Early Waiver Wire Winners for Fantasy Football

The players who go undrafted in your Fantasy Football draft land on the waiver wire, which holds these players in your league. League settings can vary in how you acquire players from the waiver wire, which is important to know before the season begins. There is always so much value that ends up on the waiver wire through the season, so picking these players up can have a huge benefit in pushing you towards a championship.

Here are some players who were waiver wire options just last season, who had huge Fantasy Football impacts. ADP = average draft position, so where they were being drafted before the season started:

• Jauan Jennings – ADP of 308 vs. 14 Fantasy PPG (points per game)
• Jordan Mason – ADP of 199 vs. 9.6 Fantasy PPG (had several major weeks)
• Jonnu Smith – ADP of 217 vs. 13.1 Fantasy PPG
• Tyrone Tracy Jr. – ADP of 211 vs. 10.1 Fantasy PPG (big weeks)
• Sam Darnold – ADP of 223 vs. 18.8 Fantasy PPG
• Bucky Irving – ADP of 181 vs. 14.4 Fantasy PPG

Fighting for players on the waiver wire can mean competing for a player vs. eight, nine, 10, or 11 of your league mates during the season. We are not considering this in this article. The purpose of this piece will be to identify those waiver wire players that could have big 2025 Fantasy Football impacts now, so you can beat the waiver wire rush later.

Identifying these waiver wire impacts now can mean making sure you select impactful players at the end of your draft or pick them up here in August before the season. I will look at players currently being drafted outside the Top 200 players. This sort of early, actionable move can mean giving you a league edge for the year to come. So here are my early “Waiver Wire Winners” to either consider drafting or picking up in your Fantasy Football drafts before your league mates do.

Early Waiver Wire Winners for Fantasy Football

Tre Harris, WR for LAC

ADP: 202 Overall

The Chargers selected Tre Harris in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Ole Miss. Harris finished three straight college seasons, ranging from 935-1,030 receiving yards, and his 128.8 receiving yards per game led the nation in 2024. Harris is a deep-ball threat with elite ball tracking, has alignment versatility, solid field awareness, great catch radius, and a physical presence. These traits add up to Fantasy upside.

Ladd McConkey is coming off a huge rookie season, and veteran Keenan Allen is back in town, but Harris can carve out a consistent role and make some big plays for Justin Herbert in his rookie season. Think back to the Mike Williams splash Fantasy weeks tied to Herbert, and envision it is now Harris making these types of plays. We should shoot for upside late in our Fantasy drafts, and Harris is an upside receiver.

Chig Okonkwo, TE for TEN

ADP: 213 Overall

Chig Okonkwo has played all 17 games for three consecutive seasons, finishing with 450, 528, and 479 receiving yards in those years. He has consistently received over 70 targets in the last two seasons, indicating a sticky role within the offense. Chig has scored more than 13 Fantasy Points six times across his three seasons, with his performances tied to quarterbacks Will Levis, Mason Rudolph, Ryan Tannehill, and Malik Willis.

In the 2025 NFL Draft, the Titans selected Cam Ward out of Miami with the first overall pick to take on the starting quarterback role. In 2024, Ward finished with 4,313 passing yards and 39 passing touchdowns. Meanwhile, rookie tight end Elijah Arroyo for the Seahawks finished last season with 590 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, tied to Ward.

While Calvin Ridley is clearly the number one target for the Titans’ offense, the number two role is still up for grabs. The competition for targets includes veteran Tyler Lockett, Van Jefferson, and rookies Chimere Dike, Elic Ayomanor, and Xavier Restrepo. Chig has the potential to compete for the second target role alongside a gunslinger like Ward, a clear quarterback upgrade. This could be a sneaky breakout.

Demario Douglas, WR for NE

ADP: 215 Overall

Across the last two seasons, Demario Douglas has ranked second (87) and first (79) in targets for the Patriots. This shows “Pop” has had a clear role and importance to the team. In his 2024 sophomore season, Douglas was top five in slot snaps, and while his 5.9 average depth of target ranked outside the top 100 for the position, he did finish top 25 in yards after the catch. That is a playmaking emphasis.

Douglas finished he year with 67 catches for 621 yards, scored three touchdowns, and averaged 8.8 Fantasy PPG. While the Patriots did add Stefon Diggs and rookie Kyle Williams this offseason as target competition, Douglas’ slot role should remain. Former 2024 first-round selection Drake Maye will enter his first season as a full-time starter and could certainly be the best NFL quarterback Douglas has played with. New Head Coach Mike Vrabel named Douglas one of the offseason winners, which could reflect some trust and progress in the third-year wide receiver.

Justice Hill, RB for BAL

ADP: 217 Overall

Even with the dominant first-year presence of Derrick Henry, Justice Hill found a role with the Ravens last season. While Hill’s rushing attempts significantly decreased, his pass-catching numbers were career-highs. 51 targets (#20), 42 receptions (#14), 383 receiving yards (#11), and four total touchdowns meant Fantasy-impactful weeks. Those weeks included scores of 11.5 (Week 1), 21.6 (Week 4), 13.8 (Week 7), 14.2 (Week 12), and 17.8 (Week 15) Fantasy Points. Hill’s snap share was over 41% in 2024, and he should continue to play his pass-catching role as a complement to Derrick Henry in 2025.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB for WAS

ADP: 218 Overall

As I type this, I know the ADP is going to greatly shift for Jacory Croskey-Merritt, since the hype has been increasing steadily. JCM was selected in the seventh round by the Commanders in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Arizona. JCM only played in one game due to “eligibility issues” in 2024, but back in 2023, he rushed 189 times for 1,190 yards and scored 17 touchdowns through 12 games for New Mexico. JCM has cut quickness, high acceleration, contact balance, and competes on his runs. JCM has had a great preseason both at camp and in the games, and now there are rumors that the Commanders are looking to shop Brian Robinson Jr., which would be a huge opportunity for JCM to instantly step into volume.

Kyle Williams, WR for NE

ADP: 235 Overall

The Patriots selected Kyle Williams in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Washington State. In 2024, Williams ranked fourth in the FBS with 14 receiving touchdowns and eighth in receiving yards with 1,198. Williams has 4.4 speed, separates deep, tracks the big-ball well, finishes explosive plays, and is dynamic with the ball in his hands. Looking at the Patriots’ wide receivers, Stefon Diggs profiles as the alpha, Demario Douglas as the reliable slot, but Williams can offer the field-stretching role to Drake Maye that can result in plenty of Fantasy upside instantly. Williams has received camp praise from Head Coach Mike Vrabel and has plenty of clips with some big catches.

Joshua Palmer, WR for BUF

ADP: 237 Overall

Joshua Palmer spent four seasons with the Chargers, but then he was signed this offseason to a three-year deal with the Bills. Since 2021, Palmer has had 14 weeks of 13+ Fantasy Points, 7 weeks of 15+ Fantasy Points, 3 straight seasons with over 580 receiving yards and 15+ yards per catch the last two seasons. The Bills’ “Most exciting newcomer on offense” through training camp has a huge opportunity to secure a role with Josh Allen for 2025. I am a big Khalil Shakir fan, who is currently banged up, but the pass-catching roles in this offense are definitely wide open for this coming season. Think back to the Gabriel Davis days of sporadic Josh Allen big plays, and that is what Palmer can be on a more consistent level.

Tory Horton, WR for SEA

ADP: 240 Overall

The Seahawks selected Tory Horton in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Colorado State. In 2024, Horton played just six games due to a knee injury, but the year prior, he ranked fifth in the FBS with 96 catches and produced 1,136 yards and eight receiving touchdowns in 12 games. Horton has great instincts, high athletic abilities, quick feet, and tracks the ball downfield well. Horton has been having a solid camp and preseason, already earning a role in Seattle as their WR3 behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba and newcomer Cooper Kupp. Kupp has not played more than 12 games for three straight seasons, which is important to note here.

Mason Taylor, TE for NYJ

ADP: 249 Overall

Mason Taylor is the only tight end in LSU history to record 100+ catches and 1,000+ receiving yards through their career. Taylor is a solid athlete at 6’5″, 251 pounds, can execute a wider variety of routes, adjusts to throws well, has solid catch focus, handles blocking duties, and has good body control as a tight end who is still growing. The Jets selected Taylor in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Garrett Wilson earned 154 targets last season, Davante Adams 114 (11 games), and then the next target earner for the Jets was running back Breece Hall at 76.

Looking at the depth chart for the Jets for 2025, Adams is gone, and the target competition outside of Wilson is Josh Reynolds, Allen Lazard, sophomore Malachi Corley, and rookie Arian Smith. This is an extremely weak depth chart for the pass-catchers. New Jets QB1 Justin Fields had a strong Chicago connection with Cole Kmet via 133 catches for 1,384 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns through 40 games, according to StatMuse. Taylor has an opportunity to not only become a consistent target as a rookie in this Jets offense but to potentially earn the #2 target role behind Garrett Wilson in 2025, which makes him one of my favorite tight end sleepers.

Dont’e Thornton Jr., WR for LV

ADP: 253 Overall

The Raiders selected Dont’e Thornton Jr. in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Tennessee. Thornton’s size + speed combination is extremely appealing as a 6’5 receiver with 4.3 speed. Thornton is coming off a 2024 season where he led the FBS with 25.4 yards per reception, which speaks to his profile as a vertically explosive receiver. Thornton has done a solid job this offseason working with the 1’s and making big plays at camp. If Thornton can carve out a consistent role behind Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers, he can have some FLEX appeal depending on the state of the Raiders’ offense in 2025.

Brashard Smith, RB for KC

ADP: 279 Overall

The Chiefs selected Brashard Smith in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of SMU. In 2024, Smith ranked fourth in the FBS with 1,977 scrimmage yards through 14 games played. Smith is an agile back who was a former wide receiver, which has enabled him to have the skillset of a pass-catching running back.

There have been plenty of offseason clips of Smith making plays for the Chiefs in camp, and while Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, and Elijah Mitchell make that backfield look crowded, Smith may offer the pass-catching skillset this list of names does not. There is a wide range of outcomes for the rookie, from low-end being cut to high-end having a consistent pass-catching role, but Fantasy Football is all about risk and taking shots before others catch wind.

Tahj Brooks, RB for CIN

ADP: 282 Overall

Tahj Brooks rushed 290 times for 1,538 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2023, and caught 29 passes for 72 yards. In 2024, Brooks rushed 286 times for 1,505 yards and 17 touchdowns, and caught 28 balls for 199 yards and a receiving touchdown. Only Ashton Jeanty (first-round selection by the Raiders) and Omarion Hampton (first-round selection by the Chargers) averaged more rushing yards per game than Brooks in 2024. Brooks has a powerful 214-pound base, forces tackles with quick cuts, and has proven to be able to handle a large workload.  The Bengals drafted Brooks in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Zack Moss was released this offseason, and Brooks has a true chance to create more of a one-two punch with Chase Brown for the Bengals than what they implemented last year. Brown should lead the team in touches, but Brooks can factor in for some short-yardage and red zone work as well.

Diontae Johnson, WR for CLE

ADP: 302 Overall

Many people may oppose this pick due to recency bias, as Diontae Johnson has switched teams and played only 25 games in the past two seasons. However, does this mean he is not good at football? Absolutely not. It’s important to consider his overall resume. From 2020-2022, DJ had seasons of 144, 169, and 147 targets that resulted in 88, 107, and 86 catches for 923, 1,161, and 882 receiving yards. During this stretch, Johnson had seasons of 14.8 (2020) and 17.2 (2023) Fantasy PPG. Clear Fantasy Football impacts. Johnson lands on a Cleveland offense this offseason that has Jerry Jeudy and David Njoku, with veteran Joe Flacco named the starter. If I trust someone to take on a significant role, it is the player with a history of Fantasy relevance. Diontae’s ADP being what it is could look like the biggest joke in a month.