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Craig's tight end (TE) fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 12 of 2025. His top TE fantasy football pickups, free agents to add, tight end streamers.
The NFL bye weeks keep coming, which puts gray hairs on the heads of fantasy football managers.
Four more NFL teams are on bye this week, which will cut into the tight-end talent. Los Angeles Chargers emerging superstar Oronde Gadsden II and Washington longtime standout Zach Ertz are the two most notable tight ends off. Detroit standout Sam LaPorta is on injured reserve, and Buffalo’s Dalton Kincaid might not play, either, due to his hamstring injury.
Here are the top candidates to pick up on fantasy waiver wires heading into Week 12, starting with a New Orleans veteran with a new lease on fantasy life thanks to the new quarterback slinging him the ball.
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Top Tight Ends to Pick Up - Week 12 Waiver Wire
Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
Juwan Johnson is finding more success now that New Orleans has found itself a starting signal-caller, or at least a new one in Tyler Shough. Johnson scored touchdowns in his last two games before having last week off due to a bye. Gone are the days when jack-of-all-trades Taysom Hill outpoints Johnson because he plays 10 different positions. Johnson is officially the Saints’ No. 1 fantasy tight end.
Tyler Shough's first career TD goes to Juwan Johnson!
NOvsLAR on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/OPKVOfVuZM
— NFL (@NFL) November 2, 2025
Johnson should be revved up for a big game this Sunday against an Atlanta secondary that just made Carolina’s Bryce Young look like Dan Fouts (448 passing yards). New Orleans dealing WR2 Rashid Shaheed away at the trade deadline also opens up opportunities for Johnson down the stretch. Pick up Johnson now and play him the rest of the way. You will probably be glad you did.
Other Tight Ends to Consider Adding
Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears
Truth be told, Colston Loveland could have been the No. 1 guy at the top of this tight-end column for the third consecutive week. It is nothing personal that he got the silver medal this week. I just believe that while he is the more talented long-term talent, Loveland might not be the short-term solution for your fantasy squad that Johnson could be.
Loveland has found his footing in Chicago’s passing attack. He has 13 receptions for 213 yards and a TD over his last three games. The light has gone on under his helmet. Loveland will slowly become a superstar, so make him a priority in dynasty and keeper leagues, and also take him in standard leagues if Johnson is not available.
Oh, by the way! Loveland will be up against Pittsburgh’s pass defense this week, which has been at the bottom of the pass defense rankings all season long.
Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans
Should Houston trade franchise quarterback C.J. Stroud to my New York Jets for a couple of high draft picks and hand the reins of the offense over to Davis Mills?
This might be the Jets fan in me talking, but the idea would be great for Dalton Schultz’s fantasy value. Houston’s top tight end has 19 receptions for 181 yards and a touchdown over his last three games -- all games Mills started or relieved Stroud in.
I understand that Schultz will be attempting to find openings against a Buffalo defense that is ranked second against the pass this Thursday night. But that defense has been showing some cracks in recent weeks, so the matchup should not dissuade you from selecting Schultz and plugging him into your lineup this week.
Theo Johnson, New York Giants
Theo Johnson has kept former TE1 Daniel Bellinger in his rearview mirror as he has a firm hold on the top tight-end spot in New York. It has not mattered whether Russell Wilson, Jaxson Dart, or Jameis Winston has been under center. Johnson has been able to catch passes and provide fantasy value with each of the quarterbacks.
Johnson has caught at least three passes in each of his past five outings and has five scores on the season. He and his Giants face a Detroit defense whose secondary is all kinds of banged-up, so Johnson should be able to post another week of solid stats.
Do Not Forget About…
AJ Barner, Seattle Seahawks
Sometimes Seattle wins games with mirrors, and sometimes AJ Barner puts up fantasy points with mirrors, too. After going catchless the week prior, Barner bounced back with a season-high 10 catches for 70 yards against division rival Los Angeles. He is catching all the passes that do not go toward the top target, Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Barner’s next game is against the 1-9 Tennessee Titans, so there is no reason to pass him up on the waiver wire.
Harold Fannin, Jr., Cleveland Browns
Harold Fannin Jr. might have the distinction of getting his name in every tight-end waiver wire column I write in 2025. It has never been done during my time writing the weekly piece at RotoBaller, although Tyler Conklin came close last year. Fannin is coming off his second-worst fantasy effort of the season (2-26-0) and might have scattershot Shedeur Sanders as his QB this week, so his fantasy value is falling.
Noah Fant, Cincinnati Bengals
Noah Fant gets the breadcrumbs left over after top targets Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins get to eat in Cincinnati’s passing attack. That said, Fant had more yards than Chase in Cincy’s Sunday loss to Pittsburgh. Fant has averaged 35 yards per game over his last five contests and has scored a pair of touchdowns during that span. There are better tight ends available in your league, but there are certainly tight ends who are worse as well.
Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars
Remember this guy? Brenton Strange has been on injured reserve for the past month, but fantasy managers should not forget what he did before he was injured. Strange was Jacksonville’s leader in receptions at the time he was hurt and should be featured again as one of Trevor Lawrence’s top targets when he returns (possibly this week), since wideouts Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter are both out with their own injuries.
Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills
It would have been nice if Knox could have had more than just a 23-yard catch in a Bills victory where the offense racked up 44 points and WR1 Khalil Shakir was held to one catch and WR2 Keon Coleman was a healthy scratch. We do not know if Dalton Kincaid will miss more time with his injury, however, so Knox should still get a look in deep leagues because of his propensity for being a Josh Allen red-zone favorite.
Brock Wright, Detroit Lions
Fantasy darling Sam LaPorta is on IR, which opens the door for Brock Wright to be Jared Goff’s new favorite big man near the end zone. The Lions backup tight end does have 11 career touchdowns, but his yardage totals make him hard to bank on. Wright has never had 250 receiving yards in a season over his five-year career.
Darnell Washington, Pittsburgh Steelers
Where did Darnell Washington come from? Most fantasy managers probably never heard of him until his highlight-reel catch-and-run versus Cincinnati on Sunday. He was flattening defenders like Super Mario used to flatten barrels with his hammer. With vets Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith ahead of him on the depth chart, Washington is a fantasy long shot. But the 6’7”, 264-pound behemoth will need your attention if one of those fellows gets injured this season.
DARNELL WASHINGTON OH MY GLORIOUS STIFF ARM.
CINvsPIT on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/vpn6NVgaFU
— NFL (@NFL) November 16, 2025
Evan Engram, Denver Broncos
Evan Engram is a shell of his former self and is off this week due to the bye, hence why he is at the bottom of this column. But Engram was targeted by Bo Nix five times in back-to-back games and might be able to get more passes and catches in the coming weeks if head honcho Sean Payton can figure out a way to get him the ball during their week away from the field.
Who Should I Pick Up Tool
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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 Colston Loveland, Theo Johnson, AJ Barner, Brenton Strange, Brock Wright:
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