Week 14 Fantasy Football Rankings: Position-by-Position Breakdown
Week 14 of the 2022 NFL season is at our doorstep, which means it's playoff time in many season-long fantasy leagues.
Last week's action didn't bring too many big surprises, though it did mark the debut of Detroit Lions rookie wideout Jameson Williams (no catches) and the return of Cincinnati Bengals star Ja'Marr Chase. But injuries were a far bigger story.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is done for the year with a foot injury. Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson exited with a knee issue, while Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III has an ankle problem.
How do these injuries and the looming matchups impact the Week 14 fantasy rankings? That's what we're here to examine. Below, you'll find our points-per-reception (PPR) ranking for Week 14 and a look at some potential waiver-wire pickups to target.
As a reminder, the Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints and Washington Commanders are on bye this week.
Quarterback
1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
2. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
3. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
4. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
5. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
6. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
7. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
8. Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks
9. Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings
10. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Waiver Target: Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Managers in need of a quarterback should immediately put in a claim for Lions signal-caller Jared Goff.
Williams' return is part of the equation, but Goff has already become a viable starter in recent weeks.
Against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, the 28-year-old threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns. He had 240 yards and two touchdowns the previous week against the Buffalo Bills.
This week, the California product will face a Vikings team that has surrendered an average of 19.9 fantasy points to opposing QBs. New York Jets signal-caller Mike White tossed a pair of interceptions against Minnesota in Week 13, but he also had 369 passing yards on the day.
With weapons such as Amon-Ra St. Brown, D'Andre Swift and Williams at his disposal, Goff should perform a bit better than White did. He's a solid start and is still rostered in only 50 percent of Yahoo leagues and 30 percent of ESPN leagues.
Running Back
1. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers
2. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants
3. Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders
4. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
5. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns
6. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
7. Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots
8. Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys
9. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings
10. Travis Etienne Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
11. Dameon Pierce, Houston Texans
12. Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs
13. Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles
14. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys
15. Jeff Wilson Jr., Miami Dolphins
16. Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
17. Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers
18. D'Andre Swift, Detroit Lions
19. Samaje Perine, Cincinnati Bengals
20. Devin Singletary, Buffalo Bills
Waiver Target: James Cook, Buffalo Bills
With Walker injured and players like Aaron Jones, Jonathan Taylor and Alvin Kamara on bye, managers could be scrambling for a running back in Week 14. Buffalo Bills rookie James Cook should be at the top of the waiver list.
The 23-year-old had a breakout game against the New England Patriots on Thursday, finishing with 64 rushing yards, six receptions and 41 receiving yards. More importantly, the Bills were willing to get him involved early and often.
"It was very clear from the beginning of the game that the offense had an overall philosophical shift about how they wanted to utilize their running backs from what it had been in previous weeks," Joe Buscaglia wrote for The Athletic.
The Jets represent a tough matchup, but Cook should see a fairly large workload and carry enough of a PPR floor to warrant a flex start. He's rostered in only 23 percent of Yahoo leagues and 25 percent of ESPN leagues.
Wide Receiver
1. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
2. Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders
3. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins
4. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
5. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
6. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles
7. Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills
8. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
9. Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals
10. Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins
11. Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
12. DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks
13. Garrett Wilson, New York Jets
14. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers
15. Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks
16. Christian Kirk, Jacksonville Jaguars
17. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
18. DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles
19. Jakobi Meyers, New England Patriots
20. Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns
Waiver Target: Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions
While Williams didn't have a catch in his NFL debut and played just eight offensive snaps—according to Pro Football Reference—him getting on the field is huge.
The Alabama product has the potential to be a dangerous downfield playmaker in the Lions offense and a No. 2 target opposite St. Brown.
Consider Week 13 a mere warm-up for Williams.
"Honestly, today was about just getting his legs under him," Lions coach Dan Campbell told reporters.
There's a good chance the 21-year-old sees a very increased role this week, and it couldn't come at a better time. The Vikings have surrendered an average of 32.2 fantasy points to opposing receivers this season.
Williams is rostered in only 47 percent of Yahoo leagues and 29 percent of ESPN leagues.
Tight End
1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
2. T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings
3. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
4. Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers
5. Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Chargers
6. Dalton Schultz, Dallas Cowboys
7. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
8. Hayden Hurst, Cincinnati Bengals
9. Foster Moreau, Las Vegas Raiders
10. Tyler Conklin, New York Jets
Waiver Target: Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars
We've touted Jaguars tight end Evan Engram as a quality waiver target over the past few weeks, and now is the perfect time to grab him.
The Jaguars have a fairly favorable matchup with the Tennessee Titans, which have allowed an average of 9.8 fantasy points to opposing TEs. Engram is also coming off one of his best fantasy outings of the season.
Against the Lions, the 28-year-old caught five passes for 30 yards and a touchdown. Over his past eight games, he has averaged 3.6 receptions per game and reached 30 receiving yards five times.
With tight ends like Zach Ertz, Kyle Pitts and Dallas Goedert injured, Engram is a terrific fill-in option for the fantasy playoffs. He's rostered in 43 percent of Yahoo leagues and 35 percent of ESPN leagues.
*Fantasy scoring and roster information via FantasyPros.