Week 17 Waiver Wire Rankings - Fantasy Football Pickups Include Emanuel Wilson, Michael Carter, Raheim Sanders, Chris Rodriguez, Taysom Hill, Parker Washington, Tyjae Spears, Jalen Coker

December 23, 2025

Fantasy football waiver wire rankings for Week 17 of the 2025 NFL season. Top free agent options to add off waivers, and our rankings will help you prioritize.

Championship week is finally here! Fantasy managers have grinded and made moves to get this far; it's time to secure those fantasy championships. At RotoBaller HQ, we are already prepping for fantasy Super Bowls with our Week 17 fantasy football waiver wire rankings for Week 17 of the 2025 NFL season. Nick Mariano has ranked the top 100 free agent options to help you prioritize who to add off the waiver wire.

Several players still have low roster percentages and could have an immediate impact on fantasy teams in 2025. Is Raheim Sanders Cleveland's primary back with both Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson sidelined? Who is leading Washington's backfield? Is it Chris Rodriguez Jr. or Jacory Croskey-Merritt? Is Parker Washington worth adding after his monster performance despite being Jacksonville's WR3?

We have answers to these questions and will guide you with our top 100 fantasy football waiver wire pickups list for Week 17. Time to go make some moves, tweak your fantasy teams, and grab some waiver wire stashes to help you advance in the playoffs. Good luck, RotoBallers!

Who To Pickup for Fantasy Football Week 17?

Waiver wire pickup options, including how to prioritize them for your league - depending on the league size. Quarterbacks and Defenses (D/ST) are grouped together at the bottom of the list:

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Outlooks

Some of the top names include Raheim Sanders, Emanuel Wilson, Michael Carter, Chris Rodriguez Jr., Quentin Johnston, and more.  We recap why these players rostered under 70% in Yahoo! leagues should be on your waiver wire radar for Week 17.

Raheim Sanders, RB, Cleveland Browns
Week 17 Waiver Wire Rankings: 23

Cleveland Browns rookie running back Raheim Sanders led the Browns' backfield after rookie running back Quinshon Judkins (ankle, leg) left the game early due to an injury during Sunday's loss against the Buffalo Bills. Sanders substituted in as the early downs back and turned his 11 rushing attempts into 42 yards. He also brought in one reception for four yards, but running back Trayveon Williams saw the majority of the backfield's passing opportunities.

The Cleveland Browns will host the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 17, who are a tough matchup for opposing running backs. With rookie running back Dylan Sampson (hand) still managing an injury and Judkins at risk of missing the rest of the season, Sanders may emerge as the starter against the Steelers.

Emanuel Wilson, RB, Green Bay Packers
Week 17 Waiver Wire Rankings: 3

Green Bay Packers running back Emanuel Wilson could be a top waiver wire priority this week, as the Packers get ready to host the Ravens on Saturday. The team could be without Jordan Love (concussion) and Josh Jacobs (knee) for that matchup, and Wilson has proven he can be a fantasy factor if he takes over for Jacobs as the primary option.

Last week, Wilson ran for 82 yards on 14 carries against the Bears, while Jacobs had just 36 yards on 12 carries. Wilson also starred in Green Bay's win over the Packers when Jacobs was injured, racking up 107 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries in that week. The Ravens have been a great matchup for running backs this season, and if Wilson gets the start, he could be a true difference-maker in Week 17.

Quentin Johnston, TE, Los Angeles Chargers
Week 17 Waiver Wire Rankings: 7

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston returned to action in a big way during Sunday's 34-17 win against the Dallas Cowboys. Johnston sat out last week's win over the Kansas City Chiefs due to a groin issue. He returned from his one-game absence here and posted a massive performance. Johnston hauled in four of his five targets for 104 yards and a touchdown in the victory.

The 24-year-old has been inconsistent over the last few months. This time, Johnston excelled as he posted his first 100-yard performance of the season. He'll draw a tough matchup against the Houston Texans' defense next week. His deep threat ability will certainly keep him on the fantasy radar in Week 17.

Chris Rodriguez Jr., RB, Washington Commanders
Week 17 Waiver Wire Rankings: 10

Washington Commanders running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. seems to have secured the top spot in the backfield coming down the stretch, and he should be fantasy relevant in the closing weeks of the season. He makes a solid waiver wire add if you need a running back after picking up 63 rushing yards and a touchdown on 15 carries on Saturday against the Eagles, and adding a six-yard catch as well.

He played 28 snaps (52%) this week, compared to just 15 snaps (28%) for Jeremy McNichols and 11 snaps for Jacory Croskey-Merritt (20%). Rodriguez and the Commanders face the Cowboys on Christmas Day after a short week, and he'll have touchdown-dependent flex upside in a favorable matchup against Dallas this coming week.

Michael Carter, RB, Arizona Cardinals
Week 17 Waiver Wire Rankings: 2

Arizona Cardinals running back Michael Carter filled in as the starter on Sunday for the team's banged-up backfield, and he had a solid game against the Falcons. He took 11 carries for 65 yards but failed to catch either of his two targets or get into the end zone.

Carter played well ahead of Emari Demercado and Corey Kiner and will likely lead the backfield committee again in Week 17 with James Conner, Trey Benson, and Bam Knight all on the shelf for the rest of the season.

Carter and the Cards get a favorable matchup in Week 17 against the Bengals, so if you need some emergency help in the backfield, he's a solid streaming option with touchdown-dependent upside in Week 17.

Running Backs - Week 17 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Wide Receiver - Week 17 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Tight Ends - Week 17 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Quarterbacks - Week 17 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order, with emphasis on Week 17:

Defenses (D/ST) - Week 17 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order, with emphasis on Week 17:

More Waiver Wire Articles

After diving into the Week 17 rankings, read about some other free waiver wire resources available at RotoBaller:

• Week 17 waiver wire pickups (all positions)
• Week 17 running back waiver wire pickups
• Week 17 wide receiver waiver wire pickups
• Week 17 FAAB waiver wire bids
• Week 17 defense (D/ST) streamers and pickups
• Week 17 kicker streamers and pickups

Each week, our NFL team puts out a complete array of fantasy football waiver wire articles to compliment our slick Who Should I Pickup? Waiver wire player comparison tool. Bookmark it!

In addition, be on the lookout for our other waiver wire articles all season long. We will be releasing weekly waiver wire articles for each position, FAAB bidding recommendations, streamers and more throughout the week.

Who Should I Pickup Tool

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

Who Should I Pickup for Week 17?

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2025 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players: Emanuel Wilson, Chris Rodriguez Jr., Quentin Johnston, Raheim Sanders, Tyjae Spears, Jacory Croskey-Merrit, Dalton Schultz, Parker Washington, Sean Tucker, Audric Estime, Evan Hull, and Kendrick Bourne. 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 Emanuel Wilson, Chris Rodriguez Jr., Quentin Johnston, Raheim Sanders, Tyjae Spears, Jacory Croskey-Merrit, Dalton Schultz, Sean Tucker, Parker Washington, Audric Estime, Evan Hull, and Kendrick Bourne:

More Waiver Wire Analysis