Week 14 Fantasy Football FAAB Bids: Anthony Richardson, Isaac Guerendo, Noah Gray, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and More
Reasonable FAAB bid numbers for some of the hottest names on the waiver wire heading into Week 14.
We are entering the final week of the fantasy regular season for most leagues. Some already know their fate, either out of the race after a tough season or sitting comfortably until the postseason starts.
For those fighting for the playoffs in the final week, though, it’s a stressful time that dictates your opportunity at fantasy glory over the next three weeks. Your status will dictate how you operate in the FAAB waiver market and your goals in Week 14 and into the playoffs.
Let’s look at some of the hottest names on the waiver wire entering Week 14 and what reasonable FAAB bids might look like. Your numbers will vary based on your remaining budget and roster needs, but these are good values to use as baselines.
I used stats from NFL.com and our FantasySP defensive fantasy rankings and will reference those numbers often. The defensive fantasy numbers listed below are accurate entering Week 13.
Quarterback
This position is hit hard by players on their bye week: Lamar Jackson, Jayden Daniels, Anthony Richardson, C.J. Stroud, Drake Maye, and Bo Nix. All six of those guys are at least fantasy streamers if not weekly starters.
Aidan O'Connell, Las Vegas Raiders
O’Connell went OFF against the Chiefs on Black Friday, racking up 340 yards on 9.7 per attempt with two touchdowns and no interceptions. It was the second-year QB’s first game back off injured reserve from a broken thumb, and O’Connell made the most of it against what was a stout defense until recently.
The matchup is right for another good game from O’Connell in Week 14 against Tampa Bay. The Bucs have allowed the 13th-most yards per pass attempt and second-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Bryce Young just carved up Tampa for about 300 yards (and he had a rushing touchdown).
O’Connell isn’t a great fantasy option, and he has a low floor, but the matchup is right for a decent week with a lot of guys on bye.
Conservative Bid: $0
Aggressive Bid: $1
Desperation Bid: $2
Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
Richardson is still available in about half of leagues. He was drafted as a top-five fantasy quarterback but was benched for a few weeks after uneven performances over the first two months of the season.
Richardson has been back in the starting lineup for three weeks, and while the numbers aren’t great, he has put up fantasy scores thanks to his rushing production. That’s the reason Richardson was drafted so high in fantasy leagues, is because of his running. That never went away, even as he struggled throwing the ball.
The Colts are on a bye this week, then they play against the Broncos and Titans. The matchups aren’t very good; Richardson might end the season on a whimper. He has a high fantasy ceiling, though, due to his running ability, and Richardson is a viable option for anyone without a weekly starter.
Conservative Bid: $1-4
Aggressive Bid: $6
Desperation Bid: $11-21
Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
I mentioned above that Young threw for almost 300 yards against a compromised Tampa Bay defense. As a former top overall pick, any show of success is enough to pique interest from fantasy owners. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Young turn into a successful player eventually.
The matchup in Week 14 is brutal, though, as the Panthers head to Philadelphia against one of the top pass defenses in football. The Eagles have allowed the least yards per pass attempt and seventh-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks.
Upcoming games against the Cowboys and Bucs will again put Young on the streaming radar a few times, but that’s something to think about next week, not against Philadelphia.
Conservative Bid: $0
Aggressive Bid: $1
Desperation Bid: $2
Running Back
Jonathon Brooks, Carolina Panthers
Brooks played his second professional game last week, still working in the backup role behind Chuba Hubbard. (The Panthers extended Hubbard for multiple seasons even after drafting Brooks in the second round, so this might stay more of a split backfield the next few seasons rather than a projected workhorse role for the younger back.)
He again had modest production, carrying the ball six times for 18 yards and catching three passes for 23 yards. Brooks is nothing more than a flex player unless he takes over the clear top role and starts producing in the next few weeks, an unlikely proposition.
It’s hard to find real running back value this late in the season, though, and Brooks is on a losing team with every reason to let their rookie loose if he’s fully healthy. Brooks might have his best fantasy weeks during playoff time (or he could continue as a fringe player for the rest of 2024).
Conservative Bid: $1-2
Aggressive Bid: $3-4
Desperation Bid: $6
Isaac Guerendo, San Francisco 49ers
Christian McCaffrey took a handoff in the second quarter Sunday night and slid down after a few steps, worrying San Francisco fans and frustrating fantasy owners who waited several months for their top pick return to the lineup. McCaffrey is headed back to the IR and will probably miss the rest of the season.
Jordan Mason would have been the guy to step back into the starting role, but he joined McCaffrey on IR, leaving Guerendo as the top player in the running back room. The San Francisco RB1 spot is one of the most valuable positions in fantasy football, and it’s about to be filled by someone who is virtually unowned in fantasy leagues.
Go after Guerendo. Whatever money you have, it’s probably worth throwing it down to try to grab the new 49ers starter who could hold that role the rest of the season. San Fran is in the middle of a down season, but Guerendo is in position to make a major impact on the end of the fantasy football season.
Conservative Bid: Your whole budget
Aggressive Bid: Your whole budget
Desperation Bid: Your whole budget
Chris Rodriguez Jr., Washington Commanders
With Austin Ekeler out, it seemed like Jeremy McNichols would be in line for more carries against Tennessee. Rodriguez instead stepped into the backup spot and handled the second-most rushes (13 versus 16 for Brian Robinson Jr.), gaining 94 yards and a touchdown.
He’ll never be more than a backup without at least one more injury in front of him, so Rodriguez is a tough player to trust as more than a flex-level lottery ticket. Guys stepping into new roles are the best bets to turn into surprise fantasy assets, and Rodriguez might have moved into a new spot.
Conservative Bid: $0
Aggressive Bid: $1-2
Desperation Bid: $3-4
Wide Receiver
Brandin Cooks and Jalen Tolbert, Dallas Cowboys
Cincinnati hasn’t been able to stop the pass for two years. They have allowed the 11th-most yards per pass attempt and 10th-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers this season. They just let Russell Wilson throw for over 400 yards two weeks after Justin Herbert was at 300 (with a bye between those games).
Cooks and Tolbert are the next two guys on the depth chart after CeeDee Lamb at receiver. Cooks is a former star who is on the downswing of his career, while Tolbert is having his best season in his third year (averaging around three catches and 38 yards per game) and has scored four touchdowns.
Neither player here is going to be more than a streaming option at any point this season, but Week 14 matches up in their favor against Cincinnati. The surprisingly competent Cooper Rush has put up some stats at times since Dak Prescott went down for the season, giving his receivers hope of production.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Tennessee Titans
Westbrook-Ikhine keeps scoring touchdowns. He turned three receptions into 61 yards and two touchdowns in Week 13, making for eight TDs on the season on just 20 receptions. That’s a wholly unsustainable rate that will not keep up long, but it has made him a viable fantasy player.
While he is second in receiving yards, NWI is fifth in receptions and tied for fourth in targets among Tennessee players. He would be off the fantasy radar if not for getting into the end zone, something that makes me leery of counting on him moving forward.
Especially with a quarterback who doesn’t often excel in Will Levis, Westbrook-Ikhine is nothing more than a deep WR3/4/flex option. Don’t be fooled by his high TD rate.
Conservative Bid: $0
Aggressive Bid: $1
Desperation Bid: $2
Tight End
Will Dissly, Los Angeles Chargers
The matchup is in Dissly’s favor this week. Kansas City has been one of the worst teams at stopping tight ends all season. They had allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game to TEs entering Week 13.
LA’s passing game isn’t explosive and doesn’t thrive on volume, so even though Dissly is second on the team in targets and receptions and third in yards, that works out to just 3.4 catches and 33.25 yards per game. This is all about his opponent: Dissly is a feasible low-end streamer with a great matchup.
Conservative Bid: $0
Aggressive Bid: $1
Desperation Bid: $2
Noah Gray, Kansas City Chiefs
Gray didn’t score on Black Friday after having caught two touchdowns in each of the previous two games, but he caught four of six targets for 58 yards. I keep holding strong on the belief that Gray will only be a fringe fantasy player after this blip; I also can’t ignore his recent success.
While he’s not worth splurging on with hopes he will be a weekly fantasy starter, there are worse options than a guy playing with the best quarterback in the world. He’s always going to play second fiddle to Travis Kelce, so cap expectations accordingly.
Week 14 is a tough matchup against the Chargers on Sunday night. Gray shouldn’t be on fantasy radars except for the most desperate owners.
