Weekend Waiver Wire Rankings for Week 18: Fantasy Football Pickups for Tank Bigsby, Jaydon Blue, Darius Slayton, Parker Washington, Jaylen Wright, Matthew Golden, Colston Loveland

January 3, 2026

Updated weekend fantasy football waiver wire rankings for Week 18 of the 2025 NFL season. Top fantasy football free agents and streamers to add off waivers including Jaydon Blue, Tank Bigsby, Darius Slayon, Matthew Golden, Luther Burden.

It's a sad day as the final week of the NFL regular season is here. While most fantasy football championships have been played, there are still some leagues playing for a championship or consolation prize. Week 18 is the most volatile in football, and fantasy managers will need to pay attention right up until kickoff as the news piles in. At RotoBaller HQ, we are back with our final waiver wire article of the season with our weekend waiver wire rankings for fantasy football Week 18 of the 2025 season to account for the updated NFL news. The updated waiver wire rankings are to help fantasy managers navigate through a news-filled week. 

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.

These Week 18 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 18 on the waiver wire and in your matchups!

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

Tank Bigsby, RB, Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles running back Tank Bigsby could be the starter in Week 18 against the Washington Commanders. Bigsby was traded from the Jaguars to the Eagles after Week 1 and has served as a handcuff to star running back Saquon Barkley this season. However, with the Eagles planning to rest their starters in Week 18, Bigsby could have a clear path to the RB1 role this week.

Bigsby has averaged 6.4 yards per carry with the Eagles this season and has played slightly more snaps than Will Shipley behind Barkley. The Commanders have given up the fourth-most fantasy points to running backs this season and, just two weeks ago, allowed Barkley to rush for over 130 yards and a touchdown. Bigsby will be a name to monitor on waivers or as a DFS play if the Eagles decide to rest Barkley and the starters.

Luther Burden III, WR, Bears

Chicago Bears rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III (quadriceps) has been cleared to suit up for Sunday's Week 18 matchup versus the Detroit Lions. Burden was limited in practice to begin the week, but he has been cleared to play after getting through two full practice sessions to end the week. The rookie wideout is seeing a larger workload with Rome Odunze (foot) being sidelined since Week 13.

Odunze carries a questionable tag heading into Week 18, but he's not expected to play. During that span, Burden has seen six or more targets in each of those games. He's coming off his best performance of the season, where he hauled in eight receptions for 138 yards and one touchdown in the loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Fantasy managers should consider Burden a high-end WR2 for this weekend, assuming Odunze remains out.

Darius Slayton, WR, Giants

Despite garnering a decent share of the team's targets weekly, New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton's output hasn't been enough to warrant consistent fantasy consideration. When teammate Malik Nabers (knee) suffered a season-ending knee injury, the seventh-year pro automatically slotted in as New York's WR2 behind Wan'Dale Robinson (rib).

However, Slayton hasn't turned his opportunity into steady fantasy production, instead taking a clear back seat to Robinson, who leads the team in each significant receiving category by a wide margin sans touchdowns.

Slayton is expected to see a modest uptick in work when the Giants take on the Cowboys this Sunday, with Robinson and tight end Theo Johnson (illness) both ruled out. Slayton has eclipsed 50 receiving yards in just four of 13 games in 2025, but should have an expanded role in the regular season finale, putting him on the FLEX radar in Week 18.

Matthew Golden, WR, Packers

Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said on Friday that rookie first-round wide receiver Matthew Golden has a "very bright future" in Green Bay, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN. The Packers' coaching staff was singing Golden's praises during training camp and the preseason, too, leading many to believe that a breakout was coming in Year 1 for the Texas alum. It has not happened in 2025, as Golden has been buried in Green Bay's crowded receiver room.

Jayden Reed and Christian Watson have missed time with injuries this year, but Golden has just been unable to become a consistent part of the team's passing attack alongside the likes of Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks. Golden enters the Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival Minnesota Vikings with only 28 catches on the year for 353 yards and zero touchdowns. He has only one target in two of the team's last three games.

Jaydon Blue, RB, Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones hinted on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday that rookie running back Jaydon Blue could get some snaps on Sunday against the division-rival New York Giants in the Week 18 regular-season finale, according to Todd Archer of ESPN. The Cowboys have nothing left to play for but pride, and fellow RBs Javonte Williams (shoulder) and Malik Davis (eye) have been ruled out, potentially leading to Blue playing for the first time since Week 8.

The 21-year-old has only seen action in four games in 2025 in his first year in the NFL, carrying the ball 22 times for 65 yards while adding one catch for a five-yard gain. The Cowboys essentially benched Blue in favor of Davis after the fifth-rounder lost a fumble in the Week 8 loss to the Denver Broncos. With Davis and Williams out, Blue has skyrocketed as a top waiver wire pickup for fantasy leagues with something to play for still.

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 compliment 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 involve players such as Tank Bigbsy, Jaydon Blue, Luther Burdern III, Colston Loveland, Darius Slayton, Jordan Mason, Parker Washington, Audric Estime, Jaylen Wright, Kevin Austin Jr., Michael Mayer, Jalen McMillan, and Chimere Dike. 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: Tank Bigbsy, Jaydon Blue, Luther Burdern III, Colston Loveland, Darius Slayton, Kevin Austin Jr., Jordan Mason, Parker Washington, Audric Estime, Jaylen Wright, Michael Mayer, Jalen McMillan, and Chimere Dike. 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 Tank Bigbsy, Jaydon Blue, Luther Burdern III, Colston Loveland, Darius Slayton, Jordan Mason, Parker Washington, Audric Estime, Jaylen Wright, Michael Mayer, Jalen McMillan, and Chimere Dike:

More Waiver Wire Analysis