the past three weeks. Westbrook-Ikhine led the Titans in targets on Sunday. He should continue to provide WR3 value, with Will Levis playing well.

Tre Tucker (WR – LV): 7.1% Rostered

While Brock Bowers is the focal point and lone bright spot to the Raiders offense, Tucker has been solid since the team’s Week 10 bye. He has averaged 3.7 receptions on 4.3 targets for 56 receiving yards and 10 half-point PPR fantasy points per game over the past three weeks. By comparison, the second-year pro averaged 5.9 fantasy points per game before the bye week, totaling more than 6.2 in only two contests.

More importantly, Tucker has scored double-digit fantasy points in back-to-back games, totaling at least 11.7 in both matchups. He is a capable big-play receiver, scoring a 58-yard receiving touchdown in Week 13 against the Kansas City Chiefs. The second-year pro has a favorable upcoming schedule with matchups against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars over the next three weeks. Expect the Raiders to give him more snaps with them playing for the future.

Devaughn Vele (WR – DEN): 6.1% Rostered

Fantasy players with an open bench spot or the ability to make roster moves before Monday night’s matchup between the Broncos and Cleveland Browns should add Vele off the waiver wire. The rookie wide receiver has been outstanding lately after a slow start to the season. He averaged 3.6 receptions on 4.6 targets for 35.2 receiving yards and 5.3 half-point PPR fantasy points per game over the first nine weeks, scoring single digits in every matchup.

However, the former Utah star has been one of the more underrated players in fantasy football lately. Vele was the WR24 from Week 10 through Week 12, averaging 4.7 receptions on six targets for 61.7 receiving yards and 10.5 fantasy points per game, posting a higher fantasy average than DK Metcalf (9.2) and Malik Nabers (8.6). While the rookie has his bye in Week 14, Vele could be a league winner in the fantasy playoffs.

Noah Gray (TE – KC): 7.2% Rostered

Unfortunately, Gray’s touchdown streak came to an end in Week 13. The veteran tight end had zero receiving scores over the first 10 weeks. However, he scored two touchdowns in the Week 11 loss to the Buffalo Bills and the Week 12 win over the Carolina Panthers. While his touchdown streak is over, Gray had a solid performance on Black Friday against the Las Vegas Raiders, totaling 7.8 half-point PPR fantasy points.

The veteran tight end had back-to-back games with four receptions, two touchdowns, and at least 16.3 fantasy points before last week’s matchup. While he didn’t find the end zone in Week 13, Gray had a season-high six targets against the division rivals. The veteran’s 58 receiving yards were also his third-highest total this year. Gray should continue to see meaningful targets, especially if the Chiefs start to limit Travis Kelce’s workload heading into the postseason.

Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.

NFL

MLB

NBA

NHL