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Craig's tight end (TE) fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 14 of 2025. His top TE fantasy football pickups, free agents to add, tight end streamers.
Fantasy football managers had a bye week from the bye weeks during Thanksgiving week, but we are back to missing some key players for Week 14.
This week is a tough week for tight ends in fantasy football. No, Theo Johnson, the up-and-coming youngster for the New York Giants. No, Hunter Henry, who is on pace to have his first 700-yard year in his nine-year career. And no, George Kittle, San Francisco’s perennial super stud, who has scored five touchdowns in the seven games he has suited up for this season. Bye weeks can be cruel.
If you need a tight end during this crucial regular-season contest in your fantasy league, keep reading. Here are the top candidates to pick up on fantasy waiver wires heading into Week 14, starting with one of the hottest tight ends in the NFL, who happens to play in one of the hottest cities in the NFL:
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Tight End Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 14
Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars
Brenton Strange was good before he missed several weeks due to hip and quad injuries. Since he has returned from injured reserve, however, Strange has been great! Two games, eight receptions, 138 yards, and a TD. Strange is turning into a bona fide fantasy star right before our very eyes.
Trevor Lawrence to Brenton Strange TD!
JAXvsTEN on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXnxV pic.twitter.com/7WDhrUO1wb
— NFL (@NFL) November 30, 2025
What I like even more about Strange is his upcoming schedule. He has two games against Indianapolis, who is not 8-4 because of its 27th-ranked pass defense, a pass defense that could be worse if Sauce Gardner’s injury is serious. Strange also faces the New York Jets in Week 15.
Strange has a lot going for him, including a revved-up Trevor Lawrence throwing to him, a returning Brian Thomas Jr., and the newly acquired Jakobi Meyers distracting defenders to create open room for him to roam. Strange is the No. 1 TE on fantasy waiver wires this week. Pick him up, and he might help lead you to a playoff spot and possibly a fantasy championship.
Other Tight Ends to Consider Adding
Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears
Tight end teammate Cole Kmet was the one catching the touchdown toss on Black Friday, but Colston Loveland is still the more valuable Bears tight end in the short term and the long term. The rough rookie has racked up 20 receptions for 290 yards and three touchdowns over his last five contests.
Loevland is really benefiting from head coach Ben Johnson’s expert game planning and the improvement of franchise quarterback Caleb Williams. Loveland is a no-doubt pickup in keeper leagues if he is somehow still available, and remains one of the top options in standard redraft leagues even though he will probably be better in 2026 and beyond.
Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans
Dalton Schultz turned his disappointing season around in recent weeks when backup QB Davis Mills took over for the injured C.J. Stroud, so it was a little disconcerting for Schultz lovers when Stroud returned this past Sunday. But Schultz kept the fantasy train on the tracks with seven catches for 55 yards against Indianapolis.
Schultz has a tough matchup this upcoming week against a desperate Kansas City team, but games against Arizona and Las Vegas’ below-average pass defenses are on the horizon, and make him as attractive to fantasy managers as a strip steak is to a carnivore. Pick him up, and he will fill your tight end void admirably.
Do Not Forget About…
Oronde Gadsden II, Los Angeles Chargers
Oronde Gadsden II played like the second coming of Antonio Gates in October, but since he was banged up midseason, he has not been the same player. He only has six catches for 81 yards and no touchdowns over his past three games, and now he might not have Justin Herbert after the quarterback broke a bone in his non-throwing hand.
The hope is that Herbert will not miss a snap, though, so if that is the case, Gadsden’s fantasy future should be fine.
Darren Waller, Miami Dolphins
Remember this guy? Darren Waller did not disappear for a month-plus to record another album. He was out due to yet another injury, which has kept him on the sidelines for the better part of his career. The good news is he is back and has scored four touchdowns in the five games he has played this year. Two of those TDs were against the New York Jets, who he faces for a second time this Sunday.
A.J. Barner, Seattle Seahawks
A.J. Barner did the unthinkable in Seattle’s 26-0 shutout victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday – he actually had more catches and yards than fantasy demigod Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Barner has not caught a touchdown pass in seven games, but that might change this week when he faces an Atlanta defense that has allowed at least 24 points in five of its past six contests.
Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
Juwan Johnson’s numbers are probably not worthy of Mardi Gras beads, but how many tight ends in the NFL can boast that they have had at least 30 receiving yards or more in each of their past half-dozen games? Probably not many. This Sunday, he should find open pockets within Tampa Bay’s 29th-ranked pass defense. Johnson has also had 14 catches for 181 yards the last three times he has played the Buccaneers.
Harold Fannin, Jr., Cleveland Browns
I do not think Shedeur Sanders is going to elevate the fantasy values of the receivers around him, but what Browns QB ever does? Harold Fannin Jr. has not missed a beat or lost any fantasy value since Sanders took over Cleveland’s moribund offense. Fannin posted a 3-43-1 line in Cleveland’s lopsided loss to San Francisco on Sunday and has now topped the 35-yard mark in six of his last seven games.
He should continue to prosper this weekend in a home game against the 1-11 Tennessee Titans.
34 YARDS for the score!!#SFvsCLE on CBS and NFL+ pic.twitter.com/RS28kF9ngx
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) November 30, 2025
Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Burrow is back, baby! That means Mike Gesicki’s fantasy value skyrockets like a NASA shuttle. While Gesicki has not gone gangbusters since returning from injury (54 yards in two games), do not forget that he had 65 receptions for 665 yards in 2024 with Burrow throwing to him and parlayed that into a multimillion-dollar contract.
Gesicki should be solid from here on out now that he and Burrow are both healthy.
Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens
After suffering through three straight games with under 20 receiving yards, Isaiah Likely was Baltimore’s leading receiver on Thanksgiving night with a season-high 95 yards. Now he is lined up to face division rival Pittsburgh in a battle for first place. The reeling Steelers defense is 28th against the pass, and Likely has scored two touchdowns over the past four times he has played against them.
Theo Johnson, New York Giants
Theo Johnson cannot help fantasy managers in Week 14 as he and his New York Giants are on bye, but that does not mean he should be shunned. He had 22 receptions for 301 yards and two scores in his six games leading up to his Monday night matchup against New England. He could provide a boost at the tight end position of your fantasy squad down the stretch if you need one.
Chig Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans
Sure, it would be nice if Tennessee’s top tight end could find the end zone (zero touchdowns), but Chig Okonkwo, luckily, can at least catch some passes that could help fantasy players in PPR leagues. He has managed at least 29 yards in four of his past five outings and has seen his pedestrian production tick up slightly as rookie signal-caller Cam Ward’s numbers have improved.
Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills
Buffalo TE1 Dalton Kincaid is taking his time returning from his nagging hamstring injury, so Dawson Knox continues to fill in and put up 20-35 yards every week in his absence. If Knox starts again this weekend, he will go up against the worst pass defense in the NFL, in terms of defending tight ends, the Cincinnati Bengals.
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, Brenton Strange, Mike Gesicki, and A.J. Barner:
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