Fantasy Football All-Waiver Wire Team: Michael Wilson, Matthew Stafford among best pickups in 2025 season

1 week ago 2

The fantasy football waiver wire is where seasons can be won and lost. And it doesn't matter if it's Week 1 or Week 12, grabbing a player off the wire can change the entire complexion and performance of your roster. As we look back on the 2025 fantasy season, there were plenty of notable waiver wire adds who helped managers to a championship.

Below, we're going to go over the best pickups of the season in our All-Waiver Wire team.

Quarterbacks

Matthew Stafford, Rams (12% drafted)

Stafford may have lost out on his chance to win an actual MVP award but he was arguably the most valuable QB in fantasy relative to expectations. Stafford went nearly undrafted in the preseason as concerns over his back injury scared off managers. He shook off those concerns to finish as the QB5 in fantasy points per game (20.7) while placing second in the NFL in passing yards (4,448) and first in TD passes (42). Stafford proved that pure pocket passers can still thrive in fantasy in a QB landscape riddled with signal callers who offer rushing upside.

Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars (41% drafted)

If you were in a deeper format, chances are Lawrence would have been drafted. But he was widely available on waiver wires in many leagues and finished the fantasy season as the QB6 in points per game at 20.4, just behind Stafford. Lawrence was particularly great toward the end of the season and into the fantasy playoffs, averaging 33.2 points from Weeks 15-17.

It took a bit, but Lawrence got comfortable in Liam Coen's offense while also developing chemistry with WR Jakobi Meyers after a mid-season trade. Lawrence just cracked the top 10 in terms of players who helped managers win a championship in 2025.

Honorable Mention: Jaxson Dart, Giants

Running Backs

Rico Dowdle, Panthers (5% drafted)

Carolina starting RB Chuba Hubbard went down after Week 4 and Dowdle wasted no time making his presence felt in the fantasy community. He was thrust into the lead back role, a job he was no stranger to from his days in Dallas. Dowdle exploded for 234 total yards on 26 touches with a touchdown for 30.9 fantasy points in Week 5 versus the Dolphins. He'd post a second game of over 30 fantasy points, and score double-digit points in six of seven games from Weeks 5-11 before fizzling out.

While managers likely weren't happy with how Dowdle finished the season, overall, he registered as the RB20 in fantasy points per game.

Kenneth Gainwell, Steelers (2% drafted)

Managers likely only drafted Gainwell as an insurance policy if they had Jaylen Warren. Well, it turned out that Gainwell had standalone value no one saw coming. He was among the best receiving backs in the NFL, finishing the fantasy season with 65 receptions for 422 yards and three receiving scores. Gainwell nearly clocked in as a top-25 RB in fantasy overall (RB26). He also performed well down the stretch in the fantasy playoffs, scoring 52.6 total points over Weeks 14-16.

Honorable Mentions: Blake Corum, Rams; Kareem Hunt, Chiefs; Woody Marks, Texans

Wide Receivers

Michael Wilson, Cardinals (0% drafted)

The fantasy dictionary likely has a picture of Wilson under the term "league-winner" after his performance late in 2025. A non-factor in pretty much every game leading up to Arizona's Week 8 bye, Wilson took off from there, thanks largely due to injuries to Marvin Harrison Jr. (appendectomy/heel). After posting modest numbers in Weeks 9 and 10, Wilson exploded for a 15-185-0 line in Week 11 versus the Niners.

He would post WR2, WR10, WR50, WR2, WR19, WR22 and WR7 finishes from Weeks 11-17. Wilson built up plenty of chemistry with backup QB Jacoby Brissett, finding the end zone five times over the last four games of the fantasy season. He ranked fifth on the list of players to show up on title teams on Yahoo. All of that production in the second half helped Wilson finish as the WR16 overall in fantasy.

Wan'Dale Robinson, Giants (4% drafted)

Robinson may have just posted the quietest back-to-back seasons of 90+ catches in fantasy football history. And while he wasn't able to justify much draft stock going into 2025, he's proved himself a worthy pick going into 2026. Despite a shaky offense and instability at QB, Robinson was able to turn in a WR21 finish in fantasy this season, thanks to 92 catches on 140 targets for 1,014 yards and four TDs. He had a strong finish in Week 17 in PPR formats, with 11 catches for 113 yards against the Raiders. Robinson should be a trendy sleeper pick for 2026.

Honorable Mentions: Quentin Johnston, Chargers; Troy Franklin, Broncos; Alec Pierce, Colts

Tight Ends

Harold Fannin Jr., Browns (4% drafted)

There was a bit of pre-draft hype surrounding the rookie out of Bowling Green despite being behind David Njoku on the tight end depth chart in Cleveland. Njoku was mired by injuries most of the 2025 campaign but even when he was healthy, Fannin was still the preferred option at TE for the Browns. He finished the fantasy season as the TE5 in total points at his position and TE9 in fantasy points per game (9.4).

He garnered early appeal off the waiver wire after scoring 10.1 fantasy points in the opener and was a consistent option all season at a position where consistency lacked. Fannin also came through in the fantasy playoffs with his best two performances coming in Week 14 (21.4 points) and Week 16 (17.5).

Honorable Mentions: Juwan Johnson, Saints; AJ Barner, Seahawks; Dalton Schultz, Texans

Read Entire Article