High-Upside Bench Stashes: Sneaky Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Adds Before Week 16

December 20, 2025

Andy's must-have bench stashes and sneaky fantasy football waiver wire adds, sleepers ahead of Week 16 in 2025. Pick up these high-upside players before Week 16.

The fantasy season is almost complete. With a major portion of the Week 16 slate behind us, managers should begin looking for some sneaky options to hold on their bench for the final Week 17 slate.

Unlike previous entries in this series, we will no longer look in the long term, as we only have another week of fantasy to analyze. Instead, we will outline some top streaming options for Week 17, along with must-roster handcuffs for Week 16 in case of a major injury.

All players suggested are available in at least 60% of all Yahoo! leagues. Let's dive in!

High-Upside Fantasy Football Stashes - Running Backs

Malik Davis, Dallas Cowboys
5% rostered

After opening the season in a depth role, Malik Davis has emerged as the go-to option behind workhorse Javonte Williams. Since Week 9, Davis has been the only other running back on the roster to log an offensive snap.

More importantly, he has seen his standalone value increase slightly, making him more valuable as a handcuff. Over the past three games, Davis has taken 14 carries for 74 yards and two rushing sores. He has posted an elite 5.3 YPC. Before this surge, he took just 10 total rushing attempts from Weeks 8 through 12, but maintained his efficiency, posting a similar 5.0 YPC.

Malik Davis goal line TD puts the Cowboys ahead

MINvsDAL on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/Phhj6xjBZZ

— NFL (@NFL) December 15, 2025

However, Davis' value as a handcuff skyrocketed this past week. Williams suffered a neck injury during their loss to the Vikings last Sunday night and has been limited in practice all week. While his status for Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Chargers is not in doubt, if he were to face a setback, Davis would hold high RB2 upside.

Given that he has flashed elite upside with the ball, Davis could win leagues on Christmas Day in Week 17 when he faces the Commanders, who have allowed the sixth-most PPR points to opposing RBs.

Audric Estime, New Orleans Saints
10% rostered

The other priority running back to hold on your bench has FLEX appeal this week and could be a set-it-and-forget-it RB2 in the fantasy championships. With the numerous injuries in the New Orleans backfield, Audric Estime is now projected to share the load with Evan Hull. Devin Neal (hamstring) joined Kendre Miller (knee) on season-ending IR this week, and the team's primary starter, Alvin Kamara (knee/ankle), has yet to begin practicing and remains far from a return.

When Neal exited early last weekend, Estime was given the slight majority of touches, suggesting he could lead this backfield down the stretch.

During their 20-17 loss to the Panthers, Estime logged 36% of the snaps, while Hull saw a slightly lower 32%. In this game, Estime took three carries for 11 yards while Hull logged four attempts for 12 yards. While neither was overly effective on the ground, Estime made a mark as a pass catcher.

Audric Estime in crunch time today 🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂 pic.twitter.com/qyMalORCVz

— Terrence Fedé (@T_Fede) December 15, 2025

The 22-year-old reeled in all three of his targets for 22 yards while Hull ran eight routes and was not targeted on a single one. While Hull could still see half of the opportunities, the upside lies with Estime, given his involvement in the passing game. With a matchup against the Jets in Week 16 and a solid matchup against the Titans in Week 17, managers should hold this potential RB2 ahead of the Sunday slate.

Other RBs to Consider Stashing:

• Tank Bigsby, PHI
• Brian Robinson Jr., SF
• Jaylen Wright, MIA

High-Upside Fantasy Football Stashes - Wide Receivers

Jalen Coker, Carolina Panthers
10% rostered

Jalen Coker has been a popular member of this column and is emerging as the league-winner we were promised. Over the last two games, Coker has taken over a large role in this offense, catching eight of 10 targets for 134 yards and two scores. In fact, since Week 10, the undrafted rookie has continued to see his role climb, seeing at least four targets in each game.

His six targets in Week 13 set a season-high.

Even though Xavier Legette is still seeing a hefty snap share and even out-snapping him in each of these two games, managers should expect Coker to remain the team's WR2 in terms of production. When he is on the field, Bryce Young is looking his way, which is a very positive sign. Throughout these two games, Legette has seen just five total targets, even while logging a larger snap share.

Coker is primed to see his breakout continue as the Panthers will be in must-win mode down the stretch. He will have a solid matchup against the Buccaneers in Week 16, who have allowed the 16th-most PRP points to opposing WRs. While he has a tougher matchup in Week 17 against the Seahawks, his recent usage suggests he could still maintain FLEX upside, even against this potent secondary if this game becomes a shootout, as the Seahawks had on Thursday evening.

Jalen Coker Worth Waiver Consideration After Second Straight Strong Game https://t.co/0TOW3uclOb

— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) December 15, 2025

Other WRs to Consider Stashing:

• Malik Washington, MIA
• Pat Bryant, DEN

High-Upside Fantasy Football Stashes - Tight Ends

Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals
10% rostered

Mike Gesicki caught the eye of many tight-end-needy teams last week and dropped a dud, catching only one pass for 11 yards in a high-scoring affair against the Bengals. However, managers should check the waiver wire in case any impatient managers cut ties with Gesicki, as he could smash over the last two weeks of the campaign.

This Sunday, Gesicki will face a Miami secondary that is allowing the third-most PPR points to opposing TEs, and then in the fantasy championship, he will face an Arizona defense that is allowing the second-most PPR points to opposing TEs.

While his matchups are elite on paper, his underlying metrics are even more impressive. Since returning from the IR back in Week 12, Gesicki has seen at least four targets in all but one game. From Weeks 12 through 14, Gesicki saw 5.3 targets per game and caught at least one pass in all but one game. He enjoyed a breakout game in Week 14, bringing in six passes for 86 yards and a score against the Buffalo Bills.

With Tee Higgins (concussion) listed as questionable for Sunday's contest, Gesicki has the matchups to emerge as Joe Burrow's No. 2 option down the stretch.

Other TEs to Consider Stashing:

• Isaiah Likely, BAL

High-Upside Fantasy Football Stashes - Quarterbacks

Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints
10% rostered

Since his modest showing back in Week 12, where he scored only 14.4 PPR points, the rookie QB has put together a solid month of football and is emerging as a legit high-end QB2 for fantasy. Over the last three games, Shough has eclipsed the 20.0 PPR points mark in each of the contests and is averaging 22.4 PPR points per game.

During this stretch, Shough has thrown for 218.3 yards per game and rushed for 35.0 yards per game, significantly increasing his floor. He has thrown five TDs, with two of them coming on his legs.

Last weekend, he threw for 272 yards, the second-highest mark of his debut season, against a tough Carolina secondary that is allowing the 11th-fewest PPR points to opposing QBs. Seeing him improve against tougher defenses is an excellent sign for the final weeks of the season.

In Week 16, Shough will face the Jets, who have just allowed Trevor Lawrence to rack up six total TDs last week, and then in Week 17, the second-round rookie will face the Titans, who are allowing the seventh-most PPR points to opposing QBs.

Other QBs to Consider Stashing:

• J.J. McCarthy, MIN

High-Upside Fantasy Football Stashes - Defenses

New England Patriots
40% rostered

Rounding out this week's column is the must-stash defense for Week 17. While the Patriots have a tough task for them in Week 16, facing the Baltimore Ravens, they may single-handedly win you your championship against the Jets in Week 17.

Last weekend in his first career start, Brady Cook showed flashes but ended his game with a modest stat line, tossing three interceptions and throwing for just 176 yards.

Overall, the Jets enter Week 16, averaging the sixth-highest PPG (19.7) and just 275.5 total yards of offense per game, placing them fourth in the sport. With top wideout Garrett Wilson (knee) still on the IR and now ruled out for the final weeks of the season, this offense could continue to stumble in the fantasy finale.

If you have an empty bench spot, the Patriots should be a priority stash.

Other DEF to Consider Stashing:

• Detroit Lions DEF
• New York Giants DEF

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