Fantasy Football 2025 Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickup Advice
Is your fantasy team in need of new blood? It’s fantasy playoffs time, so the list is shortened, and all the adds are players who can be played immediately, or are direct RB handcuffs. All the players I list will be rostered in fewer than 50 percent of leagues, with the roster percentages coming from Yahoo.com.
Immediately Useful
Oronde Gadsden, TE, Chargers (49% Rostered): The combination of O-line injuries for the Chargers, and an injury to QB Justin Herbert’s hand definitely lent to fantasy managers selling their Gadsden stock. It’s understandable, but his talent is such that he is well worth picking back up due to the volatility of the position. Gadsden isn’t any more consistent than other options, but his ceiling in any given week is elite, and Herbert has shown he can manage his injury enough to feed his pass catchers. Yes, Gadsden endured two brutal weeks, but before that he had tallied four straight games with 68+ yards, and put up five receptions for 46 yards Sunday against the Chiefs. He’s just a good player, and he has the Dallas Cowboys up next. Enticing.
C.J. Stroud, QB, Texans (48% Rostered): Stroud and the Texans offense are hitting their stride at the right time. His fantasy campaign has been a dud, but last week against Arizona he threw for 260 yards and three touchdowns, while his connection with Nico Collins appears to be strong again. This was Stroud’s third time in his last five games surpassing the 250-yard mark, and the Raiders defense is next up on the docket. There are surely Patrick Mahomes managers who are cursing the gods right now, but Stroud is someone they should seek to dump a FAAB bid on.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, Commanders (48% Rostered): Croskey-Merritt came out of the gates hot, then completely lost his way during the season, eventually losing his job to Chris Rodriguez. He stepped back up on Sunday with Rodriguez nursing a groin injury, and just like in Week 1, he torched the Giants. Croskey-Merritt rushed 18 times for 96 yards and a touchdown, marking his best game since October, and potentially keeping him in this role next week regardless of Rodriguez’s status. If Rodriguez is ruled out again, Croskey-Merritt can be treated as a mid-level RB2.
Theo Johnson, TE, Giants (46% Rostered): Johnson is not gaining traction, likely due to the perception of the Giants as a joke. It’s a fair assessment of the team, but the truth is that this passing offense isn’t bad at all with Jaxson Dart running the show. Johnson is a talented, big play guy and while his reception numbers aren’t ideal he’s often very efficient with his touches. This is a TE who is important to the offense, and while volume isn’t the calling card, he does have a pretty steady share of targets. Most of the time, he does a little something something with them.
Blake Corum, RB, Rams (40% Rostered): Corum was elevated out of the handcuff category even though he operates as a distant second back to Kyren Williams, and that was done because the Rams are an absolute wagon. Corum has standalone value, and this role, while limited, offers him tons of scoring opportunities. He’s struck paydirt four times in the last three games, and seen double digit carries in back to back weeks. Corum is an RB1 waiting to happen, he simply doesn’t have the opportunity. And even in this RB2 role he’s providing real FLEX appeal.
Colston Loveland, TE, Bears (40% Rostered): Loveland hasn’t found his high point again since blowing up for 118 yards and two touchdowns vs. the Bengals in early November, but he has been a steady presence for Caleb Williams, averaging 3.7 receptions and 44 yards per game in the six games since with two touchdowns. It’s nothing special, but it’s bankable, which is worth something at this stage of the year.
J.J. McCarthy, QB, Vikings (35% Rostered): For Mahomes managers seeking help, McCarthy is staring you in the face is you like to live dangerously. This is about as high risk as you can get, because we’ve seen some gnarly, abysmal efforts from him this year as well as an inability to connect with Justin Jefferson. That’s as red a flag as you’ll ever come across. However, he’s thrown five touchdown passes in the last two games, both against bottom tier defenses, and he’s got another one coming in the New York Giants who are just itching to lay out in Cancun. He’s got ceiling, especially if he figures out how to get the ball to arguably the best WR on the planet, and he has shown rushing upside. It’s a gamble, but one that could really pay dividends.
Chris Rodriguez, RB, Commanders (33% Rostered): Rodriguez had clearly wrested the lead back role from Croskey-Merritt before picking up his current injury, so he’s playable if he is active. With that said, the risk factor is elevated now after Croskey-Merritt balled out, as this could revert to an even split which likely would leave nobody happy. Rodriguez feels a bit desperate at this point; if that’s you, do what you need to do, but it’s not ideal.
Adonai Mitchell, WR, Jets (16% Rostered): Mitchell is clearly the top target for the Jets while Garrett Wilson is out, and that isn’t as good as it seems. He’s catching passes from some of the worst QBs the NFL has to offer, but volume is king and in the last three games he has drawn 27 targets. That’s nine per game folks, and he’s scored in two of them. Now, if Brady Cook is still under center could Mitchell go out there, do a bunch of cardio and throw up a doughnut as the Jets get shut out? Of course. That’s why his roster rate is where it is. But some leagues are very deep and have very little on the waiver wire. A player with this big a piece of the target pie is rarely this available, so if you’re in a pinch you can play him.
Michael Carter, RB, Cardinals (5% Rostered): Carter is back at the forefront of the Cardinals’ RB merry-go-round, as Bam Knight left Sunday’s game with an ankle injury. Carter, if he’s the guy, is playable because he can serve as a three-down back since they trust him on passing downs. However, that role can flip to Emari Demercado, or Demercado can just overtake him at any point which we’ve already seen this season. This entire situation is best if avoided, but some of us don’t have that luxury.
Olamide Zaccheus, WR, Bears (1% Rostered): Zaccheus is not a player I’ve had on here this season, but he’s been quietly reliable and important to the growth of Caleb Williams this season. The Bears have morphed into a pretty formidable team, and Zaccheus has bee integral, if not prolific. Now, he might be leaned on more as Rome Odunze re-aggravated a foot injury a few minutes before gametime on Sunday, and rookie Luther Burden also suffered an injury. This of course elevates DJ Moore, and likely makes Colston Loveland a more high-volume play, but it could also turn Zaccheus into a FLEX option, particularly in full-PPR formats.
Handcuffs
Tyler Allgeier, RB, Falcons (38% Rostered)
Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Jaguars (37% Rostered)
Emanuel Wilson, RB, Packers (34% Rostered)
Brian Robinson Jr., RB, 49ers (33% Rostered)
Devin Singletary, RB, Giants (30% Rostered)
Tank Bigsby, RB, Eagles (17% Rostered)
Isaiah Davis, RB, Jets (3% Rostered)