Fantasy Football Week 14 Quarterback and Tight End FAAB: Bryce Young, Trevor Lawrence, and More

Five weeks; that's all we have left of the regular season. Most fantasy leagues end in Week 17, meaning there are just four weeks left in fantasy, and that means time is ticking to spend your FAAB budget.

Owners who are on the edge of playoff position would do well to make a big splash this week if there's a player who can help their lineup, as there might not be a next week. Same story when the playoffs start, as a loss means the end of your championship hopes. Don't save your money until it's too late.

Let's look at some of the hottest QB and TE 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!

Quarterback

Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

Lawrence had a good day on Sunday, throwing for 229 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He added 25 rushing yards and a two-point conversion, giving him an extra 4.5 points and putting him at QB5 prior to Monday's game.

Lawrence was QB13 heading into Week 13, having a decent fantasy season despite an uneven real-life performance. He has helped himself by running the ball, averaging just under 20 yards per game with five rushing touchdowns.

The schedule is friendly moving forward, with two games against the Colts and one each against the Jets and Titans (Week 18) remaining. There's a tough one against the Broncos in Week 16, but if you're in a deeper league or in need of a streamer who can be part of a rotation the rest of the way, Lawrence is a reasonable pickup.

Conservative Bid: $1-3

Need Bid: $6

Desperation Bid: $11

Tyrod Taylor, New York Jets

Backup quarterbacks who get into the lineup usually don't have much fantasy value because their timeline is uncertain; when the starter returns, the backup with revert to anonymity. When the starter is either hurt for the year or gets benched, as was the case with Justin Fields in New York, the backup then takes on a new fantasy outlook.

Taylor falls into the latter category, as he is expected to start the rest of the way with Fields as his backup. There's no future upside to Taylor the way there is with Fields, but if the Jets decided that they will move on in the offseason, there's no reason to force a lame duck QB out there if they feel that the more veteran player can play better.

Taylor is a low-ceiling player who can step in and run an NFL offense, but there's a reason that he never held a starting spot long term. In three starts this year, Taylor has averaged 197 passing yards per game on 6.1 per attempt. He helped his fantasy score with 111 rushing yards and a touchdown, twice going over 40 yards.

That decent fantasy performance seems like Taylor's ceiling, though, especially on a Jets team with a serious lack of skill players (and Garrett Wilson is still out at least one more game). The remaining schedule is a bit up and down, as New York faces Miami, Jacksonville, New Orleans, and New England through Week 17. Taylor could be seen as a low-level streamer a few weeks, but he's not a guy to count on to carry your team.

Conservative Bid: $0

Need Bid: $1

Desperation Bid: $2-3

Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers

Young and the Panthers pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season when they took down the Rams 31-28 on Sunday. Matthew Stafford turned it over three times, a big part of the story, but Young also made two clutch fourth down touchdown throws on scores from 33 and 43 yards out.

He ended up with 206 yards on 10.3 per attempt with three touchdowns, no interceptions, and 23 rushing yards. That puts Young at QB4 prior to Monday's game, a rare appearance among the fantasy starters.

Young ranks as QB16 over the full season, not a guy you want to count on often. Carolina has their bye in Week 14 then good matchups against the Saints and Bucs, though Young will face the tough Seahawks in Week 17, championship week for most.

Young is OK to consider as a deep-league streamer in those better matchups, but you can probably find a better option also. You'll also be able to pick him up for free in most cases rather than having to use budget, though you'd surely get him for a dollar this week.

Conservative Bid: $0

Need Bid: $1

Desperation Bid: $2

Tight End

Evan Engram, Denver Broncos

Engram had his best game of the season on Sunday night, catching six passes for 79 yards against the Commanders. I had pegged Engram as a streaming tight end to consider starting because Washington presented a fantastic matchup, and that played out, as both numbers were season highs.

Engram has had a disappointing season after being seen as a possible perfect fit for a Sean Payton offense. He is averaging 3.5 receptions and 30.8 yards per game with just one touchdown, leaving Engram outside the top 25 fantasy tight ends.

Week 13's success was driven by the matchup and volume (Bo Nix threw 45 times on the way to 321 yards). Engram is unlikely to have many more big games, especially with tougher tight end matchups against Las Vegas, Green Bay, Kansas City, and the Chargers (though there's a great matchup against the Jaguars in Week 16).

Engram is OK to pick up if you're in a super-deep league, as he'll catch a few passes each game, but he has a low ceiling, and you can probably find a better option most weeks.

Conservative Bid: $0-1

Need Bid: $2

Desperation Bid: $3

Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars

Strange missed six weeks (five games and a bye) before returning in Week 12 with five catches and 93 yards. He had another successful day on Sunday with three receptions for 45 yards and a touchdown.

In the six full games he has played, Strange averaged 4.5 receptions and 53.3 yards per game; his only score is the one he just got in Week 13. He will never be an impact fantasy player without getting into the end zone more, but Strange has been involved regularly in the offense and has fantasy streaming value.

Strange won't be any better than a mid-level streamer at any point the rest of the way, but the matchups are mostly positive, with the Colts (twice), Jets, Broncos, and Titans all middling or worse against tight ends in fantasy. You will have opportunities to put Strange into your lineup, but there's a bit of a low ceiling, so you're better off checking your options each week rather than just counting on Strange the rest of the way.

Conservative Bid: $1

Need Bid: $2

Desperation Bid: $3

Darren Waller, Miami Dolphins

Waller played four games earlier in the season but suffered an injury in the fourth one before missing the next four games. He finally returned in Week 13, and while he only had two catches, Waller led the team with 47 yards (Mami only threw the ball 23 times for 157 yards, leaving low volume for the pass catchers).

Not counting the game in which he got hurt and didn't record a catch, Waller is averaging three catches and 41 yards per game with four touchdowns. Getting into the end zone once per game would make him a great fantasy player, but that's unlikely to continue, so I'm more worried about his involvement, which is fine.

There is no other TE pass catcher who is going to fill Waller's role in Miami, so he will get chances simply by default. Despite playing just four-plus games, he has more receptions, yards, and touchdowns than any other tight end on the team.

There's risk involved, including a career of injury woes, but there's also some upside with Waller, and with such a short time remaining in the season, injuries aren't as big of a worry. The matchups the rest of the way are fantastic, with the Jets, Steelers, Bengals, and Bucs over the next four weeks; it doesn't get much better for a tight end.

Waller isn't going to be your savior, but if you're in a deep league or just without a TE, Waller could make an impact the rest of the way and fill a hole in your lineup. It's far from a sure thing, and there is a lower floor, but Waller is a name to remember the next five weeks.

Conservative Bid: $1-2

Need Bid: $3-4

Desperation Bid: $5-6