Gear Up for the Last Week of the Fantasy Regular Season
Plus, World Cup Quarterfinals Set and College Football Playoff preview.
For most leagues, this is the final week of the fantasy regular season. That means this is make-or-break territory.
But before the week begins Thursday night, waiver wire adds come first. Keep reading to find out who to pick up to beef up your roster for the week ahead.
In today’s Winners Club you’ll find:
- Waiver wire pickups
- NFL Week 14 spreads
- Updated NFL power rankings
- College football bowl schedule
- World Cup quarterfinals previews
Injuries, Bye Weeks Cause Fantasy Free Agent Frenzy
Six teams are on bye in Week 14: Atlanta, Chicago, Green Bay, Indianapolis, New Orleans and Washington. They’re not all the most stacked rosters in terms of fantasy production, but managers will miss players like Justin Fields, Jonathan Taylor, Aaron Jones and Terry McLaurin while they’re jockeying for a spot in the playoffs.
To make matters worse, injuries to Lamar Jackson and Jimmy Garoppolo made the quarterback position even weaker. Jackson, who suffered a PCL injury Sunday, is expected to miss Week 14 against the Steelers. And Garoppolo is out for the year after he broke his foot last week against the Dolphins. “Mr. Irrelevant” Brock Purdy took over under center.
So who on the waiver wire can you count on with your season potentially on the line? Jen Piacenti has the answers. Matt De Lima also compiled the IDP fantasy report with all of his recommended additions.
© Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Craig Ellenport wrote about what Garoppolo’s injury means for San Francisco’s star skill position players, De Lima released a new edition of dynasty stock watch that includes Jackson and Jalen Hurts, Conor Orr has a new set of NFL power rankings and you can take a look at the AFC and NFC playoff pictures heading into Week 14 as well as the spreads for all 13 games.
More news of note: The Panthers released quarterback Baker Mayfield on Monday and he was claimed by the Rams on Tuesday with Matthew Stafford on injured reserve, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he’s “not confident at all” signing free agent receiver Odell Beckham Jr. without a workout, the Ravens signed Brett Hundley to their practice squad in the wake of Jackson’s injury.
College Football Playoff, Bowl Schedule Set
It’s officially bowl season. The first action doesn’t begin until next weekend after the Army-Navy game this Saturday, but it’s never too early to look ahead to the 41 bowl games that will put a bookend on this college football season.
Let’s begin with the two most important games before the national title: The College Football Playoff semifinals.
VRBO Fiesta Bowl
Dec. 31, 4 p.m. ET (ESPN): No. 3 TCU vs. No. 2 Michigan (-7.5) | Total: 59.5
Horned Frogs-Wolverines Betting Preview
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
Dec. 31, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN): No. 4 Ohio State vs. No. 1 Georgia (-6.5) | Total: 61.5
Buckeyes-Bulldogs Betting Preview
Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports
You can find the game info for the other 39 bowl games here, as well as a watchability ranking of each here.
Three of the four teams in the College Football Playoff also have a player who was named a Heisman finalist. The four players are: Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett, TCU quarterback Max Duggan, Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud and USC quarterback Caleb Williams.
Williams may very well win the award despite the Trojans’ loss in the Pac-12 title game that kept them out of the playoff. Instead, USC will play Tulane in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 2.
Eight Teams Remain in World Cup Field
After Portugal's dominant 6–1 win over Switzerland, the World Cup quarterfinal matchups are officially set.
Dec. 9, 10 a.m. ET (Fox): Croatia vs. Brazil
Dec. 9, 2 p.m. ET (Fox): Netherlands vs. Argentina
IMAGO/Bildbyran/Joel Marklund
Dec. 10, 10 a.m. ET (Fox): Morocco vs. Portugal
(No line available yet for this matchup. Check SI Sportsbook later.)
Dec. 10, 2 p.m. ET (Fox): England vs. France
Odds to win 2022 World Cup at SI Sportsbook
Brazil: +175
France: +400
England: +550
Argentina: +600
Portugal: +650
Netherlands: +1400
Morocco: +2800
Croatia: +3300
In Other News
Steph Curry Named SI Sportsperson of the Year: Curry is the fourth-ever multiple-time winner of the award and earned it after winning his fourth NBA title, Finals MVP and graduating from Davidson in 2022.
Stay up to Date with the MLB Free Agency Tracker: The biggest moves of December so far have been Jacob deGrom signing with the Rangers, Justin Verlander joining the Mets and Trea Turner inking a deal with the Phillies. Get instant analysis of all the latest moves.
Pelicans Move up Latest NBA Power Rankings: New Orleans shot up to the top five after a 4-0 week. Further down the standings, the Warriors, Nets and Lakers continue to gain on the top teams as they string together wins.
Thanks for reading Winners Club! Good luck with your waiver claims. I’ll talk to you again Thursday. Until then.