It’s do or die time. Week 13 marks the final week of the fantasy regular season in most leagues. Whether you’re looking to make a playoff run toward a championship or just hoping to avoid the dreaded, last place “Sacko” label, preparing for next week is critical. Let’s remove the dead weight from our benches and add players with the potential to rack up points over the next few weeks.
For those unfamiliar, the goal of Sneaky Stashes is to get ahead of the waiver wire. By identifying valuable players before they break out, we can avoid dipping into that precious FAAB budget or getting beat out by someone with higher priority on waivers. However your league handles it, we get a leg up by stashing fantasy assets on our bench before they become hot commodities. The players featured below are prospects who either have juicy matchups awaiting them in the weeks ahead, have immense talent that is primed to break out sooner or later, or possibly a combination of both.
Nonetheless, the guys you’ll see on Sneaky Stashes are players we recommend considering if you have dead weight at the end of your bench.
Criteria for sneaky stashes require players to be available in 40% or more of Yahoo or ESPN leagues.
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Week 14 Byes: None
RB — Devontae Booker — Las Vegas Raiders
Week 14 Matchup: vs Indianapolis Colts
Available in 80%-71% of leagues
Starter Josh Jacobs missed practice all week after suffering a sprained ankle in Sunday’s loss to Atlanta, and he has been ruled out for Las Vegas’ upcoming matchup with the Jets. Booker should be considered a rock solid RB2. He’s averaged an impressive 5.5 yards per carry behind Jacobs this season and showed the ability to handle an increased workload with a 16-carry, 81-yard, 2-touchdown performance in week 10. Ankle injuries have a tendency to linger and can be re-aggravated, so there’s a chance Booker will be called upon to start multiple games. Pass-catching backs Jalen Richard and Theo Riddick will be in the mix as well.
RB — Jamaal Williams — Green Bay Packers
Week 14 Matchup: at Detroit Lions
Available in 51%-39% of leagues
Handcuffing season is upon us. With only a few weeks left, high-upside handcuffs like Williams could become league-winners should injury strike the starting back. Williams topped 100 yards from scrimmage and 4 catches in both week 7 and week 8 when Aaron Jones was sidelined with a calf injury. If Jones goes down again, Williams is elevated to borderline RB1 status in Green Bay’s high-scoring offense. Even with a healthy Jones, Williams can provide stand-alone value as the fourth-year ball carrier tallied 17 carries for 73 yards and a touchdown Sunday night against the Bears.
WR — Michael Pittman Jr. — Indianapolis Colts
Week 14 Matchup: at Las Vegas Raiders
Available in 59%-41% of leagues
After back-to-back double digit fantasy performances, Pittman Jr. hit a bump in the road Sunday with a 2-catch, 28-yard stat-line against the Titans. A deeper look, however, shows the rookie saw a career-high 9 targets in that contest and has drawn 7 or more targets in three of the last four weeks. Philip Rivers is clearly looking Pittman Jr.’s way, and the 34th-overall pick has soft matchups over the next three weeks. The Colts face Houston’s porous secondary twice and a Raiders defense that ranks 27th against the pass.
TE — Kyle Rudolph — Minnesota Vikings
Week 14 Matchup: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Available in 86%-85%% of leagues
If you’re looking for a tight end to stream, Rudolph might be your guy. With Adam Thielen and fellow tight end Irv Smith Jr. sidelined, Rudolph saw a season-high 8 targets Sunday vs Carolina. While Thielen appears on track to play this weekend, Smith Jr. has been ruled out with a back issue after missing two of the last three games due to a groin injury. Rudolph will continue to see additional looks so long as Smith Jr. is out of the lineup.
NOTE: Look to see if Zach Ertz, George Kittle or Robert Tonyan are available. None of these players met the 40% availability criteria but are still floating out there in roughly 30%-35% of leagues. Ertz may return from injury this week, Kittle has a shot to come off IR for the final two weeks of the season, and Tonayan is a mid-to-low end TE1 with Aaron Rodgers throwing him the rock.
