Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 18: Top Free Agent Adds Include Treylon Burks, Jahan Dotson, Richie James, Kadarius Toney

January 3, 2023

Justin Carter's fantasy football wide receiver waiver wire pickups for Week 18 of the 2022 NFL season. His free agent WRs to add, stream and stash off waivers.

It's Week 18. You shouldn't be playing season-long fantasy football. For some reason, a small sliver of you are though, so...I guess I'm here to give you advice on some wide receivers you might want to play.

Below, you'll find some wide receivers that you should be targeting on the fantasy football waiver wire ahead of Week 18. Not all of these waiver wire options are the same. Some players may be better in PPR or deeper leagues, so it’s not a one-size-fits-all comparison. Use your best judgment when deciding which of these players is the right fit for your roster.

Be sure to also check out our Waiver Wire Adds for Week 18 for help at all the skill positions. All players on this list here are around 50% rostered or below.

Wide Receivers Fantasy Football Waiver Wire

Treylon Burks, Tennessee Titans - 41% rostered

The Titans started Joshua Dobbs instead of Malik Willis at quarterback this week, and it resulted in the passing attack actually doing some things. Burks benefitted from that, as he was targeted eight times, hauling in four of those for 66 yards. In contrast, the game before that saw Burks targeted twice, but failing to catch either.

The math here on Burks is simple: if Malik Willis starts, do NOT play Treylon Burks with a fantasy title on the line. If Dobbs starts, then Burks is a really intriguing upside play.

Jahan Dotson, Washington Commanders - 41% rostered

Dotson was a popular waiver add this week, and then he posted a disappointing three catches for 37 yards.

But here's the thing: that's Carson Wentz's fault. And after how bad Wentz was this week, I can't imagine he starts in a meaningless Week 18 game. Maybe we'll see the first action for rookie Sam Howell? And maybe, with the game not meaning anything, we'll see Washington play it safe with their best wideout, Terry McLaurin, leading to more opportunities for Dotson? Obviously, a lot of "ifs" there, but in Week 18, you have to get a little speculative.

Richie James, New York Giants - 18% rostered

James has been really good lately. This week, he caught all seven of his targets for 76 yards and a touchdown, and he now has at least four catches and 40 yards in four consecutive games.

I would be higher on James if it wasn't for the fact that the Giants have already locked up a playoff spot and have nothing to play for next week, while they'll be facing an Eagles team—in Philly—that's playing for the one seed. Will the Giants take it easy, and maybe rotate in their backup receivers more, which limits James' upside? It's a definite possibility, which is why I have James third in these waiver wire rankings instead of first.

Robert Woods, Tennessee Titans - 39% rostered

Going to keep this short: the argument for picking up and playing Woods this week is essentially the same as the argument for Burks, only I think Woods is slightly less appealing, even though he found the end zone in Week 17.

K.J. Osborn, Minnesota Vikings - 11% rostered

Osborn is so boom or bust. This week, he caught seven passes for 59 yards and a touchdown. Last week: three for 17. The week before: 10 for 157 and a score.

The upside is definitely there for Osborn, but the Vikings have a lot of mouths to feed, which makes it tough to trust him. Still, he's a little bit better of a boom/bust play than the next guy on our list is, since he's had more booms.

Kadarius Toney, Kansas City Chiefs - 28% rostered

Toney led the Chiefs in receiving yards on Sunday, catching four passes for 71 yards. Kansas City will be playing for the No. 1 seed in the AFC next week, and while Toney's risky based on his numbers so far this season, Week 17 suggests that his role is growing. He's a boom/bust WR4 option for you, with more boom potential than a lot of other guys on the wire, but also a lot more bust potential as well.

Parris Campbell, Indianapolis Colts - 30% rostered

Campbell's 52 yards were his most since Week 11. I don't think he's really a great play, but he probably has some guaranteed volume, which is rare for players who are still on the waiver wire at this point. If I'm playing for a fantasy title in a league with multiple flex spots and I'm dealing with injuries, I might fire up Campbell.

(Note: I'm not playing any Week 18 games, so the scenario described above is purely a work of fiction.)

Wide Receiver Deeper League Waiver Wire Pickups

Greg Dortch, Arizona Cardinals - 10% rostered

The Cardinals—who have reached the "starting David Blough" part of this lost season—have crashed. But Greg Dortch, a waiver wire hero over the first three weeks of this season who then subsequently saw his role basically vanish, has done some interesting things late in this season. He's been targeted 21 times over the last two games, for instance. He didn't do much with this week's 10 targets, catching four passes for just 15 yards, but in a deep league, you probably aren't finding someone else who's available in 90% of leagues and can get double-digit targets.

Isaiah Hodgins, New York Giants - 9% rostered

Hodgins found the end zone for the second week in a row, catching four passes for 42 yards and a touchdown. He's low-key a possible Week 18 league winner if the Giants rest starters because Hodgins probably wouldn't be considered a starter and would get a ton of snaps. But also...the chances of him being a league winner are probably about the same as his current rate of rostership, which is nine percent. Probably makes more sense as a DFS value play.

Marvin Jones Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars - 8% rostered

The Jags are in a must-win situation in Week 18: beat the Titans, and Trevor Lawrence and company are heading to the postseason.

Jones was targeted seven times in Sunday's win over Houston, catching six of those for 61 yards. It was his best yardage total since Week 5. He's the fourth option in this passing game, but he's still a viable boom/bust play.

Shi Smith, Carolina Panthers - 0% rostered

It's weird how much better the Panthers' offense is with Sam Darnold throwing the football. That's part of how Smith ended up catching four passes for 70 yards and a touchdown this week: the offense just played well, and that trickled down to Smith. Not sure he can do it again, but he does have two touchdowns in the last four games.

Tyquan Thornton, New England Patriots - 1% rostered

The rookie saw his most work of the season on Sunday, as he was targeted seven times, catching three of those for 60 yards. Thornton can burn a defense, or at least he could at Baylor. With his role growing lately, Thornton is someone you can throw a dart at in Week 18 if you're desperate.

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Advice