• QB Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers: Purdy outscored all quarterbacks by 12.7 fantasy points in Weeks 16 and 17.

• TE Jake Tonges, San Francisco 49ers: Tonges finished as the overall TE3 in Week 17.

• 2026 NFL Draft season is here: Try the best-in-class PFF Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2026’s top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.

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The article below breaks down common waiver wire pickups that won fantasy football leagues in 2025. Qualifying waiver wire additions discussed previously in Biggest deciders of the 2025 season are excluded from this piece. Weeks 1-17 and half-points-per-reception (half-PPR) scoring are used by default, unless otherwise specified.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy bounced back from a recurring Week 1 turf toe injury, finishing as the overall QB1 in Weeks 16 and 17. He notched the overall QB4 finish post-bye in Week 15 as well.

Purdy’s late-season heroics may have singlehandedly won fantasy football championships. Among 35 NFL quarterbacks with at least 25 offensive snaps in Weeks 16-17, Purdy’s 94.5 PFF offense grade ranked first.

Purdy’s turf toe injury sidelined him in Weeks 2-3 and 5-10. The 49ers were on bye in Week 14, creating opportunities throughout the season for active managers to add him off the waiver wire.

He scored 69.8 fantasy points in Weeks 16-17 and was the only player among NFL quarterbacks during that span to clear 58.0. Among 36 NFL quarterbacks with at least 10 dropbacks in Weeks 16-17, Purdy tied for seventh in completions (49), ranked fifth in passing yards (598) and big-time throw rate (8.6%) and first in passing touchdowns (eight), while grading out as the best passer (93.7 PFF passing grade).

Among 15 NFL quarterbacks with at least 10 dropbacks in Weeks 16-17, Purdy tied for 11th in rushing attempts (eight) and second in rushing touchdowns (two), plus ranked fifth in missed tackles forced per rushing attempt (0.25) and third in yards after contact per rushing attempt (5.3).

Aided by increased downfield usage, New York Giants slot receiver Wan’Dale Robinson banked WR13 results this season. It is his first time in four years finishing better than as a WR4. Robinson’s 70.2 PFF offense grade is the second-best among his four NFL seasons.

PFF’s Nathan Jahnke smartly labeled Robinson a “top waiver option” after his Week 4 Thursday Night Football game against the Dallas Cowboys. Robinson caught 92 of 131 targets for 1,014 receiving yards and four touchdowns this season.

Robinson excitingly maintained his high-end target-earning ability and post-catch productivity despite the role change. 

Robinson’s 2025 receiving data and his corresponding prior career best, full-season data points

Robinson’s 16 missed tackles forced tied for sixth among 32 NFL wide receivers with at least 89 targets in Weeks 1-17. His 4.3 yards after the catch per reception ranked 17th.

Robinson should again produce fantasy-friendly results in his 2026, age-25 season, thanks to his newfound downfield route-running abilities.

A Week 18, 2024 ACL tear sidelined Green Bay Packers No. 1 wide receiver Christian Watson until Week 8, 2025. He finished as the half-PPR Weeks 8-17 overall WR9. His 83.2 PFF offense grade is a career high among his four NFL seasons. 

Watson was only draftable for re-draft teams possessing an injured reserve spot. He makes a case for being the most valuable mid-season waiver wire addition at the position. 

Watson’s receiving data among 31 NFL wide receivers with at least 50 targets in Weeks 8-17

Watson enters a contract year in 2026 and can be viewed as a borderline WR1/2 candidate.

Los Angeles Chargers second-year running back Kimani Vidal established himself as a capable contributor and high-upside fill-in starter this season, finishing as the Weeks 6-14 RB17 with Chargers first-round rookie running back Omarion Hampton sidelined by a left ankle fracture. Vidal improved his play, garnering a 73.2 PFF offense grade in 2025 after recording a 55.8 grade as a rookie. Meanwhile, Hampton posted a 77.3 offense grade.

Hampton notably rested in Week 18 and played sparingly in his team’s wild-card loss to the New England Patriots due to a right ankle sprain. A neck injury sidelined Vidal in Week 17.

Vidal, 5-foot-8, 218 pounds, encouragingly handled a featured workload with Hampton sidelined in Weeks 6-14 — notching four finishes in the overall RB3-RB9 range.

Vidal’s offensive touch data

Vidal proved himself as a capable contributor and high-upside fill-in starter.

As detailed in Biggest deciders of the 2025 season, San Francisco 49ers No.1 tight end George Kittle missed Weeks 2-6 due to a hamstring strain and Week 17 due to an ankle sprain. 49ers No. 2 tight end Jake Tonges played well enough during Kittle’s hamstring-related absences to warrant streaming TE1 consideration in Week 17 championship games, where he scored 15.5 half-PPR points en route to that week’s overall TE3 finish. Kittle played to a 90.7 PFF offense grade this season, while Tonges earned a 74.5 offense grade.

Kittle, 32, unfortunately ruptured his right Achilles tendon in his team’s wild-card win over the Philadelphia Eagles — clouding his career outlook beyond this season.

Tonges finished outside the positional top 24 in Weeks 2 and 3 before respectively placing as the overall TE6, TE9 and TE15 in Weeks 4-6. Among 13 NFL tight ends with at least 15 targets in Weeks 4-6, Tonges ranked 11th in target rate (19.6%), seventh in YPRR (1.47), fifth in receiving yards (157), tied for fourth in receptions (16), touchdowns (two) and explosive pass plays (three), third in targets (21) and second in yards after the catch per reception (5.8).

He caught seven of eight targets for 60 receiving yards and one touchdown against the Chicago Bears in Week 17 in the third-highest-graded receiving performance (79.9 PFF receiving grade) among his three NFL seasons. Tonges likely contributed to Week 17 championship wins for active fantasy football managers.