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Last week (and on Tuesday) we had a surprisingly long list of waiver pickups. Today, the opposite is true. That doesn’t mean you should ignore the waiver wire this weekend or for the remainder of the fantasy playoffs. I am still alive in two of my leagues, including the Fantasy Alarm staff league, and in both leagues I was able to find useful players who are significantly owned but have been ignored by my league. In shallow leagues, it may be prudent to go see if Chris Hogan, Doug Martin or Martavis Bryant are available. Even if you can’t use them yourself, you may be able to keep them away from a playoff opponent.
The players below are listed roughly in the order I would seek to add them. Each player is listed along with his ownership percentage in Yahoo! leagues.
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Will Fuller V, WR, HOU (44%) – At the very least, you may want to pick up Fuller so that your opponent cannot use him against you in the fantasy playoffs. Fuller has seven touchdowns on 17 receptions this season, but in his only full game with Tom Savage at quarterback, Fuller caught two of eight targets for 32 yards an zero touchdowns. This should be a good matchup for Houston’s offense, but even if Fuller plays well, it will be difficult to trust him at Jacksonville or home against Pittsburgh the next two weeks.
Andre Ellington, RB, HOU (9%) – Ellington saw snaps at wide receiver last week in his Houston debut, and he could conceivably be the Texans’ No. 3 wide receiver with Bruce Ellington on IR and Braxton Miller yet to practice this week. Ellington could be a sneaky play in deep PPR leagues.
Chester Rogers, WR, IND (0%) – Donte Moncrief still hasn’t practiced this week, and Chester Rogers would likely be the top receiver across from T.Y. Hilton if Moncrief is out. Rogers has at least four targets in three consecutive games, so he may have a pretty high floor in addition to a decent ceiling with Moncrief out.
Eli Rogers, WR, PIT (1%) – With JuJu Smith-Schuster suspended for Week 14, there should be additional snaps and targets for Martavis Bryant and Eli Rogers. Rogers will mostly run out of the slot, which limits his ceiling, but he did catch 48 passes in 13 games last season, so he has some deep PPR appeal.
ArDarius Stewart, WR, NYJ (0%) – Robby Anderson left Thursday’s practice early after aggravating his hamstring, and Stewart would be my pick to get additional targets if Anderson is out. Stewart is a long shot, but the rookie third round pick has the physical tools to possibly take advantage of a bigger workload.
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.