Sep 7, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) gestures against the Los Angeles Rams in the first half at SoFi Stadium.

This is it. Week 14. The final week of the fantasy regular season. It is win or go home for some of you, so in a sense, the playoffs have already begun.

What a week for there to be win-or-go-home scenarios, too. The NFL continues to extend bye weeks this deep into the season, which doesn’t help. This is causing some of you to miss Christian McCaffrey, Drake Maye, George Kittle and Tetairoa McMillan among others. That makes it more difficult to seal those much-needed victories.

To make up for big absences, scouring the free agent list can sometimes be the answer you need. You can find players who have the upside you need that your bench players don't.

These 10 players and a defense are the sleepers that can give you that edge you need.

*Streamers are players who are rostered in 50% or fewer of Yahoo! leagues.

Fantasy football Week 14 streamers

Quarterbacks

C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans

Stroud’s first week back from injury did not go as hoped for fantasy managers, as he didn’t throw a touchdown. Still, there are some positives to take away from the performance.

As mentioned by Corey Pieper on the Fantasy Six Pack Hour Podcast this week, prior to his injury, in Weeks 7 and 8, Stroud had 49 and 39 attempts, respectively. He had only thrown the ball more than 30 times in one other game prior to that this season.

Davis Mills never threw for fewer than 30 times in relief of Stroud; in fact, he threw 40-plus times twice in Weeks 10 and 11, and 30 attempts in Week 12.

All that to say, Stroud had 35 passing attempts in his Week 13 return. Having a streaming option at quarterback who will pass that often – especially to star Nico Collins – is one to consider.

Tyrod Taylor, New York Jets

Taylor has a fantastic matchup against the Miami Dolphins and is coming off a game during which he scored 21.28 fantasy points.

Yes, it is still the Jets, so there is reason to doubt him, but the reason to like the veteran as a streamer option is his rushing potential. Last week, he tallied 44 yards and a score on the ground.

While he might not reach those rushing numbers again, the emergence of wide receivers John Metchie III and Adonai Mitchell will only help him against the poor Dolphins secondary.

Running backs

Chris Rodriguez, Washington Commanders

Rodriguez has taken over as the lead back for the Commanders in recent weeks, accounting for 43% of the teams rushing attempts.

While that is not as many as you would hope a lead back would get, it has led to 130 yards and a touchdown over 26 carries over the last two games, with one of those performances coming against the Denver Broncos' tough defense. The matchup against the hapless Minnesota Vikings presents another opportunity to build off his recent success.

Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams

Corum is coming off his best game of the season, yet is still not getting the respect he deserves. Whether Kyren Williams managers like it or not, Corum is involved in the Rams' offense. The upcoming game against the Arizona Cardinals presents a great opportunity for him to see even more work than usual, due to the potential of a blowout.

Bam Knight, Arizona Cardinals

Trey Benson has not practiced all week and looks unlikely to suit up as he tries to return from IR. This leaves Bam Knight as the presumed starter for the Cardinals.

It is a tough matchup against the Rams, but Knight has proven to be able to overcome tough matchups before with his ability to score from short distance.

Wide receivers

Adonai Mitchell, New York Jets

Mitchell broke out for 102 yards and a touchdown on eight catches in Week 13. A performance like that would usually be viewed as an outlier, but there is optimism for his continued success.

The reason for that: the 25 targets he has seen over the last three weeks (with Garrett Wilson sidelined) is tied for 10th-most over that span. When picking a streamer, getting a guy who sees a ton of targets is never a bad idea.

Pat Bryant, Denver Broncos

Bryant’s role has grown over the last two games. In those two games combined, he has played more snaps, run more and seen more targets than Troy Franklin, who has been the Broncos' No. 2 all season.

He is nursing a hamstring injury, so there is a chance he doesn’t play, but if he does, the matchup against the Raiders is a nice opportunity for the receiver.

Devaughn Vele, New Orleans Saints

Players who have seen their role expand recently is the theme for streaming receivers this week. Vele is no different.

In the last two games combined, he has a total of 15 targets. Last week, he caught all eight for 93 yards and a touchdown. It possible that the Saints will be trailing the Buccaneers early, which will lead to more opportunities for Vele.

Tight ends

Darren Waller, Miami Dolphins

Waller returned from injury last week and stepped into a moderate role, playing 46% of the snaps. The good news is he ran a route on 75% of those snaps.

It only resulted in three targets, but expect his role to grow in this game, which should result in more targets. As an added bonus, the last time Waller played the Jets, he scored two touchdowns.

A.J. Barner, Seattle Seahawks

Barner has been very inconsistent this season, but he has flashed his upside.

Since his 11 target game in Week 11, Barner has been more involved than before – however, not a whole lot more involved, with only four and five targets in Weeks 12 and 13.

While that might not move the needle, what is intriguing are his short-yardage carries, including at the goal line. Those extra touchdown opportunities make him a solid streaming option.

Defense

Washington Commanders

The Commander defense has been far from a defense that you’ve wanted to use this season in fantasy. This week is different, as they face the Minnesota Vikings who are allowing the most points to opposing defenses.

Quarterback play for the Vikings has been atrocious all season, tallying 19 interceptions. Of those, 10 of have come in the last four weeks.

J.J. McCarthy is back this week, so it should be better than what we got from Max Brosmer in Week 13, but McCarthy has been part of the struggles.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fantasy football Week 14 sleepers: 11 streamers to target

Reporting by Joe Bond, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect