Week 14 Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Waiver Targets: Adonai Mitchell, Christian Watson and More

Welcome to Week 14's fantasy football wide receiver waiver wire breakdown! 

This week's crop of WR pickups is absolutely loaded given how late we are into the season, with a shocking amount of exciting options to choose from. Let's get right into it.

Check out the top waiver wire options at each position every week. Explore the best in-season fantasy football tool to manage your team and get league rankings with the Fantasy Assistant. Use our trade analyzer and trade value charts to break down trade scenarios with Fair Trade ratings.

Adonai Mitchell, New York Jets (3.8% Rostered)

Mitchell had a massive game on Sunday, catching eight of 12 targets from Tyrod Taylor for 102 yards, a TD, and 20.2 half-PPR points. And honestly, this shouldn't even be too surprising. Mitchell has consistently flashed talent since being drafted in the second round of last year, with intriguing advanced metrics and exciting highlights. But he wasn't able to stay on the field with the Colts, who have enough talented WRs that Mitchell's occasional costly mistakes weren't worth the upside. 

But in New York (where he arrived thanks to the Sauce Gardner trade), especially with Garrett Wilson out, there is no one standing between Mitchell and a full-time role. He has seen his route participation rate grow consistently over the last three weeks, from 61% to 77% to a career-high 88% on Sunday. His target share has seen a similar trend: 22% in his Jets' debut became 25% in Week 12 and 36% on Sunday.

It's easy to overlook this as a one-off big game from a cast-off player on a bad team, but Mitchell only just turned 23 years old and was a second-round pick for a reason. Along with plenty of opportunity, he might just have the talent to be a fantasy difference-maker, too. He should be added in all but very shallow leagues. 

Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers (36.8% Rostered)

Over the last three weeks, Watson has undeniably served as the Packers' WR1. Since Week 11, he leads Green Bay's crowded WR room in route rate (82%), target share (28%), and air yards share (44%).

Being the Packers' WR1 hasn't always been a guarantee of fantasy success in recent years, but those numbers are genuinely excellent. Watson has averaged 14.1 half-PPR points in this stretch, including a 16.3-point outing on Sunday.

Going forward, the return of Jayden Reed could change things. But right now, Watson is the Packers' clear top option, and he's playing well. There's no reason that Reed's usual role as a three-WR-set-only guy can't come at the expense of Dontayvion Wicks and/or Romeo Doubs. Watson should be added and can be started immediately as an upside flex option. 

Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts (40.6% Rostered)

I've been banging the Pierce drum for a while now, as the fourth-year wideout clearly deserves to be rostered in more than 50% of leagues. I could talk again about how his usage in the Colts' efficient offense has been excellent, and the only thing holding him back from being a fantasy stud has been a lack of touchdowns. (He hit pay dirt for the second time this season on Sunday, catching four of five targets for 78 yards, a TD, and 15.8 half-PPR points).

Instead, I'll just say this. Here is the complete list of receivers averaging more receiving yards per game than Pierce (who left one of his 10 outings early due to injury) this season: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, George Pickens, Puka Nacua, Drake London, Ja'Marr Chase, CeeDee Lamb, Rashee Rice, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Nico Collins.

If that can't convince you to add him, I don't know what will. 

Isaac TeSlaa, Detroit Lions (2.3% Rostered)

Speaking of St. Brown, the superstar receiver exited the Lions' Thanksgiving Day game after just four snaps with an ankle injury. The injury reportedly isn't too major, but he missed Monday's practice and is looking like a long shot to play in Week 14 (the Lions play on Thursday again this week). 

St. Brown wasn't the only Detroit receiver absent from Monday's practice, as veteran Kalif Raymond is still out with an ankle injury of his own. That means that third-round rookie TeSlaa has essentially no competition to be one of the Lions' starting WRs alongside Jameson Williams.

TeSlaa was essentially a full-time player in Week 13, with an 84% route participation rate. He saw just two targets for a 7% share, but caught both for 35 yards and the third TD of his young career. For the season, he has a remarkable three TDs on just six catches. 

While obviously unsustainable, this 50% TD rate is an indication of the fact that TeSlaa might have some juice, especially given the highlight nature of some of his catches. We've got a rookie with playmaking ability, draft capital, and a suddenly expanded role on an elite offense. What's not to like?

Jalen Coker, Carolina Panthers (4.8% Rostered)

Coker, a 2024 UDFA, was a popular sleeper coming into this season. His rookie season featured some exciting signs, and there was room for him to earn a role in the Panthers' offense. However, he started the year on IR with a quad injury, and Carolina's passing offense hasn't really been productive enough for anyone other than Tetairoa McMillan to provide consistent stats.

But Coker had his best game of the year so far in Carolina's upset of the Rams on Sunday. He caught four of a team-leading five targets for 74 yards and a TD. He easily led the Panthers in both target share (25%) and air yards share (54%).

Unfortunately, those last numbers point to the problem — Coker shouldn't need a 54% air yards share to have just 57 air yards. Carolina's offense ranks first in rush rate over expected and eighth in actual run rate. Bryce Young ranks 28th in the league with under 200 passing yards per game, so there is very little meat on the bone here (especially with McMillan deservedly cemented as the team's WR1). 

With that said, Coker is a potentially talented young player, and this game was encouraging. In deeper leagues, he's worth adding in case this was the start of an increase in his role and/or the Panthers simply start passing the ball more. In shallow formats, though, he's probably fool's gold. 

Devaughn Vele, New Orleans Saints (1.3% Rostered)

In many ways, Vele is very comparable to Coker. Another unheralded rookie from the 2024 class, he has at times flashed potential. And he had a big outing on Sunday, catching all eight of his targets for 93 yards. But it's hard to see much of a ceiling for him, as he has zero realistic chance of overtaking Chris Olave to be the top option on an uninspiring New Orleans offense.

On the bright side, New Orleans is at least more pass-happy than their NFC South rivals. Tyler Shough is averaging 235 yards per start, easily more than Young. With Rashid Shaheed in Seattle and Brandin Cooks in Buffalo, there's potentially room for a second WR to be fantasy-relevant for deep leagues in New Orleans.

Right now, Vele is the clear favorite to be that guy, so he's worth considering.