Hopefully you are still alive this week but don’t need to look at the waiver wire. Of course, if you rode Antonio Brown, Rex Burkhead, Marqise Lee or Davante Adams to the fantasy playoffs, you may need a replacement this week. Unfortunately, it seems like everyone is owned in more than 50 percent of leagues, but there are some interesting players like Martavis Bryant, Randall Cobb and Blake Bortles who are owned in fewer than 60 percent. I would look for those players first before targeting the players below.
The waiver adds listed below include their ownership in Yahoo! fantasy leagues as well as the amount in FAAB I would be willing to spend out of a $100 budget.
10-Team League Waiver Adds
Nick Foles, QB, PHI (28%) – Foles threw four touchdowns Sunday, and while that feels fluky, he could easily get a couple more this week against a weak Oakland defense.
Kendall Wright, WR, CHI (4%) – Over the last two weeks, Wright has 20 receptions on 24 targets for 188 yards. He isn’t particularly good, but he has good hands, and there is no reason to believe Mitchell Trubisky will look elsewhere this week against Cleveland.
Arizona Cardinals DEF (44%) – I’m still not sure how the Giants managed to score 29 points against the Eagles last week, but they will almost certainly have a tougher time against the Cardinals. Eli Manning is always a candidate to throw a couple of interceptions, and none of his weapons are scary.
Eric Ebron, TE, DET (43%) – Ebron will probably turn into a pumpkin sooner or later, but he has at least 6.5 fantasy points in eight consecutive games, including 15 receptions over his last two games.
12-Team Leagues
Wayne Gallman, RB, NYG (5%) – Gallman has finally gotten a chance to shine, leading the Giants’ running backs in touches each of the last two weeks. Shane Vereen and Orleans Darkwa continue to limit his value, but he has 13 receptions over the last two games, which gives him an awfully high floor in PPR leagues.
Jesse James, TE, PIT (24%) – He was one terrible call away from having a second consecutive productive fantasy game, and his volume could increase with Antonio Brown out.
Chicago Bears DEF (26%) – The Bears have held the 49ers, Bengals and Lions to a combined 42 points over the last three weeks, and Cleveland’s offense isn’t any better than those three. I actually think the Browns could avoid a winless season this week, but you can’t pass up a solid defense facing the turnover machine that is DeShone Kizer.
Mike Gillislee, RB, NE (27%) – I don’t know why his ownership is so high, but I suppose anyone who wasted a high draft pick on Gillislee was probably out of contention so early that it wasn’t even worth dropping him. That being said, Gillislee has a chance to regain his early down and goal line job if Rex Burkhead is out, and that could have significant value.
14+ Team Leagues
Eli Rogers, WR, PIT (1%) – I obviously prefer JuJu Smith-Schuster and Martavis Bryant, but they are both owned in more than 50 percent of leagues. If you lost Antonio Brown in a deep league, Eli Rogers could be a solid alternative, especially in PPR leagues.
Antonio Gates, TE, LAC (14%) – Remember him? Hunter Henry has a small laceration on his kidney, which would pave the way for more snaps and targets for Antonio Gates. He caught his only target for a touchdown last week, and if nothing else, he could still be a red zone target.
Kapri Bibbs, RB, WAS (0%) – Bibbs caught all four of his targets and scored a touchdown Sunday in his first game of the season. Washington hasn’t had a pass-catching back since Chris Thompson went down, and Bibbs could have a lot of value in that role going forward.
Player News
Seahawks exercised the fifth-year option on OT Charles Cross.
Cross now remains tied to the organization through the 2026 season. PFF gave the towering 24-year-old tackle exemplary marks in 2024, ranking him 10th of 140 qualified tackles, including 15th in pass protection and 16th in run blocking. The Seahawks extend the negotiating window on one of the key pieces of their offensive front.
Browns signed WR Diontae Johnson to a one-year contract.
The former Steeler wasn’t able to carve out a significant role with the Panthers, Ravens, or Texans in 2024 after seemingly breaking out in Pittsburgh. The Browns apparently saw enough during his visit with the team Monday to sign him to a one-year contract, the details of which have yet to be released. Expect Johnson to start opposite Cedric Tillman on the perimeter while Jerry Jeudy works the slot.
ESPN’s Field Yates reports Browns placed the unrestricted free agent tender on WR Elijah Moore.
Moore visited the Bills on Monday and then saw the Browns place the unrestricted free agent tender on him. Per Field Yates, this means that Moore will count against the compensatory free agent formula should he sign with another team. He’ll play on the tender if he returns to the Browns, which carries a value of $3.428 million for wide receivers in 2025.
Fox Sports’ Jordan Szhultz reports Packers signed LB/S Isaiah Simmons, formerly of the Giants.
The former first-round hybrid linebacker and safety has yet to live up to his No. 8 overall selection in the 2020 draft, but brings the unique ability to fill multiple positions over the middle of the field to a Packers defense that prefers to play a more inside-out style. There is upside in his athletic profile and versatility - perhaps another change of scenery will serve to unlock some of that potential.
Steelers signed WR Robert Woods, formerly of the Texans, to a one-year, $2 million contract.
The 33-year-old wide receiver has long since seen his days of 100-target seasons fall by the wayside, but he still adds a veteran presence to a relatively young wide receiver room in Pittsburgh. Woods played over 60% of the offensive snaps for the Texans just twice in 2024 after doing so 13 times in 2023, indicating a high likelihood he was brought in for his locker room presence and veteran savvy rather than as a consistent contributor to the offense. The low risk signing makes sense for both parties considering Woods’ age and the state of the Pittsburgh pass-catching corps.
KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reports the Browns met with free agent WR Diontae Johnson.
Johnson had a forgettable 2024, to put it mildly. The former Steelers receiver saw himself traded to the Panthers last offseason only to later be traded to the Ravens, where his lack of playing time eventually led to his release. He then found his way to the wide receiver-needy Texans, who rostered him for just over three weeks. He was then claimed off waivers by the Ravens but was not eligible to play during the postseason. Now a free agent, Johnson, 28, has not enjoyed the market many expected him to see this time last year. He’s a productive receiver who has amassed 424 catches for 4,738 yards and 28 touchdowns in his six-year career, but it goes without saying that he’s likely in brand rebuilding mode as far as this offseason is concerned. It’s hard to imagine any team giving him a lucrative contract after last year’s disastrous campaign. That said, Johnson could still still provide help to plenty of needy teams and could prove to be a valuable contributor at a cost-efficient price. This is the first visit we’ve heard of for Johnson, who may meet with other teams before signing.