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Craig's tight end (TE) fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 13 of 2025. His top TE fantasy football pickups, free agents to add, tight end streamers.
This is not the week to have a turkey for a tight end in your fantasy football lineup.
While it is Thanksgiving Week and turkeys are all the rage and take center stage, the fantasy football season is in its most crucial juncture. Many leagues are one-to-two weeks away from their playoffs, so these late-year regular-season fantasy contests could be the difference between making the postseason or wearing an “L” on your hat as a consequence for being on the outside looking in.
Here are the top candidates to pick up on fantasy waiver wires heading into Week 13, starting with a cornerstone of Chicago’s offense for years to come:
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Top Tight Ends to Pick Up - Week 13 Waiver Wire
Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears
It took a while for Colston Loveland to get the hang of the NFL. Two months, in fact. But now Chicago’s first-round pick in this year’s NFL draft is quickly becoming one of the best all-around tight ends in the NFL, and one of the better scorers at the position in the fantasy football world.
Lovely day in Chicago ☀️
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/nmr3z8qfvJ
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) November 23, 2025
Loveland did not record a 40-yard game until November, and now that’s all he does! Four 40-yard games in a row! He has 17 catches for 262 yards and three touchdowns this month and has been feasting on defenses like my family feasts on turkey legs and trimmings. On Friday, he faces a Philadelphia defense that just allowed Dallas’ Dak Prescott to throw for 354 yards, so another 40-plus yards with a strong possibility of a score is in the offing.
Other Tight Ends to Consider Adding
Theo Johnson, New York Giants
Say what you want about Jameis Winston. He may have had an underwhelming NFL career, considering he is a former first pick overall. He may turn the ball over way too much to be a starting signal caller for anybody, but the man can throw the ball when given time in the pocket and still has a rifle for an arm.
It has not mattered to Theo Johnson if Winston, Russell Wilson, or Jaxson Dart has been under center for his Giants this season. Johnson has been able to consistently catch passes with all three throwing to him. Johnson had a career-high 77 yards against Detroit this past weekend and has racked up 18 receptions for 215 yards and a TD over the past month. Sign him up for the final few weeks of your fantasy season. You will not be disappointed in his production.
Oronde Gadsden II, Los Angeles Chargers
I like sweet potato casserole on Turkey Day. Put some marshmallows and brown sugar on my mashed sweet potatoes and watch me go to work like T.J. Watt on a rookie offensive tackle! You know what else I like? Using skill-position players in fantasy leagues when they are scheduled to play against the lost Las Vegas Raiders, who just made Shedeur Sanders look like an NFL quarterback on Sunday.
Gadsden was a fantasy darling a month ago when he was the top tight end choice on waiver wires, but he might have been dropped after getting banged up and only providing five catches for 54 yards over the past two games before having a Week 12 bye. Pick him back up this week against Vegas. He should be 100 percent healthy and ready to play like he did when he ravaged secondaries for 377 receiving yards and two touchdowns during a four-game stretch in the middle of the campaign.
Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
Juwan Johnson will not be a fantasy turkey during this Thanksgiving week. His fantasy value has been elevated by – Tyler Shough? You heard right. Johnson has 23 catches for 301 yards and two touchdowns over his most recent five-game span, and Shough has been his battery mate for most of those games.
Johnson is New Orleans’ second-best pass catcher behind WR1 Chris Olave, which is proven by the fact that he has been targeted 38 times over his last six games. Marques Colston and Joe Horn are not going to show up in the receiver room this Sunday, so Johnson should be well on his way to another great game this week and the weeks down the stretch when fantasy leagues are won.
Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans
Houston is now 3-0 in Davis Mills' starts as he has been buoyed by a staunch defense and smart coaching. Dalton Schultz had a nice streak of topping the 50-yard mark in five of his last six games entering Thursday’s game with Buffalo, largely due to Mills in recent weeks. So you might think about writing off his eight-yard clunker against the Bills as an aberration.
The problem is that Schultz plays at division-leading Indianapolis this weekend, and he has only managed 177 receiving yards and zero touchdowns against the Colts the last five times he has faced them, and Indy was not as talented in those years as they are now.
Do Not Forget About…
Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars
It is nice to see Jacksonville’s top tight end back on the field after an injury-caused layoff – especially in PPR leagues where his consistent reception totals are a bigger help. Brenton Strange had his best game of the year with five catches for 93 yards this past weekend. The Trevor Lawrence passes should keep coming against 1-10 Tennessee this weekend, especially if WR1 Brian Thomas Jr. remains sidelined with his various ailments.
A.J. Barner, Seattle Seahawks
The good news is A.J. Barner lucks out because Seattle does not have much depth at receiver behind fantasy super stud Jaxon Smith-Njigba, so he is arguably Sam Darnold’s second-best option to throw to. The bad news is that Barner has been held under 25 receiving yards in four of his last five outings. I love his matchup – home against a reeling Minnesota defense – so that is the tiebreaker for me this week. Pick him up.
Harold Fannin, Jr., Cleveland Browns
Is Sanders going to be a better quarterback than Brian Sipe or Bernie Kosar? The jury is out, but I have my doubts. Even the worst quarterback in the world can get short passes to his tight end, though. Sanders found Harold Fannin Jr. four times for 40 yards against Las Vegas and should lean heavily on his talented tight end this weekend versus San Francisco’s 28th-ranked pass defense.
Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals
Noah Fant’s fantasy future took a massive hit with the return of Mike Gesicki, who got back on the field after being out of action for over a month. Gesicki had his best game of the season with four receptions for 35 yards and should continue to see his fantasy value rise when Joe Burrow comes back, especially if WR Tee Higgins misses a game or two due to his latest concussion.
Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers
During one week, veteran Jonnu Smith is the best Steelers tight end. The next is behemoth Darnell Washington. Now, Freiermuth reclaims the catbird seat as Pittsburgh’s top tight end. He has four touchdowns over his last half-dozen games, but he has only had one game where he had more than 35 yards receiving, so considering that and how many tight ends on the team he has to battle for targets, it is difficult to rank Freiermuth much higher than here in the column.
Rudolph to Freiermuth keeps the @Steelers alive
PITvsCHI on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/siHWxLB6Uz
— NFL (@NFL) November 23, 2025
Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills
We never know when Dalton Kincaid is going to play, as the injury-prone pass catcher has been hampered lately by a hamstring injury. Dawson Knox has not played like a Hall of Famer in his absence, but he has averaged 27 yards per game over the past four weeks. He also has the 31st-ranked Pittsburgh Steelers past defense on he horizon this week, so if he starts again, Knox could be a sneaky Sunday play.
Brock Wright, Detroit Lions
Fantasy footballers miss Sam LaPorta as much as I miss my late grandmother’s meatballs and Sunday sauce. Brock Wright is not a LaPorta clone by any means. If most of the other tight ends are unavailable in your fantasy league, however, Wright can be looked at as a desperation play since he has been targeted 11 times in the two games LaPorta has missed recently.
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:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to pickup...
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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, Brenton Strange, Mike Gesicki, and A.J. Barner:
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