Weekend Waiver Wire Rankings for Week 16: Fantasy Football Pickups for Emanuel Wilson, Michael Carter, Hollywood Brown, Audric Estime, Adonai Mitchell, Olamide Zaccheaus, Jayden Reed

December 21, 2025

Updated weekend fantasy football waiver wire rankings for Week 16 of the 2025 NFL season. Top fantasy football free agents and streamers to add off waivers including Emanuel Wilson, Michael Carter, Jayden Reed, more.

The final four of the fantasy football players are here, and there is still some time to make a few moves for fantasy managers searching for a streamer or injury replacement. All injury reports are out, and games kick off on Saturday with the Commanders and Eagles. At RotoBaller HQ, we have our weekend waiver wire rankings for fantasy football Week 16 of the 2025 season. The updated waiver wire rankings are to help fantasy managers secure that playoff win and advance to the fantasy championships!

As injury updates come in throughout the week, and roster percentages increase as players are picked up, we adjust our waiver wire rankings, and you can find those below. Will Michael Carter be Arizona's primary back with all the injuries to the backfield? Is Emanuel Wilson a must-add with Josh Jacobs status for Saturday's game against the Bears up in the air? Is Audric Estime or Evan Hull the Saints' primary back with both Alvin Kamara and Devin Neal sidelined?

These Week 16 waiver wire rankings are updated for the weekend by Nick Mariano, RotoBaller's lead fantasy football analyst and forecaster. For those who are not familiar, he brings you his weekly waiver wire rankings and priority adds for the top 85 options to consider across various positions and league sizes. Good luck in Week 16 on the waiver wire and in your matchups!

Who To Pick Up for Fantasy Football Week 16?

Quarterbacks (QB) and Defenses (D/ST) are grouped together at the bottom of the list:

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Outlooks

Michael Carter, RB, Cardinals

As expected, Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon confirmed on Friday that running back Michael Carter will be the starting RB in Week 16 against the Atlanta Falcons with Bam Knight (ankle) done for the season, according to Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic. After Knight was carted off with a season-ending ankle injury in last week's loss to the Houston Texans, Carter had 18 touches for a season-high 94 scrimmage yards.

The 26-year-old will be Arizona's lead back for the final three games of the 2025 season, and he'll have immediate RB2 upside this weekend as the primary RB in the desert against the visiting Falcons. However, Emari Demercado should see plenty of work as well as the expected passing-down back in an offense that loves to throw the football. Carter has averaged a mediocre 3.3 yards per carry on 67 rushing attempts for 221 yards and one rushing touchdown in his 10 games played for the Cards this year.

Evan Hull, RB, Saints

New Orleans Saints running back Evan Hull could see an expanded workload this week when the Saints host the New York Jets. In three games with the Saints this season, Hull has only had 10 carries for 31 yards, while adding one reception for six yards. However, with Alvin Kamara (knee/ankle) still not practicing and rookie Devin Neal (hamstring) already ruled out for Week 16, Hull has a chance to play a significant role this week.

After Neal left the game on Sunday, both Hull and second-year back Audric Estime carried the backfield, with Estime playing 39% of the snaps while Hull played 31%. Even if it's a committee in New Orleans, they face a Jets defense that has allowed the third-most fantasy points to running backs this season. Both backs carry fantasy value this week and are worth monitoring heading into Week 16.

Emanuel Wilson, RB, Packers

Green Bay Packers running back Emanuel Wilson could have a significant impact in Week 16 when the Packers travel to Soldier Field to take on the Chicago Bears. Starting running back Josh Jacobs (knee/ankle) is listed as questionable on the team's final injury report heading into Saturday's divisional showdown. If Jacobs is out or limited, Wilson would likely have a massive role in line for Week 16.

The last time Wilson saw a full rushing workload was just a few weeks ago in Week 12, where Wilson had 28 carries for 107 yards and two rushing touchdowns against the Minnesota Vikings. Chicago allows the 13th-fewest fantasy points to the running back position, but Jacobs had 86 yards and a touchdown against the Bears in their last meeting. If Jacobs misses this game, Wilson is a locked-in RB2 against the Bears. If Jacobs is active, Wilson is more of a low-end RB3 fantasy option.

Adonai Mitchell, WR, Jets

New York Jets wide receiver Adonai Mitchell scored the second touchdown of his career against the Jaguars, catching six of nine targets for 58 yards. Even with undrafted rookie Brady Cook at quarterback, Mitchell earned another nine targets on Cook's 33 pass attempts. Excluding his first game with the Jets, where he played only 49.1% of the snaps, the second-year wideout ranks as the WR20 in PPR points in four games since joining the team.

He's played 85.4% of the snaps, ranking 10th among all wide receivers in targets (33) and posting the highest air yards share (53.4%) in the league over that span. The quarterback situation will limit his ceiling, but Mitchell is flashing the upside that fantasy managers want to see. It'll be a challenge for Mitchell to produce on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, who have now strung together five straight games where they've held the opposing quarterback to under 200 passing yards. He is in flex consideration for Week 16.

Olamide Zaccheaus, WR, Bears

Chicago Bears wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus is in line for more targets in Week 16 against the Green Bay Packers. Zaccheaus was held without a catch against the Cleveland Browns despite Rome Odunze (foot) being inactive. Now, both Odunze and rookie Luther Burden III (ankle) have been ruled out for Week 16, which catapults Zaccheaus to the WR2 in this Bears offense.

They face the Green Bay Packers this week, who have given up the 13th-most fantasy points to wide receivers this season. While Zacchaeus has only had over 50 receiving yards once this season, he carries low-end FLEX value against the Packers.

Running Backs - Week 16 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Wide Receivers - Week 16 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Tight Ends - Week 16 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Quarterbacks - Week 16 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order, with emphasis on Week 16:

Defenses (D/ST) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order, with emphasis on Week 16:

Week 16 Waiver Wire Articles

In addition to the Week 16 waiver wire rankings, here's a look at some other free waiver wire resources available at RotoBaller. Each week, our NFL team puts out a complete array of fantasy football waiver wire articles to compliment our slick new Who Should I Pickup? Waiver wire player comparison tool - bookmark that! Here are more detailed Week 16 waiver wire articles:

• Week 16 waiver wire pickups (all positions)
• Week 16 running back waiver wire pickups
• Week 16 wide receiver waiver wire pickups
• Week 16 tight end waiver wire pickups
• Week 16 FAAB waiver wire bids
• Week 16 defense (D/ST) streamers and pickups
• Week 16 kicker streamers and pickups

For anyone unfamiliar, we release all sorts of fantasy football waiver wire articles every week. As part of that, Nick Mariano releases our waiver wire rankings list on Mondays to help you prioritize which players to target as free-agent adds off waivers.

Who Should I Pickup Tool

Trying to decide who to pick up off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool here:

Who Should I Pickup for Week 16?

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Who Should I Pickup? Some common 2025 fantasy football waiver-wire decisions involve players such as Michael Carter, Emanuel Wilson, Jalen Coker, Evan Hull, Audric Estime, Colston Loveland, Dalton Schutz, Emari Demercado, Jayden Reed, Adonai Mitchell, Troy Franklin, and Olamide Zaccheaus. But not to worry, we are here to help make these waiver wire decisions and build winning teams in 2025. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups in 2025. Our free Who Should I Pickup? tool will help make your fantasy football waiver wire decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to pick up... all free! Make the right decisions.

2025 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players: Michael Carter, Emanuel Wilson, Jalen Coker, Evan Hull, Audric Estime, Colston Loveland, Dalton Schutz, Emari Demercado, Jayden Reed, Adonai Mitchell, Troy Franklin, and Olamide Zaccheaus. 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.

Recent 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 players like Michael Carter, Emanuel Wilson, Jalen Coker, Evan Hull, Audric Estime, Colston Loveland, Dalton Schutz, Emari Demercado, Jayden Reed, Adonai Mitchell, Troy Franklin, and Olamide Zaccheaus:

More Waiver Wire Analysis