Weekend Waiver Wire Rankings for Week 17: Fantasy Football Pickups for Kyle Williams, Taysom Hill, Luther Burden, Adam Thielen, Adonai Mitchell, Tyjae Spears, Michael Carter, more

December 27, 2025

Updated weekend fantasy football waiver wire rankings for Week 17 of the 2025 NFL season. Top fantasy football free agents and streamers to add off waivers including Kyle Williams, Adam Thielen, Taysom Hill, Luther Burden, more.

Fantasy Football Championship week is here, and it's time to bring home those fantasy titles. It's go time! Let's raise the fantasy championship banners together! After the Cowboys, Commanders, Lions, Vikings, Broncos, and Chiefs played on Christmas, there are two games on Saturday, and we cap off Week 17 with Monday Night Football. At RotoBaller HQ, we have our weekend waiver wire rankings for fantasy football Week 17 of the 2025 season to account for the updated NFL injury reports. The updated waiver wire rankings are to help fantasy managers bring home those fantasy titles! Good luck, RotoBallers!

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. With Patriots wide receivers Kayshon Boutte and Mack Hollins ruled out, is Kyle Williams New England's No. 2 wideout behind Stefon Diggs? The Steelers are down at the wide receiver position with DK Metcalf suspended, and Calvin Austin III is ruled out with a hamstring injury. Is Adam Thielen the Steelers' de facto No. 1 with Metcalf and Austin out? Will Blake Corum continue to see an expanded role in the Rams offense?

These Week 17 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 17 on the waiver wire and in your matchups!

Who To Pick Up for Fantasy Football Week 17?

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

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Outlooks

Kyle Williams, WR, Patriots

New England Patriots wide receiver Kyle Williams could be headed for an increased snap share and target share during Sunday's Week 17 contest against the New York Jets. New England is suddenly short-staffed at wide receiver with Kayshon Boutte (concussion) ruled out, Mack Hollins (abdomen) ruled out, and DeMario Douglas (hamstring) listed as questionable. Williams, Stefon Diggs, and Efton Chism are the team's only healthy receivers, with Williams and Diggs the early favorites to earn the start.

The rookie has taken on a larger role during the back half of the season, and he impressed with two catches, 46 yards, and one touchdown last week. If he does operate as the No. 2 receiver alongside Diggs, Williams could emerge as a high-volume WR3/flex in deeper leagues. The matchup is certainly on his side, as New York allowed 10 catches, 148 yards, and two touchdowns to Chris Olave just last week.

Adam Thielen, WR, Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Adam Thielen caught all four of his targets for 49 yards last week and is in line for an expanded role against the Cleveland Browns in Week 17. While the Steelers may choose to rest some starters if the Green Bay Packers defeat the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday, Thielen should see the field as a necessary weapon with DK Metcalf beginning a two-game suspension.

That said, the Browns have been stout against opposing wideouts all season, and Pittsburgh may not need to lean heavily on the passing game in this matchup. If the Ravens win on Saturday, Thielen could provide sneaky flex value in deeper fantasy formats, but the 35-year-old will be difficult to trust in most leagues.

Blake Corum, RB, Rams

Los Angeles Rams running back Blake Corum has carved out a role in one of the most fantasy-productive offenses in the NFL. Since Week 13, Corum has scored more than 13 fantasy points and finished among the top 24 running backs in PPR formats. During this stretch, Corum has scored a touchdown in each game and has scored five touchdowns in total. The Rams have deployed a split backfield over the last couple of weeks to keep Kyren Williams fresh and healthy for a potential Super Bowl run.

Despite splitting work, both running backs have remained fantasy viable. With the offense consistently playing in the red zone, both backs have been able to score touchdowns and produce for fantasy managers. Corum has built a solid resume that managers can depend on and can be trusted as a FLEX option during fantasy championships.

Taysom Hill, TE, Saints

New Orleans Saints tight end Taysom Hill turned back the clock on Sunday, which might be his final game in the Superdome. Hill led the team in carries, with 12 for 42 yards, and added 36 receiving yards on four receptions. He wasn't done either, throwing a 38-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Chris Olave in the fourth quarter. The veteran playmaker scored 15.3 fantasy points last Sunday, and there's a legitimate reason he could improve his fantasy production in the final two weeks.

He dominated the carries with Alvin Kamara (knee/ankle) and Devin Neal (hamstring) inactive, outcarrying Audric Estime and Evan Hull combined, 12-5. The Saints' offense has been solid as well, averaging 24.3 points per game and winning three straight games. With a legitimate RB1 workload if Kamara is unable to return, Hill should be a must-start at the tight end position.

Tyjae Spears, RB, Titans

Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears has carved out a sizable role in the passing game, and he'll remain an appealing fantasy option if he can handle a large target share again in Week 17. The 24-year-old has at least two catches in each of his last 10 games, and at least four catches in half of those contests. He continues to operate behind Tony Pollard on early downs, but he routinely capitalizes on passing down opportunities.

As a result, most of his value comes in PPR leagues where he can earn extra points for catching passes. He has garnered flex appeal lately but will run into a tougher matchup this week against the New Orleans Saints, who have allowed the second-fewest catches and fifth-fewest receiving yards to opposing running backs in 2025. As it stands, Spears ranks as the RB40 in RotoBaller's updated half-PPR fantasy rankings for Week 17.

Running Backs - Week 17 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Wide Receivers - 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:

Week 17 Waiver Wire Articles

In addition to the Week 17 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 17 waiver wire articles:

• 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

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 17?

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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, Jayden Reed, Taysom Hill, Kyle Williams, Adam Thielen, Marques Valdes-Scantling, Dalton Schultz, Blake Corum, Tyjae Spears, Tyler Shough, and Malik Willis. 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, Jayden Reed, Taysom Hill, Kyle Williams, Adam Thielen, Marques Valdes-Scantling, Dalton Schultz, Blake Corum, Tyjae Spears, Tyler Shough, and Malik Willis. 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, Jayden Reed, Taysom Hill, Kyle Williams, Adam Thielen, Marques Valdes-Scantling, Dalton Schultz, Blake Corum, Tyjae Spears, Tyler Shough, and Malik Willis:

More Waiver Wire Analysis