Well the fantasy regular season is over and we’ve now reached the playoffs. Congrats on making it this far! The articles from here on out won’t really focus too much on FAAB. By now most teams are likely out of FAAB as it should typically be spent before the playoffs begin, but we’ll still cover plenty of players and I’ll be back in the NFL Seasonal Chat Tuesday night to help with questions. Granted, it might be a little later than usual since I may not be home until 11:00pm ET. I do apologize for not being in there last Tuesday, but I had a conflict that kept me from answering questions in the NFL Seasonal chat. But for the rest of the season I’ll be back in there on Tuesday nights. Check out the best names to add off waivers for the first round of the playoffs!

Quarterbacks

By this point hopefully you have your quarterback position solidified and you aren’t relying on streaming certain guys in Week 14 and then going to someone else for Week 15. As we saw with Sam Darnold in Week 13, nobody is safe even in the best matchups. So we’ll highlight a couple quarterbacks because if you’ve made it this far you should have a comfortable quarterback for your team, but if you are in a position where you need a quarterback, these are the best options on waivers.

Jared Goff (Los Angeles Rams) – Goff may have squeaked back into the good graces of fantasy owners with Sunday’s big performance against the Cardinals. Next week in primetime the Rams draw the Seahawks at home and this will be a shorter week of prep for Seattle since they played Monday night. The Seattle pass rush isn’t great and the Rams offensive line has gotten better at keeping Goff upright. This could be another performance for Goff to throw for over 300 pass and multiple touchdowns. Maybe he’ll even help Robert Woods find the end zone as he has zero receiving touchdowns on the season.

Ryan Fitzpatrick (Miami Dolphins) – Fitzpatrick is either really good or really bad. The last two weeks he’s been the former. Is he turnover prone? Sure. But he’s no stranger to having a big game in the right matchup. He has four games with multiple touchdowns in his last six contests. However, the other two games he didn’t throw any, but he’s shown he can still run the ball into the end zone. The matchups for the fantasy playoffs aren’t awful against the Jets, Giants, and Bengals. You could do a whole lot worse at quarterback.

Gardner Minshew (Jacksonville Jaguars) – After Nick Foles got benched in Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers, Minshew came in and threw for 147 yards on 27 pass attempts with a touchdown and interception. On Monday, the Jaguars announced they’d be starting Minshew at quarterback next week so it’s good to get some clarity on the matter. Nick Foles has been terrible since coming back in a relatively easy schedule. Minshew has a fantastic stretch of games from Weeks 14-16 against the Chargers, Raiders, and Falcons with the latter two games coming on the road.

David Blough (Detroit Lions) – It was a tossup between putting Drew Lock or David Blough as the third quarterback and I opted for Blough, but Lock is worth deep league considerations as well. I’m just not entirely sure how much they’ll let Lock throw the ball. Blough at least attempted 38 pass attempts on Thanksgiving and while he cooled off after two first quarter touchdowns, the production overall was decent. He gets a tough matchup against a stout Vikings pass rush, but the Minnesota secondary is a bit flawed. The production may come in garbage time, but that’s still value in fantasy. Hopefully you can go fetch Goff or Minshew if you’re in need of a quarterback, but Blough may be able to get you 200-225 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns next week. Don’t treat him as a priority add though.

Running Backs

Derrius Guice (Washington Redskins) – He’s still roughly 50% owned on Yahoo! and ESPN leagues. Guice has put on display the talent that made him a second-round pick by Washington back in 2018. This past Sunday he rushed for 129 yards and two touchdowns on just ten carries. And he did it against a pretty good defense in the Carolina Panthers. He still has to contend with Adrian Peterson , but the Redskins should be treating him as their lead running back and expand upon just ten carries. 12-15 seems reasonable at this point with a few catches each game as well. He’s only available in shallower leagues, but he’s a flex play virtually everywhere given his big play potential.

Alexander Mattison (Minnesota Vikings) – The Vikings ran into their worst nightmare Monday night against the Seahawks; Dalvin Cook went down with an injury. It looked a lot worse on the field. He walked off under his own power and later returned to the bench with his pads on, but Alexander Mattison was in on the next couple drives and showed some promise as his replacement. We’ve seen Mattison’s upside before and he’s been mentioned in this article, albeit a few weeks back. It doesn’t sound like Cook’s injury is serious as he even said after the game he’ll be good to go next week. However, it certainly doesn’t hurt to stash Mattison if you’re a Cook owner.

Benny Snell Jr. (Pittsburgh Steelers) – With James Conner inactive (again), Snell took the reigns for the second straight week and provided some fantasy value even in PPR formats where he only has two catches in his last two games. As the starting running back the last two weeks, he’s averaging 4.35 yards per carry with a touchdown. He’s still widely available in most formats and if Conner continues to miss time then Snell is in line for at least 15 touches each week and with that workload he’s a low-end RB2, but definitely worth starting in your flex.

Raheem Mostert (San Francisco 49ers) – If there was ever a bad time for Tevin Coleman to fall out of the good graces of the coaching staff it would be during the last week of the fantasy football regular season. Raheem Mostert was the lead running back and it wasn’t even close. Mostert rushed for 146 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries against the Ravens. Tevin Coleman finished with 15 total yards on six total touches. Now when Matt Breida returns he figures to be involved in this circus show of a backfield so it just muddies things a little bit upon his return. For now, Mostert’s stock is up, and Coleman’s is down.

Peyton Barber (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) – Unfortunately, here we are again. We once again thought Ronald Jones II had a firm grip on the starting running back job and then, in a great matchup against the Jaguars, Peyton Barber got the rub. Barber averaged less than 3.0 yards per carry, but he led the team with 17 carries and found the end zone twice. Can you trust Barber on a week-to-week basis? Absolutely not. At this point, it wouldn’t hurt to stash him especially if you’re a Ronald Jones owner.

Jordan Wilkins (Indianapolis Colts) – Is Wilkins worth a grab? Yeah, but don’t expect too much from him. After two great games, Jonathan Williams was served a slice of humble pie. If we look at the circumstances, we shouldn’t be too surprised. Wilkins was the true backup to Marlon Mack and in Wilkins’ return against the Texans, Williams got a majority of the workload because the Colts wanted to take it easy with Wilkins. However, the lack of carries for Williams was surprising. Eventually Marlon Mack will come back and reclaim his job as the starting running back. That naturally has a negative impact on both Williams and Wilkins. He’s worth a handcuff as of right now, but neither backup running back was incredibly efficient this past week.

Darwin Thompson (Kansas City Chiefs) – So the necessary doors are finally opening themselves to Thompson in order for him to get more work. Damien Williams was inactive with injured ribs and Darrel Williams went down in Sunday’s game against the Raiders with a hamstring injury. So as of right now, the most healthy running backs for the Chiefs are LeSean McCoy and Darwin Thompson. Andy Reid even said on Monday that Thompson could be in line for more work. There have been murmurs and rumblings that the Chiefs have been wanting to get Darwin Thompson more involved even before the injuries to the Brothers Williams (they’re not really brothers). If both Damien and Darrel are out on Sunday against New England, Thompson could be in line for possibly 10-12 touches.

Wide Receivers

James Washington (Pittsburgh Steelers) – The sample size may be small, but James Washington has some good chemistry with Devlin Hodges. It helps a bit that the two went hunting together prior to Sunday’s game against the Browns. Things like that can build camaraderie and trust. Over his last two games, James Washington only has seven receptions, but he’s turned them into 209 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and both scores came from Hodges. Next week the Steelers play the Cardinals and then in Week 16 they play the Jets, with a tough matchup against the Bills sandwiched in there as well. With JuJu Smith-Schuster sidelined, James Washington becomes the temporary number one receiving option for Hodges. And even when Smith-Schuster returns, there are plenty of reasons to keep Washington involved based on his chemistry with the Steelers starting quarterback.

Anthony Miller (Chicago Bears) – Miller has been trending up in recent weeks and he put on an absolute show on Thanksgiving. He caught nine of 13 targets for 140 yards. Has he found the end zone this season? No. But in his last three games he has 33 targets with at least six receptions and 54 receiving yards in each game. Mitchell Trubisky is playing at a better level and Anthony Miller has played a big role in Trubisky’s success. With the Cowboys, Packers, and Chiefs on tap for the Bears look for Anthony Miller to remain involved especially when the Bears fall behind.

Deebo Samuel (San Francisco 49ers) – For the second straight week, Deebo Samuel found the end zone. But for the second straight week he finished with just two catches, giving him four receptions for 91 yards in his last two games. The touchdowns have been his saving grace. He was a phenomenal play when George Kittle and Emmanuel Sanders were injured. However, they have returned and Samuel’s target share has diminished. Now the weather wasn’t in anybody’s favor on Sunday and Deebo’s a better play in Weeks 15 and 16 as the 49ers play the Saints next week. Perhaps Kittle and Sanders draw more attention, which could lead to Deebo being a little more open. There are still plenty of reasons to be optimistic regarding Samuel.

Cole Beasley (Buffalo Bills) – While Beasley may not have the large target share of late that Miller possesses, he’s been consistently involved all season long dating back to Weeks 3 and 4 when he had 15 catches on 22 targets. Now in recent memory, Beasley’s been getting much more involved especially in the touchdown department. Since the Bills bye week, Beasley has five touchdowns in seven games. In three of his last four games he has at least 74 receiving yards and he’s performed as a WR2 in PPR formats. The downside with Beasley is that the matchups coming up are terrible. In Weeks 14-16, the Bills play the Ravens, Steelers, and the Patriots. He’s without a doubt, a huge gamble going forward so he may be best served as a streamer in your flex.

Russell Gage (Atlanta Falcons) – Gage’s progress is similar to that of Deebo Samuel’s. Deebo burst on the scene with the absences of George Kittle and Emmanuel Sanders while Gage’s success has come mostly with Austin Hooper out the last few weeks. However, on Thanksgiving Julio Jones was inactive and Gage benefitted and put on a show next to Calvin Ridley . Gage only caught five passes for 52 yards but did find the end zone for the first time this season. He now has 19 targets in his last two games. Again, as long as Austin Hooper is out of the lineup, Gage is a pretty decent flex play in deeper leagues. But his involvement is dependent on the health of two of Atlanta’s best offensive weapons.

Tight Ends

Jack Doyle (Indianapolis Colts) – Doyle may only be available in shallower leagues, but if he is you better go grab him now especially if you’re a Greg Olsen owner. With Eric Ebron now out of the picture in Indianapolis, Jacoby Brissett peppered Doyle with 11 targets. He finished with six catches for 73 yards and a touchdown. I generally hate “rest of season” rankings because so much changes in the NFL on a weekly basis, but it’s hard not to view Doyle as a top seven tight end over the course of the next few weeks. Dare we label Doyle a league winner? Time will tell!

Tyler Higbee (Los Angeles Rams) – Gerald Everett hyperextended his knee last Monday night and he was declared out for Sunday’s game against the Cardinals last Friday. So, if the injury is a little serious then Higbee needs to be flagged and added. The matchup last week was obvious. The Cardinals allow a touchdown to opposing tight ends on a near weekly basis. But if Everett’s out again this week then Higbee’s a great play next Sunday night against Seattle. Back in Week 12, the Seahawks allowed Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert to combine for 19 catches, 123 yards, and a touchdown, and Kyle Rudolph found the end zone Monday night against Seattle. This should be a more “pass happy” game for the Rams and Higbee could find the end zone for the second straight week.

Mike Gesicki (Miami Dolphins) – The Dolphins are no longer pushovers. You can’t even recommend the Jets D/ST as a streamer next week because the Dolphins have been making noise lately, and Mike Gesicki has consistently been involved with what the team is doing. He has five straight games with at least six targets and he’s found the end zone in his last two games. Next week the Dolphins play the Jets who have been pretty good against opposing tight ends so while the workload will be there, it’ll be a little more difficult for him to score.

Other Players to Consider: So there are a lot of decent tight ends still on waivers and some of them are guys that have been mentioned previously. So if you’re not overly excited about Gesicki then Kyle Rudolph is still available. Rudolph’s involvement is dependent on Adam Thielen ’s status. Rudolph got more involved with Thielen out the past few weeks, but still there are also players like Noah Fant, Ryan Griffin , Jacob Hollister , and David Njoku who could make his long-awaited return for the Browns. So if you’re hurting at tight end, it’s a position that has a lot of availability at the moment.

Defense/Special Teams

Indianapolis Colts – The Colts get a decent road matchup next week against the Buccaneers. The upside is that they could easily pick off Jameis Winston two or three times in this matchup. The downside is Winston has the ability to throw for 300 yards and multiple touchdowns. In seven of their last eight games the Colts D/ST has returned at least seven points. If you’re streaming at this position and you can get seven points, you take it and move on. The Colts are also fresh off six sacks against the Titans and they go up against Tampa Bay’s weak offensive line next week.

Tennessee Titans – The Titans defense hasn’t been awful. On the season they’ve played like a Top 12 D/ST. Last week they held the Colts to 17 points and forced three sacks and three turnovers. Oddly enough in their last four games they’ve blocked four kicks, whether they be punts of field goal attempts so while that’s difficult to predict, it’s pretty impressive. Next week they’ll travel to Oakland to visit the Raiders and Derek Carr has been awful lately so it’s a good time to pick on him. Carr has three interceptions in his last two games with 349 total passing yards in that span. It’s safe to say the Titans have a pretty nice ceiling next week.

Washington Redskins/Green Bay Packers – This isn’t a great matchup in Week 14 as the Redskins will go toe-to-toe against Green Bay in Lambeau Field, but you have to take notice when a team racks up 13 sacks in two weeks. Granted, those sacks came against the inferior offensive lines of the Lions and Panthers. The Packers are a whole different story and they lucked out with Bryan Bulaga ’s injury against the 49ers over a week ago. Bulaga was active this past Sunday and should be a full go this week against Washington. In deeper leagues the Redskins are a decent streamer. In shallower leagues, you can aim for the Colts. The Packers are also worth streaming and they’re the preferred option between the two teams. However, the running game for Washington has been quite potent as of late with Derrius Guice being featured more and the Packers don’t have a ton of upside, but if they can force a couple turnovers by Dwayne Haskins and sack him a few times, then they’ll be a decent fantasy streamer.