It’s never too early to look toward your next matchup and a chance to bolster your fantasy football lineups. Here are some options to consider for Week 14 — another byepocalypse, when the Ravens, Broncos, Texans, Colts, Patriots and Commanders will all be on bye.
We already discussed Nick Westbrook-Ikhine in last week’s early pickups column, so we’ll keep things brief here.
What is it going to take to get NWI rostered in more fantasy football leagues?
You would think a touchdown machine would be added the moment his streak became apparent, but it looks like fantasy managers still don’t believe in Will Levis and the Titans’ passing game. Nonetheless, NWI is trading targets and catches for big plays and touchdowns, adding two more scores in Week 13 — his seventh and eighth in his last eight games.
Touchdowns are hard to predict, but so far, Westbrook-Ikhine seems like the closest thing to a lock in the scoring department of any widely available player.
Trevor Lawrence returned to the field in Week 13 only to depart again, this time with a head injury after a dirty hit that led to a brawl. Mac Jones would take over, and Parker Washington was the biggest beneficiary.
Washington had by far his best game of the season, scoring and adding a 2-point conversion on a whopping 12 targets. Washington and Brian Thomas Jr. looked like the top two target earners for the Jaguars on the day, and that could be the case moving forward. The Jags will take on the Titans next, whose normally stout defense was just destroyed by Terry McLaurin and the Commanders. Add Washington if you’re in desperate need of WR help in Week 14.
Full disclosure: Sincere McCormick was reverted back to the practice squad after being elevated to the team for the Raiders’ Friday afternoon clash against the Chiefs. Vegas was already missing Alexander Mattison and Zamir White, but instead of letting Ameer Abdullah carry the load, McCormick actually led the backfield with 12 rush attempts.
Abdullah did lead the backfield in snaps, so he could very well remain the “lead back” in Vegas for as long as Mattison and White are out. But it’s not like any of these backs has impressed to the point where you’d expect their roles to be completely secure. You could do worse for a bench stash in deeper leagues ahead of the fantasy playoffs than an intriguing young running back.
