Fantasy Football Week 14 Running Back and Wide Receiver FAAB: Chris Rodriguez Jr., Adonai Mitchell, Keon Coleman, and More

Entering the final regular season fantasy week for many leagues, it's time to evaluate your FAAB budget. If you've already used everything, then congratulations on being aggressive; hopefully it worked out.

If you still have half your budget or more, though, you're running out of time to spend. Even if you have a strong team and don't necessarily need to add anyone right now, it's worth looking forward into the playoffs to streamers you might need and plan when you will use FAAB dollars. It's not always that easy, as things change week to week, but you know what they say: failing to plan is planning to fail.

Let's look at some of the hottest RB and WR names on the waiver wire this week and what reasonable FAAB bid ranges look like for each. Your numbers may vary a little based on your roster needs and remaining budget, but this is a good baseline to start from. All bids are based on a $100 budget.

Use FantasySP's waiver wire tool to find the players being added most often to fantasy rosters each week!

Running Back

Bam Knight, Arizona Cardinals

Knight led the Arizona backfield last week, carrying the ball 11 times for 62 yards and catching three passes for 36 yards and a touchdown. Michael Carter had 10 touches of his own, gaining 64 total yards.

In Week 12, Knight had 10 carries and four receptions, and Carter had five and three, respectively; Knight has gotten a little more work. He hasn't put up great numbers, but getting the ball is half the battle, and it has gone Knight's way.

Trey Benson will likely take over when he comes back from injury, and he could return any time, but he is trending toward missing another game. Knight could again be in line for the most touches. His shelf life is set to expire, though, as Benson is likely to dominate the workload.

Knight is a fine guy to grab as a flex option until Benson comes back, but he is a lower-level fantasy player on top of losing his spot soon. It's fine to spend a few dollars here, but don't overbid after a good Week 13.

Conservative Bid: $2-3

Need Bid: $4-5

Desperation Bid: $6

Devin Neal, New Orleans Saints

Neal was the top man in New Orleans' backfield with Alvin Kamara out, as he carried it 14 times for 47 yards while catching three passes for 22 yards. Evan Hull had just five carries, leaving Neal as the clear leader.

Kamara didn't practice last week after suffering a sprained MCL, and his return is uncertain. It wouldn't be a surprise to see the veteran sit out at least another game with the Saints 2-10 and out of the playoff hunt. That would leave Neal again in charge of the backfield in a middling matchup against the Bucs.

Like with Knight, Neal's long-term value is in question with a starter possibly returning, so it's best to be stingy with FAAB dollars. It's fine to spend a little if you want a flex option this week and a possible bench guy after that, but don't expect Neal to fill a hole in your lineup.

Conservative Bid: $1-2

Need Bid: $3-4

Desperation Bid: $5-6

Chris Rodriguez Jr., Washington Commanders

It's been tough to tell who is going to run the ball the most for the Commanders week to week, with Rodriguez, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, and Jeremy McNichols sharing snaps. Croskey-Merritt was the top guy for much of the season, but it has been Rodriguez the past two weeks.

In Week 12, Rodriguez had 16 touches, Croskey-Merritt 10, and McNichols six. On Sunday, it was Rodriguez with 11, Croskey-Merritt with four, and McNichols with eight. There is still a low ceiling on all these players, as they will take away from each other, but based on the past few weeks, Rodriguez might be the guy to have in fantasy.

That's worth a few dollars if you really need a running back, but don't expect to be able to count on Rodriguez every week; he is a guy who can be considered for your flex spot but fits better on the fringe/bench most weeks.

Conservative Bid: $1-2

Need Bid: $3-4

Desperation Bid: $6

Wide Receiver

Jalen Coker, Carolina Panthers

The Panthers were the surprise team of Week 13, upsetting the Rams 31-28 in Carolina. On top of getting three takeaways, Bryce Young made a few huge third- and fourth-down conversions, including a 33-yard touchdown to Coker on a fourth down in the third quarter.

Coker ended up with four catches for 74 yards and that touchdown. That tied his career high in receptions and set his season high for yards on top of being his first score. Coker is a low-level fantasy player, but there's reason to think that he could be more moving forward because of the lack of pass-catching options in Carolina.

Tetairoa McMillan far and away leads the team in every receiving category, and while Xavier Legette is second in targets, receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns, Coker ranks third and actually has better per-game numbers than Legette (Coker has played just seven games).

The problem is that Carolina has a low-level passing game that can't sustain multiple fantasy receivers. McMillan will be the only guy who is a regular fantasy contributor this season, with the other two sitting in the very large WR3/4/flex group that depends on matchups. With both Coker and Legette, don't spend on them unless you are in a super-deep league and/or desperate.

Conservative Bid: $0

Need Bid: $1

Desperation Bid: $2

Brandin Cooks and Keon Coleman, Buffalo Bills

We'll hit the two Buffalo receivers quickly: Cooks signed with Buffalo last week and made his Bills debut in Week 13, catching his only target for 13 yards. Coleman was a healthy scratch the previous two games after missing a team meeting, and he also returned on Sunday, catching two passes for nine yards and a touchdown.

Coleman played the fourth-most snaps among Buffalo receivers and Cooks the fifth most; that seems likely to be the case moving forward, with both guys low in the pecking order. That also keeps them below a fantasy level and better left on the free agent market.

Conservative Bid: $0

Need Bid: $1

Desperation Bid: $2

Adonai Mitchell, New York Jets

I mentioned Mitchell in this space last week, but it was under the header of his teammate, John Metchie III. Metchie had six catches for 65 yards and a touchdown in Week 12 and Mitchell just two for 42; Mitchell took the lead this week, turning eight receptions into 102 yards and a score, while Metchie caught four balls for just 19 yards.

Both players are former second-round picks who didn't burst onto the scene for different reasons, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see them have more success in a situation in which they are allowed to get on the field more. The question is how much New York's offense will offer.

The inconsistency both players have seen the past two weeks is likely to continue, as the Jets' offense and their quarterback, Tyrod Taylor, have a low floor. There will be better games when the matchup is right, but there will be plenty of slow games as well. Both Mitchell and Metchie are nothing more than streamers who can be considered depending on the matchup.

Conservative Bid: $1

Need Bid: $2

Desperation Bid: $3-4

Devaughn Vele, New Orleans Saints

Vele was traded from Denver to New Orleans right before the season for a fourth- and seventh-round pick. It was an odd trade, as Vele was a seventh-round pick himself just a year earlier and didn't really produce at a high level with the Broncos, but at least the Saints could get more out of the 27-year-old WR with a barren group of skill players.

That wasn't the case early, as Vele was the fourth receiver until they traded Rashid Shaheed and released Cooks. Vele has just 17 receptions in 11 games, but things could be better moving forward now that the two veterans are gone. Vele has played the second-most snaps among receivers in each of the past two games, catching three passes for 37 yards in Week 12 before eight receptions, 93 yards, and a touchdown on Sunday.

Like with Coker and Mitchell, Vele will be held down most by the offense around him. Rookie quarterback Tyler Shough has been functional but has a low ceiling, and New Orleans has one of the worst offensive lines in the league by ESPN's measure, ranking 32nd in pass block win rate and 26th in run block win rate.

The lack of talent lets Vele step more into the spotlight, but there are going to be as many duds as there are fantasy-worthy games. Week 13's big game came with a good matchup against the Dolphins, and the schedule offers more intrigue, with contests against the Bucs, Jets, and Titans still to come (and a tougher one against Carolina).

Vele is nothing more than a low-level fantasy player. Maybe he finds a bigger role and has some momentum going into next year, but I can't recommend him as anything more than a deep-league or desperation streamer.

Conservative Bid: $0

Need Bid: $1

Desperation Bid: $2