Updated Waiver Wire Rankings for Week 16 (2025): Fantasy Football Pickups for Kenneth Gainwell, Jalen Coker, Jaleel McLaughlin, Chris Rodriguez Jr., Troy Franklin, LeQuint Allen Jr., Colston Loveland

Updated mid-week fantasy football waiver wire rankings for Week 16 of the 2025 NFL season. Top fantasy football free agents and streamers to add off waivers.

The final four of the fantasy football playoffs have arrived, and we will have games on Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. While most leagues run their waivers on Tuesday, there are still a few days to make moves. At RotoBaller HQ, we have our updated waiver wire rankings for fantasy football Week 16 of the 2025 season to help fantasy managers pick up that player to advance to the fantasy championship. 

Whether you are looking for an injury replacement or a stash for the playoffs, we have listed a few players to monitor in Week 16. Chris Rodriguez Jr. fully practiced on Tuesday, and now the question is, will Jacory Croskey-Merritt or Rodriguez be the primary back in Washington for Week 16? Is Kenneth Gainwell a must-add after racking up 126 total yards on Monday night vs. the Dolphins? Is Jalen Coker the second option behind Tetoria McMillan in Carolian's passing attack? 

These Week 16 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 16 on the waiver wire!

• 2025 fantasy football rankings
• Running back (RB) rankings
• Wide receiver (WR) rankings
• Quarterback (QB) rankings
• Tight end (TE) rankings
• Defense (D/ST) rankings
• Kicker (K) rankings
• FLEX rankings
• Dynasty rankings

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

Some of the top names include Jawhar Jordan, Jalen Coker, Jayden Reed, Kenneth Gainwell, and Audric Estime. We recap why these players should be on your waiver wire radar for Week 16.

Jawhar Jordan, RB, Texans

The Houston Texans signed second-year running back Jawhar Jordan from their practice squad to the active 53-man roster on Tuesday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Jordan, a sixth-round selection in 2024 out of Louisville, made his NFL debut in Sunday's blowout win over the Arizona Cardinals after rookie Woody Marks left with an ankle injury.

Veteran Nick Chubb (ribs) was inactive, so the Texans were down to Jordan and Dare Ogunbowale. Jordan ended up leading Houston with 15 carries for 101 yards (6.7 yards per tote) while catching both of his targets for 17 yards. He played seven more snaps than Ogunbowale and will likely operate as the Texans' lead back for a plus matchup in Week 16 against the Las Vegas Raiders if neither Marks nor Chubb is cleared to play. The 26-year-old deserves serious waiver-wire consideration this week.

Jalen Coker, WR, Panthers

Much like last year, Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker is starting to make some noise late in the season. The 24-year-old former undrafted free agent scored for the second straight game in Sunday's 20-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints, catching all four of his targets for 60 yards to lead the Panthers in receiving. Before the Week 14 bye, Coker caught four of a season-high six targets for a season-high 74 yards and his first touchdown of the year.

It wasn't all great on Sunday against New Orleans, though, as he also lost a fumble. Overall, though, it was a positive day for Coker, who had two catches of 20-plus yards for the first time this year. The Holy Cross alum could take over WR2 duties from Xavier Legette for the final three weeks of the season. He has gone over 50 receiving yards in three of the last four games. Coker is rostered in only 5% of Yahoo leagues.

Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kenneth Gainwell continues to be a PPR machine, racking up seven receptions for 46 yards while adding 13 carries for 80 yards on the ground in the Monday night win over the Miami Dolphins. Gainwell led the team in catches, with four other Steelers tied for second with three, and outgained Jaylen Warren by 47 yards on the ground on one more carry.

The 26-year-old remains a vital piece of the Steelers offense and a player that quarterback Aaron Rodgers relies on for easy dump-off passes to pick up yards after the catch. Gainwell has recorded at least six receptions in four of the past five games and has emerged as a weekly option in PPR leagues. He'll project favorably again as an RB2/flex option next week against the Detroit Lions.

Jayden Reed, WR, Packers

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed recorded five catches for 55 yards on six targets in Sunday's loss to the Denver Broncos. In his second game back after missing nearly three months due to collarbone and foot injuries, Reed saw his snap share increase from 47% of Green Bay's offensive snaps from the previous week to 65% on Sunday. The 25-year-old's playing time outlook was also improved by an injury to Packers wideout Christian Watson (chest), who left the game early with a chest injury.

Watson has reportedly avoided a long-term injury, but his status is in question for the team's Week 16 matchup against the Chicago Bears. If Watson is sidelined, Reed could operate as the team's top target-earner in Week 16. Even if Watson can play, Reed has upside as he works his way back to full health and gets re-integrated into the Green Bay offense. In fantasy leagues where he remains available, Reed is a must-add waiver wire target heading into Week 16.

Audric Estime, RB, Saints

At least in deeper fantasy football leagues, New Orleans Saints running back Audric Estime is worth looking at on waivers going into Week 16 action after rookie RB Devin Neal injured his hamstring in Sunday's upset win over the Carolina Panthers. Estime played a season-high 36% of the offensive snaps and split backfield work with Evan Hull after Neal was injured in the second quarter.

The 22-year-old handled three carries for 11 yards and also caught all three of his targets for an additional 39 yards. Hull had just one more carry than Estime and wasn't involved at all in the passing game. Estime could be in play as a deep-league RB3/flex option in a great Week 16 matchup against the New York Jets if both Alvin Kamara (ankle, knee) and Neal are unable to play. Keep in mind that both rookie quarterback Tyler Shough (team-high eight carries on Sunday) and tight end Taysom Hill could take valuable carries away from both Estime and Hull if Kamara and Neal are out this weekend.

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 complement 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

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 are regarding players like Kenneth Gainwell, Chris Rodriguez Jr., Jayden Reed, Jalen Coker, Audric Estime, Malik Davis, Jaleel McLaughlin, Michael Carter, Jawhar Jordan, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Colby Parkinson, Colston Loveland, LeQuint Allen Jr., 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 -Kenneth Gainwell, Chris Rodriguez Jr., Jayden Reed, Jalen Coker, Audric Estime, Malik Davis, Jaleel McLaughlin, Michael Carter, Jawhar Jordan, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Colby Parkinson, Colston Loveland, Dalton Schultz, 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 Kenneth Gainwell, Chris Rodriguez Jr., Jayden Reed, Jalen Coker, Audric Estime, Malik Davis, Jaleel McLaughlin, Michael Carter, Jawhar Jordan, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Colby Parkinson, Colston Loveland, LeQuint Allen Jr.:

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