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Craig's tight end (TE) fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 16 of 2025. His top TE fantasy football pickups, free agents to add, tight end streamers.
Bye weeks are no longer a problem for fantasy footballers. Just injuries, disappointing performances, and a lack of targets.
If you are reading this column, your fantasy squad is either in the thick of your league’s playoffs or you just really love my writing style. You probably do not need a tight end if your team was talented enough to make the playoffs, and maybe your league rules prohibit you from picking one up anyway. But if you need a tight end this week to help you achieve your goal of winning your league, I am here to help!
Here are the top candidates to pick up on fantasy waiver wires heading into Week 16, starting with the top tight end on the hottest team in the NFL.
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Tight End Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 16
Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans
Dalton Schultz continues to provide fantasy bang for the buck in PPR leagues. He has caught at least six passes in five of his past seven games heading into the pivotal Week 16. Schultz is fourth among tight ends in receptions, yet is somehow available in many leagues because he does not score enough (two TDs) and does not do enough with his catches (9.3 YPC).
7️⃣ ➡️ 8️⃣6️⃣#ProBowlVote + Dalton Schultz
📺 : @nflonfox pic.twitter.com/7Xk3URAf6R
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) December 14, 2025
This is balderdash to me. You know who Schultz plays this week? Home to the 2-12 Las Vegas Raiders, who have totally given up. You know who he plays in Week 18, a week that some fantasy leagues still consider important? The 31st-ranked pass defense of the reeling Indianapolis Colts.
Pick up Schultz, and at worst, he will provide four catches for 35 yards. That is the worst-case scenario, and that scenario will not lose you a fantasy playoff game. More likely, he will have six catches for 55 yards and possibly more, and possibly a score. He is my TE1 on waiver wires this week!
Other Tight Ends to Consider Adding
Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns
You have to hand it to Harold Fannin Jr. He has proved that he does not need an experienced Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback throwing to him to be a fantasy force. He just needed to convince his inexperienced QB that he is the only one on the field.
Shedeur Sanders targeted Fannin an incredible 14 times in Week 15, but only targeted the rest of the Browns roster 17 times! Fannin now has an 18-205-2 line over his last three games with Sanders as his starting signal-caller. I do not like his matchup against Buffalo’s second-ranked pass defense this week, but his Week 17 and Week 18 matchups are against two of the league's worst pass defenses -- Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.
Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears
Chicago’s pass-catcher corps has changed shape over the course of the regular season. Rome Odunze started the season as Caleb Williams’ top target, then DJ Moore became the top target, and then tight end Colston Loveland started becoming Williams’ favorite. Now, Williams spreads the ball around so much and gets so many pass-catchers involved that it is risky to use any Bears WR or TE every week.
However, Loveland has been the most consistent of the Bears bunch in recent weeks. He has racked up 382 yards and four touchdowns over his last seven games and can always be counted on for three to six catches per week. His next game comes against a Green Bay defense that allowed Loveland to score a couple of weeks ago and just lost superstar Micah Parsons (knee) for the season.
With Odunze sidelined with a foot injury and Luther Burden III suffering an ankle injury this weekend, Loveland could operate as the team's top pass-catcher in Week 16. If Loveland is still available and you need a TE for your playoff tilt, sign the man up!
Do Not Forget About…
Colby Parkinson, Los Angeles Rams
How many fantasy pundits predicted Colby Parkinson would score six touchdowns over his last six games? Not me, and not millions of others. He scored one of those touchdowns against Seattle, who he will face this Thursday again as the two NFC West powers battle for the division lead. With Davante Adams’ Week 16 status in doubt due to a hamstring injury, do not be shocked to see Parkinson strike end-zone gold for a seventh time in seven games.
Theo Johnson, New York Giants
The fantasy numbers keep coming for Theo Johnson. While starting wideouts Darius Slayton and Wan'Dale Robinson each had 10 targets in Week 15, Theo Johnson outgained them with 72 yards on just four targets. And talk about a model of consistency! Johnson has had exactly three receptions in seven of his last eight games. If only he could catch four or five passes every week!
Oronde Gadsden II, Los Angeles Chargers
Oronde Gadsden II had gone from fantasy hero to fantasy zero over the past month after having four consecutive contests that helped zero fantasy managers. Yet with four catches for 61 yards against Kansas City this past Sunday and a game against Dallas’ 32nd-ranked pass defense coming up next, Gadsden’s fantasy value is back on the upswing at the perfect time.
Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars
Brenton Strange has been no stranger to this column as his name has been featured prominently near the top of each one since he returned from his quad and hip injuries a couple of weeks ago. He only had one catch for 26 yards in Jacksonville’s blowout win against the hapless and hopeless New York Jets, but his QB (Trevor Lawrence) is the hottest signal-caller in the NFL.
Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
New Orleans’ TE1 is adding to his career-high stats and still has three games to go. Juwan Johnson has already set personal bests across the board in targets, receptions, and receiving yards (84-62-644), buoyed by his recent streak of eight straight games with at least 30 yards in each. He has gone a month without scoring a TD, though.
T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings
T.J. Hockenson, along with Minnesota’s other premier pass-catchers (Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison), deserved a better fantasy fate this year. The good news is franchise quarterback J.J. McCarthy is finally getting the hang of the NFL. That is why Hockenson has had 137 receiving yards and a TD over his past three weeks.
He is a sneaky play these next two weeks -- playoff weeks in most fantasy leagues -- as he faces two subpar secondaries versus the New York Giants and Detroit Lions.
Darren Waller, Miami Dolphins
Tight ends need to score touchdowns to be relevant fantasy-wise if they are not racking up prime Travis Kelce yardage and reception totals. Waller is not averaging 30 yards per game this season, but he has scored four touchdowns in six games heading into his Monday night matchup with Pittsburgh. His next game then comes against Cincinnati’s Swiss-cheese defense next weekend.
Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills
It would have made more sense for Dawson Knox to re-emerge as a fantasy force while tight end teammate Dalton Kincaid was sidelined with his hamstring for a month. Instead, Knox has become a fantasy stud now that Kincaid is on the field again. He has nine catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns over his last two outings. The problem is that this week he faces Cleveland’s top-ranked pass defense.
Josh Allen TO DAWSON KNOX. BILLS TAKE THE LEAD.
BUFvsNE on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/dwXYqQsO7D
— NFL (@NFL) December 14, 2025
AJ Barner, Seattle Seahawks
AJ Barner is going through a scoring slump. After reaching the end zone four times in his first five contests this year, Barner has not caught a touchdown pass in his last nine games. Luckily, he scored a rushing touchdown a few games ago, so he has not been completely shut out. His upcoming schedule -- L.A. Rams, Carolina, San Francisco -- does not breed confidence from me, either.
Luke Musgrave, Green Bay Packers
Luke Musgrave was drafted ahead of Tucker Kraft, but he is not the tight end Kraft is. Kraft is out for the season, though, and Musgrave is starting to show signs that he might take advantage of the extra playing time and targets. Musgrave had a season-high four catches for 52 yards against Denver and might get a larger role in the offense now that the top wideout, Christian Watson (chest), is injured again.
Ben Sinnott, Washington Commanders
Second-year upstart Ben Sinnott and veteran John Bates are tasked with filling the humongous shoes left behind in the wake of Zach Ertz’s season-ending torn ACL. Both tight ends had one target and one catch against division-rival New York this past Sunday, but Sinnott’s catch was longer (36 yards), and he has way more upside. Sinnott is the one to take a flyer on in dynasty leagues if you think he will develop into Washington’s future top tight end.
Who Should I Pick Up Tool
Trying to decide who to pick up off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pick Up" tool here:
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Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pick Up
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2025 for Harold Fannin Jr., Colston Loveland, Dalton Schultz, Brenton Strange:
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