RADIO
Once again, if you're reading this congratulations on making it this far! More than likely you have a great fantasy football team at this point and don't need to worry about waivers too much, but I know there are certainly some playoff teams with a weak spot or two that are still in the running.
This should cover the top pickups at each position, though it is noticeably thin at some positions for Week 16 (tight end specifically). Good luck in the fantasy football championship games, RotoBallers!
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:
- 2025 fantasy football rankings
- Running back (RB) fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver (WR) fantasy football rankings
- Tight end (TE) fantasy football rankings
- Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- NFL rookie fantasy football rankings
- Best ball fantasy football rankings
- Superflex fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Waiver Wire Pickups Options for Fantasy Championships
Lance Dunbar / Joseph Randle vs Colts - 27% / 10% owned on Fleaflicker
The biggest news of this past week of games was that DeMarco Murray broke a bone in his hand and is highly questionable for Week 16. The problem is that we don't have a clear answer as to who is the better play if Murray is indeed out. I like Lance Dunbar a little better, and he had more snaps/touches this past week, but Randle has been the more productive runner on the season. I'd look to add both and hope we get clarity by Sunday.
Alex Smith @ Steelers - 48% Owned on Fleaflicker
If you're in the fantasy championships you probably don't need a QB, but if you do Smith is a safe and reliable choice with a nice matchup. He is also coming off his second best game of the season. The Steelers are currently allowing the 6th most points to opposing QBs, so it's fair to expect 15-20 points from Smith in this game. I'd probably play the safer Smith over someone like Jay Cutler versus the tough Lions, for example. He won't win you your week alone, but he won't lose it for you either.
Robert Griffin vs Eagles - 51% Owned on Fleaflicker
Griffin didn't exactly put up a ton of points last week, but I thought he looked much much better than he has at any point this year. Most importantly for fantasy, he looked very comfortable running (and probably should have been given a rushing touchdown). Week 16 is a nice matchup against the Eagles, who are allowing the 3rd most points to opposing QBs. In contrast to the safety of Alex Smith, there is definitely risk in RG3, but there is plenty of upside too especially if he runs as well as he did last week.
C.J. Spiller @ Raiders - 55% Owned on Fleaflicker
This one would definitely be a risky play, but Spiller definitely offers upside in a nice matchup. Spiller was activated off the IR designated to return list this week, and has a good chance of playing in Week 16. I'd probably avoid him because he is unlikely to see a lot of time even if he does play, but in especially deep leagues or leagues that play in Week 17, he is worth a speculative add. He is very talented, even though it has been quite some time since we've seen that translate to a lot of fantasy points.
Ronnie Hillman @ Bengals - 55% Owned on Fleaflicker
Another pickup you're unlikely to use this week, but Hillman is expected to return to action against the Bengals. It's no secret that C.J. Anderson has been extremely overworked over these past four games, and is a little dinged up. In addition, even though Anderson has continued to put up solid fantasy numbers, he has failed to go over 3.0 yards per carry the past two weeks. Look for the Broncos to lighten Anderson's workload going forward. I can definitely see Hillman getting 10+ carries this week with a chance to score. He'll still be outside of your RB2 range, but he is another nice add in deep leagues and leagues that play in Week 17.
Harry Douglas @ Saints - 19% Owned on Fleaflicker
Douglas is only a good start if Julio Jones is out or very limited this week. If that is the case, Douglas has serious value as we saw on Sunday, especially in PPR leagues. With both Julio and Roddy missing time the past three weeks, Douglas has gone over 100 yards or had a touchdown in each of those games. This might be his best matchup yet, in a huge divisional game that could very well decide who goes to the playoffs. Unfortunately the Falcons rarely target their WR3, so as I mentioned earlier, if Julio is good to go you'll have to avoid Douglas.
Nate Washington @ Jaguars - 10% Owned on Fleaflicker
It was a really ugly game offensively for the Titans, but Washington managed to succeed with Jake Locker and Charlie Whitehurst throwing to him. With Justin Hunter and Kendall Wright both out, somebody had to get the targets here. Washington has actually been reasonably productive over his past 5 games, with a low of 56 yards during that span. Even if Wright returns this week, I'd feel okay about starting Washington given that Wright's broken hand may keep him less effective.
Dwayne Allen @ Cowboys - 63% Owned on Fleaflicker
Allen is owned in plenty of leagues. But given his recent injury and the fact that he only had 5 yards in Week 14, I figure he is definitely out there in some competitive leagues. With a good matchup, he is worth mentioning here. The Cowboys have given up 10 touchdowns to tight ends on the season, and Dwayne Allen is definitely the preferred red zone tight end with his 8 touchdowns this year. Not to mention that he was on the field more than Fleener last week as well (54 snaps to 41), and given his blocking ability that should continue. If Allen is available on your league's waiver wire, he is almost certainly the best tight end option this week to pickup and start.
Charles Clay @ Vikings - 40% Owned on Fleaflicker
There are very few intriguing options at tight end that are still out there in more than half of all fantasy leagues. This is a tough matchup for Clay, but he is coming off a nice game with six catches on seven targets for a total of 59 yards. He could definitely see a similar number here. Granted Ryan Tannehill had to throw a ton this past week, and that is not likely to be the case against the Vikings. But I could still see Clay getting 5+ receptions, which makes him a solid play in PPR formats. I wouldn't want to use him, but I imagine he'll be around TE12 when I do my rankings for Week 16-- which means Clay might be the best option for any TE streamer this week off the waiver wire.
