With Week 14 of the 2025 NFL season on deck, the fantasy football playoffs are just around the corner. It is crunch time for fantasy football managers nationwide, who have no more time for patience and need to drop dead weight from their rosters, even if it means parting with big names like Keenan Allen and Ricky Pearsall.
Patience often pays off in fantasy football, but that has not been the case in 2025. Drafters of Chris Godwin and Brandon Aiyuk dealt with headaches all year for nothing, and the A.J. Brown faithful have only been punished for their loyalty.
Week 14 provides the final regular season matchups for most leagues, leaving no room for any more waiting. The playoffs are here, and no manager benefits from stashing potential on their bench at this point in the season.
Even managers near the bottom of their leagues who are out of the playoff race still have something to play for. The rise in popularity of last-place punishments increases each year, and nobody wants to show up to work in a size 10 wedding dress.
Regardless of seeding, managing the Week 14 waiver wire can often be the deciding factor for fantasy football league winners. It all begins with dropping the right players from championship rosters.
WR Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers
Keenan Allen looked like a steal through the first month of the season, which saw him post double-digit fantasy performances in the Los Angeles Chargers' first three games. Aside from one big performance against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 7, he has not been startable since.
Allen still commands a high target share in a pass-heavy Chargers offense, and he is still arguably Justin Herbert's go-to short-yardage target. His effectiveness on the field is undeniable, but Allen has turned into a “better in real life” player over the last two months.
The 33-year-old Allen is not “washed,” but he has been affected by the recent emergence of a pair of rookies. Tight end Oronde Gadsden II has cut into his midfield work, and rookie speedster Tre Harris has taken some of his wideout snaps. Harris has played 30 or more snaps in every game since Week 6 at the direct expense of Allen's workload.
Given Allen's effectiveness against zone coverages, the Chargers' Week 13 matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders provided an ideal bounce-back opportunity. The veteran instead posted similar numbers as he has over the last month, which are not useful in fantasy football.
RB Sean Tucker, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bucky Irving is the no-doubt leader of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' backfield, but Sean Tucker forced fans to look in his direction with a career day in Week 11. Tucker finally separated from Rachaad White in Irving's sixth consecutive absence with 140 total yards and three touchdowns, which made him a top-five running back for the week.
Tucker followed up that performance with a respectable 42-yard game in Week 12 against the Los Angeles Rams' elite defense. It was not a great fantasy performance, but he was given little to work with in a game that was essentially over when Baker Mayfield suffered a shoulder injury on the final play of the first half.
Irving returned in Week 13, but there was still hope that Tucker's Week 11 explosion could force Josh Grizzard to make him a bigger part of the offense. That did not happen. Tucker instead received just two touches in the game, his fewest since Week 7.
With Irving back, Tucker is strictly a third-string change-of-pace back with no standalone fantasy football value. He is a must-start if Irving goes down again, but until then, he has no value on any roster.
WR Ricky Pearsall, San Francisco 49ers
What initially appeared to be a breakout season for Ricky Pearsall is instead shaping out to be yet another disappointing campaign. The second-year pass-catcher looked like a star on the rise after racking up 281 receiving yards in his first three games, but Pearsall has been an entirely different player since returning from a two-month absence in Week 11.
In his first three games back, Pearsall has turned nine targets into just five catches for 20 receiving yards. It is not for a lack of opportunities, as he has taken the field for at least 74.5 percent of the San Francisco 49ers' offensive snaps in all three games.
Perhaps Pearsall's injury is still affecting him, or maybe the chemistry with Brock Purdy has fizzled. Whatever the case might be, he is no longer an effective part of the 49ers' passing offense and is completely unusable in fantasy football lineups.
With so many weapons in the 49ers' offense, there is no reason to believe that Pearsall will be worth trusting in crunch time. Maybe he rebounds in 2026, but for now, the Florida alum is a safe drop in all fantasy football leagues.
WR Tez Johnson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Few receiving corps have suffered from injuries more than that of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Injuries to Chris Godwin, Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan created the opportunity for seventh-round rookie Tez Johnson to burst onto the scene.
Johnson did not start seeing meaningful playing time until Week 5, but he wasted no time becoming an immediate contributor. He has rewarded fantasy football managers who invested in him early with three double-digit performances in four weeks.
Unfortunately for Johnson, his value plummeted in Week 13, which marked Godwin's return. Although the veteran technically returned in Week 12, he officially reintroduced himself with a team-leading 78-yard performance against the Arizona Cardinals.
Godwin only warranted five targets in Week 13, but his presence was enough to drop Johnson down the depth chart. While the Buccaneers fans celebrated the veteran's return, Johnson saw his snap share drop from 85.7 percent in Week 12 to just 57.4 percent in Week 13.
The athletic backflipper will have his moments, but his days as a reliable fantasy football contributor ended in Week 13. Just remember to keep Johnson in mind as a potential late-round steal in 2026 fantasy drafts.
RB Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs' run game was a weakness in 2024 and has been even worse in 2025. The front office did nothing to address the issue and seemed to expect a rebound season from Isiah Pacheco that has not come close to materializing. Week 13 was a clear sign that the team has given up on the 26-year-old, and fantasy football managers should do the same.
Pacheco was the team's leading rusher when he suffered a knee injury in Week 8. He suffered the injury after three consecutive games with over 50 rushing yards, giving him 329 yards on the year. It is a low bar to clear, but he was the best option of the Chiefs' middling backfield.
In the three games Pacheco spent in street clothes, he watched Kareem Hunt dominate the backfield and become the team's first 100-yard rusher of the year. Hunt was not lighting anybody on fire, but he proved to be just effective enough as the full-time starter.
Any hope that Pacheco would regain the starting job vanished in his Week 13 return, when he received a season-low 20 offensive snaps. Pacheco was efficient with his three carries, but he was clearly behind Hunt in the pecking order.
Neither Chiefs running back is an exciting option for the fantasy football playoffs, particularly with the team's brutal schedule in the coming month. Hunt is at least worth a roster spot, but Pacheco should be dropped in any league that offers even the slightest upside on the waiver wire.
