Staying active on the waiver wire is an important way for season-long fantasy owners to improve their teams and get an edge on the competition. Shifts in opportunities for players due to injuries or performance cause value spikes that owners can take advantage of to fill in roster holes to build a championship lineup.
Each week, we will discuss waiver wire targets at each position to consider for both the week ahead and the rest of the fantasy season.
Week 16 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Adds
* Current roster % in home leagues is noted in parentheses (from FantasyPros)
Tyler Shough, QB (New Orleans Saints) (11%)
At this point in the playoffs, waiver wire pickups have a one-week outlook. Tyler Shough would not be a season-long fantasy option at this point in his career, but he plays the Jets this week.
With their defensive cornerstones Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams dealt earlier in the season, New York is reeling down the stretch. They’ve allowed 82 points over the last two weeks to the Jaguars and Dolphins, with Trevor Lawrence lighting them up through the air with 330 passing yards and five touchdowns last week.
Shough is doing his best to win the long-term quarterback role in New Orleans with a respectable 3-4 record as a starter without much complementary firepower. He’s posted just two top-12 fantasy weeks thus far, but this week sets up for a potential breakout game at home in the dome. Shough has rushed at least six times in each of his last four games and had a two-rushing-touchdown game in Week 14. If he can pair that rushing ability with a pair of passing touchdowns, he is a viable fantasy playoff option.
Looking for more fantasy football content? Make sure to check out Sean Koerner’s and Chris Raybon’s weekly fantasy football rankings by subscribing to FantasyLabs’ 2025 fantasy football kit.
Blake Corum, RB (Los Angeles Rams) (42%)
The Rams’ secondary back has been a popular handcuff stash all season to pair with Kyren Williams on fantasy rosters. Blake Corum has asserted himself over the last three weeks as a flex-worthy option in the fantasy playoffs, even in a complementary role.
Corum has three straight impressive outputs in limited work. He ran for 81 yards on seven carries in Week 13, a career-high 128 yards on 12 carries in Week 14, and 71 yards on 11 rushes last week. He scored four touchdowns in that span, with at least one in each game. His 5.5 yards/carry is second in the NFL amongst running backs with 100 carries this season.
Despite the recent success, fantasy owners may consider pumping the brakes a bit this week as the Rams face a difficult Seahawks defense in a massive NFC West matchup. Seattle is third against fantasy running backs this season, and Corum has yet to show viability in the Los Angeles passing game. Even if he stays on the bench for Week 16, Corum is still a good grab for teams that could potentially have Week 17 matchups.
Luther Burden III, WR (Chicago Bears) (21%)
The Bears rookie remains an excellent waiver pickup this week as he continues to see an increased workload with Rome Odunze out of the lineup. Luther Burden III tallied a career-high six catches on seven targets for 84 yards in the Bears’ rout of the Browns last week.
Burden III has drawn at least six targets in each of the last three games but has only found the end zone once (in Week 3) during his rookie campaign. Could that big breakout game be on the way this week against Green Bay?
Odunze’s foot injury could certainly keep him out another week. If so, Burden III is a sneaky flex option for fantasy playoff teams. He has a relatively high floor and proved plenty of high upside potential during his college career at Missouri that could show itself on a big-time stage this week.
Dalton Schultz, TE (Houston Texans) (49%)
Dalton Schultz will likely not be the reason fantasy owners win their playoff matchups this week, but scoring enough to not lose the game at the tight end position has a lot of value this season with the state of the position.
The Texans continue to improve in the AFC playoff race, and Schultz continues to be a trusted target for CJ Stroud in the short and intermediate routes. He caught eight of nine targets for 76 yards and his second touchdown of the season in Week 15.
Since Houston’s Week 6 bye, Schultz has had at least eight targets in six of nine games. He has finished no worse than TE13 amongst fantasy tight ends in those weeks. Schultz is a high-floor, low-ceiling fantasy option off the waiver wire. The Raiders have been surprisingly good against tight ends this season, but that’s largely because opposing offenses have had plenty of success in other areas. Expect plenty of scoring opportunities for Houston and Schultz.
New Orleans Saints, D/ST (15%)
Defense is about matchups in fantasy football. The Saints likely have the best matchup in this league this week against the New York Jets and their revolving door of mediocre quarterbacks. Brady Cook got the start last week for New York and tossed three balls to Jacksonville defenders during the game.
Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor are both still nursing injuries, and Aaron Glenn has yet to announce a starter for Week 16. The Saints’ defense has played better over the last month and a half, holding teams to 24 points or less in each of their last five games. They’ve only averaged two sacks and one takeaway over their last four games, but that could easily change this week in a plus matchup.
Pictured: Tyler Shough
Photo Credit: Imagn
