Updated Waiver Wire Rankings for Week 18 (2025): Fantasy Football Pickups for Michael Mayer, Jalen McMillan, Luther Burden, Audric Estime, Michael Carter, Jayden Higgins, Devin Singletary

January 1, 2026

Updated mid-week fantasy football waiver wire rankings for Week 18 of the 2025 NFL season. Top fantasy football free agents and streamers to add off waivers.

Week 18 is highly volatile, as we will have to wait until kickoff for NFL teams to determine who will play or rest ahead of the playoffs. For most fantasy leagues, the season is over, but there is still one week left to play in the 2025 NFL season. Some leagues play until the end, while others have a two-week championship. At RotoBaller HQ, we have you covered either way for the regular season finale with our updated waiver wire rankings for fantasy football Week 18 of the 2025 season to help fantasy managers close out the season. 

Whether you are looking for an injury replacement or a streamer for championship week, below are some questions we have the answers to heading into Week 18. Has Luther Burden III emerged as Bears quarterback Caleb Williams' top target? Is Audric Estime the Saints' primary back with Alvin Kamara and Devin Neal sidelined? Is Michael Mayer the top streaming tight end to add with Brock Bowers done for the season?

These Week 18 waiver wire rankings are updated 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 18 on the waiver wire!

Who To Pick Up for Fantasy Football Week 18?

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

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Outlooks

Some of the top names include Malik Davis, Luther Burden III, Jake Tonges, Devin Singletary, and Jayden Higgins. We recap why these players should be on your waiver wire radar for Week 18.

Luther Burden III, WR, Bears

Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III (quad) suffered a quad injury on the last play of the game in his team's loss to the San Francisco 49ers that will require additional testing. However, initial reports indicate that the injury is not thought to be serious, which could give Burden III a chance to play in his team's Week 18 match against the Detroit Lions. Before getting hurt, Burden III had a massive game against San Francisco, hauling in eight catches for 138 yards and a touchdown on nine targets.

With Bears wideout Rome Odunze (foot) sidelined by a foot injury, Burden III has emerged as an integral part of his team's passing game. Across three games played without Odunze, Burden III has recorded 18 receptions for 289 yards and a score on 22 targets. Given that they already have the NFC North crown locked up, Chicago could choose to be cautious with Burden III and hold him out of Week 18. However, he would profile as a must-add player off the waiver wire if further reporting indicates he's healthy enough to play.

Malik Davis, RB, Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys' fourth-year running back out of Florida, Malik Davis, led the backfield in running back touches in the Cowboys' 30-23 win on Christmas Day over the Washington Commanders. He stepped in for the injured Javonte Williams (shoulder) and ended the game with 20 rush attempts (5.15 YPC) for 103 yards. Additionally, over the past two games, he has earned 54 percent and 34 percent of the snaps, respectively.

He is starting to see an increased workload as the season comes to an end for the eliminated-from-the-playoffs Cowboys. With a strong Week 18 matchup looming against the New York Giants in Week 18, Davis is a must-add off the waivers for those fantasy managers still competing for a championship. If Williams were to sit out, Davis would immediately become a plug-and-play RB2.

Jake Tonges, TE, 49ers

San Francisco 49ers fourth-year player out of California, Jake Tonges, stepped in for the injured George Kittle (ankle) on Sunday Night Football and made the most of it. He earned himself an impressive nine targets, hauled in seven of them for 60 yards, and scored a touchdown. When given the opportunity in 2025, considering Kittle has now missed seven games this season, Tonges has made the most of it.

On the season, he now has five touchdowns and 293 yards on 34 receptions. The key thing to monitor here will clearly be the status of Kittle's ankle, as Tonges is the clear backup to the superstar. If Kittle remains out, Tonges will be in the low-end TE1 rankings in a crucial Week 18 matchup with the No. 1 seed for the NFC and the division on the line when the 49ers take on the Seattle Seahawks in Santa Clara.

Devin Singletary, RB, Giants

New York Giants running back Devin Singletary bounced back from a couple of subpar showings in Weeks 15 and 16 with a solid game in his team's win over the Las Vegas Raiders, recording 70 scrimmage yards and a touchdown on 12 touches. While Tyrone Tracy Jr. has established himself as the RB1 in New York in recent weeks, Singletary has maintained a role in the Giants' offense.

Across eight games since New York lost running back Cam Skattebo (ankle) to a season-ending ankle injury, Singletary has racked up double-digit touches seven times. He's also scored four touchdowns and recorded fewer than 46 scrimmage yards just once in that eight-game stretch.

While Singletary's upside is limited by Tracy Jr.'s presence, he's demonstrated flex-worthy production on a relatively consistent basis. Singletary could be worth targeting on the waiver in fantasy leagues with 12 or more teams heading into a favorable Week 18 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.

Jayden Higgins, WR, Texans

Houston Texans rookie wide receiver Jayden Higgins got things started in Saturday's win over the Chargers with a 75-yard touchdown strike from C.J. Stroud less than two minutes into the game. Four minutes later, it was Higgins' college teammate and fellow rookie Jaylin Noel on the receiving end of a 43-yard touchdown.

While neither contributed much during a second half that saw the Texans struggle to maintain drives, Higgins, who finished the day with two catches for 88 yards and the aforementioned score, is still the player to roster heading into any Week 18 fantasy championships.

While Saturday was easily his best performance of the season, he has strung together usable weeks in the past, including a stretch from Weeks 8-12 that saw him finish with double-digit points in Half-PPR formats in three of five games. Against a reeling Indianapolis defense in Week 18, Higgins has the potential for one more meaningful flex performance as a plug-and-play option available on most waiver wires.

Running Backs - Week 18 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Wide Receivers - Week 18 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Tight Ends- Week 18 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Quarterbacks - Week 18 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order, with emphasis on Week 18:

Defenses (D/ST) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order, with emphasis on Week 18:

Week 18 Waiver Wire Articles

In addition to the Week 18 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 complement our slick new Who Should I Pickup? Waiver wire player comparison tool - bookmark that! Here are more detailed Week 18 waiver wire articles:

• Week 18 waiver wire pickups (all positions)
• Week 18 defense (D/ST) streamers and pickups
• Week 18 kicker streamers and pickups

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 18?

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Who Should I Pickup? Some common 2025 fantasy football waiver wire decisions are regarding players like Luther Burden III, Malik Davis, Audric Estime, Parker Washington, Michael Mayer, Jake Tonges, Jayden Higgins, Jalen McMillan, Devin Singletary, Samaje Perine, Dylan Sampson, Jayden Reed, and more. 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 -Luther Burden III, Malik Davis, Audric Estime, Parker Washington, Michael Mayer, Jalen McMillan, Jake Tonges, Jayden Higgins, Devin Singletary, Samaje Perine, Dylan Sampson, Jayden Reed, and more. 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 2025 for Luther Burden III, Malik Davis, Audric Estime, Jalen McMillan, Parker Washington, Michael Mayer, Jake Tonges, Jayden Higgins, Devin Singletary, Samaje Perine, Dylan Sampson, Jayden Reed:

More Waiver Wire Analysis