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Alex's fantasy football WR waiver wire pickups for Week 16 of the 2025 NFL season. Free agent wide receivers to add, stream, and stash off waivers.
Welcome in, RotoBallers, to the penultimate edition of 2025's wide receiver waiver wire pickups, and what a year it's been. If you were lucky enough to be the owner of one of this weekend's standout performers -- congrats! You're likely (hopefully) well on your way to the second round of the tournament. Apologies to those who had to face both Amon-Ra St. Brown and Kyle Pitts Sr.
We were fortunate to see scoring be much better at the start of the fantasy playoffs than at the end of the regular season. Still, as we look back on the campaign as a whole, the consistent dip in air production remains stable. Conversely, rushing yards per game have trended positively since 2015. Perhaps some foreshadowing for next summer's drafts.
Focusing on the week ahead, we've locked down a few more free agent WRs below, available in over 50% of leagues and prioritized for your convenience. Don't forget to review the settings of your league before submitting a claim -- as PPR is assumed -- and be sure to check out RotoBaller's other waiver wire editorials for all your positional needs. Happy hunting!
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Wide Receiver Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers - 41% rostered
Packers' wideout Jayden Reed has been back for a few weeks now. The Michigan State alum sustained a shoulder injury earlier this season that cost him 10 games. Reed has been involved in the offensive attack since he returned, though, and it's looking like there could potentially be some vacant opportunities in at least the short term, with Christian Watson's (chest) status uncertain for Week 16.
Watson exited Sunday's 34-26 loss to the Broncos in the third quarter and was taken to the hospital with a chest injury. As of now, we don't know the severity of the issue, but it's reasonable to suspect he may be at risk of missing their Week 16 contest on Saturday. If that's the case, Reed would make a considerable jump in the rankings.
The 25-year-old pulled in 5-of-6 targets for 55 yards in Week 15's loss, which all qualified for team-highs. More importantly, he played the second-most snaps of any Packers' receiver, logging five fewer than Romeo Doubs, and 16 more than Dontayvion Wicks.
Despite my proclivity towards Watson's archetype/play style, Reed is a baller in his own right. It appears he'll have a decent floor moving forward -- more so if Watson is out for any amount of time.
Jayden Higgins, Houston Texans - 43% rostered
Jayden Higgins has become a mainstay in this column, and probably remains until either his roster percentage ticks up slightly more or he gives me reason not to feature him. As of yet, neither has come to fruition.
The rookie had one of his worst outings of the campaign in Week 15 -- a one-catch, four-yard performance while his team doubled-up the Cardinals 40-20 at home. It was his fifth one-catch appearance this season, but the first in the last six weeks. For what it's worth, Nico Collins was the only Texans' wideout with more than two targets on the weekend.
It's fair to say Sunday's output was disastrous, although Higgins' playing time hasn't wavered one bit. For six games running, he's placed either first or second in snaps amongst his teammates, and racked up 28 more than the next-closest receiver in the lopsided victory (Xavier Hutchinson).
If the 23-year-old flames out again in Week 16, then that's on me, but he'll at least be afforded an excellent matchup against a Raiders' defense that had yielded the fifth-most fantasy points per game to WRs (36.71) heading into this past weekend.
Jalen Coker, Carolina Panthers - 5% rostered
Quarterback Bryce Young and the Panthers let one slip through their fingers in Week 15. Instead of sitting atop the NFC South with a one-game lead over Tampa Bay, they were dealt a 20-17 loss by the hosting Saints. Despite ultimately losing -- and a mediocre stat line -- Young made some nice throws, including a doozy of a touch pass to Jalen Coker.
right in the 🪣
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/pNUWGbvPVd
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) December 14, 2025
The former UDFA connected on all four of his looks in this one, racking up 60 yards and a touchdown to lead the team in all categories. Coker now has at least four receptions in three of four outings, including a TD in back-to-back appearances, seemingly cementing himself as at least the No. 2 option in Carolina's offense.
I'll admit, it's mildly concerning that fellow second-year pro Xavier Legette out-snapped Coker for the second straight game after the reverse was true in the four matchups prior. Either way, the production speaks for itself, with Coker leading the way in receptions (22-13), yards (284-184), and targets (27-25) since Week 8.
Devaughn Vele, New Orleans Saints - 14% rostered
New Orleans won two straight games for the first time this year, improving to 4-10 after a 20-17 victory over the Carolina Panthers. For all the doom-and-gloom surrounding the starting of first-year signal-caller Tyler Shough, he hasn't been as bad as advertised, and he's getting excellent support from Devaughn Vele (shoulder).
Vele's production dipped slightly in Week 14, but he was back at it a game later, posting a viable fantasy total (5/69) despite leaving in the fourth quarter with a shoulder injury. Unfortunately, the former Utah Ute was seen in a sling following the game. He'll still be firmly on the waiver-wire radar, though, if he's healthy.
Even with Chris Olave seemingly back at full health, Vele was heavily utilized. He'll be a full-go for fantasy in Week 16 -- if active -- with the Saints passing at the ninth-highest clip in the league (58.98%).
Tutu Atwell, Los Angeles Rams - 0% rostered
Tutu Atwell is highlighted here ahead of Week 16 under the presumption that superstar wideout Davante Adams (hamstring) won't be active for their clash with the division-rival Seahawks on Thursday night. Atwell wasn't a big part of this week's 41-34 win over the visiting Lions, but there's reason to believe he'll be much more involved moving forward.
Atwell returned from a hamstring injury of his own in Week 15, one that's kept him shelved since LA's win over the Jaguars in Week 7. Strangely, he's logged consecutive weeks of full practice sessions, but was only just activated this past Sunday, hauling in one of his two targets for a paltry nine yards.
In the University of Louisville product's defense, he only played four snaps. Moreover, the only WR to post a standout performance was Puka Nacua, and even he left the game for a spell, forcing the Rams to deploy three tight ends more often than not.
Nacua should be fine for Thursday as he eventually returned to Sunday's contest, but Adams' re-aggravation of a hamstring injury that's nagged at him could mean some time on the shelf. On the off chance Nacua has lingering effects from Sunday's outing, Atwell could see significant usage in a game with potentially massive playoff implications.
Deeper Wide Receiver Fantasy Football Pickups
Luther Burden III, Chicago Bears - 17% rostered
Luther Burden III (ankle) makes the feature in back-to-back weeks and for good reason. Unfortunately, he's the pickup I'm most excited about and one of the more uncertain ones.
Burden made his mark in Chicago's 31-3 mollywhopping of the Cleveland Browns, amassing 84 yards on six of his seven targets despite not reaching 50% of the team's snaps before leaving with an ankle injury in the 3rd quarter. The rookie stepped up admirably as a fill-in for fellow wideout Rome Odunze (foot), who was a late scratch with a persistent foot ailment.
40 yard gain by @lutherburden3 🔥
📺: FOX | #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/FseC3u1MYl
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) December 14, 2025
As far as Odunze's outlook, there's a fair chance he misses next Saturday night's clash with the visiting Green Bay Packers. As for Burden, it's less clear. We likely won't know his practice status until Wednesday, so I'll admit there's some risk here.
Either way, the latter has come on over the last month or so, given that he has seen at least five targets in each of the previous five contests.
Adonai Mitchell, New York Jets - 16% rostered
I'm willing to acknowledge when I'm wrong, and I grossly overestimated Garrett Wilson's (knee) health in last week's feature. Under the assumption that Wilson would return in Week 15, I chose to highlight John Metchie III again, supposing that he'd coexist better in an offense with the former than teammate Adonai Mitchell.
We'll have to wait at least one more week to see if that hypothesis rings true, but in the meantime, I'm still holding onto the talent and opportunity.
come for @bradycook's first TD, stay for his parents' reaction
📺: #NYJvsJAX on CBS | @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/JKALKBNYn5
— New York Jets (@nyjets) December 14, 2025
Mitchell continued his hot-and-cold streak with six catches for 58 yards and a score, nine targets in New York's 48-20 road loss to the Jaguars. Surprisingly, rookie QB Brady Cook didn't look nearly as bad as he did in his Jets' debut, showing a bit of scrambling/throw-on-the-run prowess. There's still work to be done, but the early returns were intriguing at the very least.
As of this past weekend, there's been no news insinuating that Wilson would rejoin the team in Week 16. In fact, head coach Aaron Glenn has shifted responsibility to the team doctors, offering little to no update on the star receiver's status. On the chance he's out again, Mitchell isn't a bad high-upside dart throw in a middle-of-the-road matchup with the Saints.
Tre' Harris, Los Angeles Chargers - 2% rostered
Harris was one of my favorite Day-2 skill players, but finding legitimate work in a loaded Chargers' WR room hasn't been the most straightforward task. However, with teammate Quentin Johnston (groin) missing his second appearance in 2025, the rookie set a new personal best with 49 receiving yards in the team's 16-13 win against the Chiefs.
The 23-year-old only brought in three of his five targets on the day. Still, it appears that he's the next man up when Johnston is out, considering he's led all Chargers' wideouts in snaps during both games the latter has missed. What's more, there's no guarantee that Johnston will be ready for a clash with the Cowboys in Week 16 after picking up a late-week groin injury.
Harris is by no means a freak athlete, but his separation skills are undoubtedly up to snuff. I think he's a better dynasty stash than a redraft asset, and I'm not overly bullish on his production with Ladd McConkey and Keenan Allen still around. That said, the talent is there.
Dallas has been one of the top scoring offenses in the league and owns one of the worst defenses on a PPG basis, so opportunities shouldn't be scarce next Sunday. That matchup currently presents with a juicy 49.5-point over/under.
Who Should I Pickup Tool
Trying to decide who to pick up off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool:
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2025 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Jayden Reed, Jalen Coker, Luther Burden III, Jayden Higgins, Adonai Mitchell, Devaughn Vele. These are some common searches for 2025 fantasy football waiver wire pickups.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Pickup? button to see who the recommended waiver wire pickups are based on fantasy football rankings, projections, and more.
Improvements For Who Should I Pickup? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Pickup? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win on the waiver wire in 2025. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football waiver wire rankings and projections based on their research, and updates them constantly throughout the week. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2025 for Jayden Reed, Jalen Coker, Luther Burden III, Jayden Higgins, Adonai Mitchell, Devaughn Vele:
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