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Craig's tight end (TE) fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 15 of 2025. His top TE fantasy football pickups, free agents to add, tight end streamers.
No more byes, no more problems!
The NFL’s bye weeks are over for 2025, so fantasy footballers now only have to worry about their players being injured or benched. That means they should have fewer holes in their lineups, and they should also have more options available on fantasy waiver wires because everyone is playing. That is a big boost for this upcoming week since it is either the last week of the regular season or the opening week of the playoffs in he majority of fantasy leagues.
Here are the top candidates to pick up on fantasy waiver wires heading into Week 15, starting with the young man who made David Njoku a fantasy afterthought this season:
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Tight End Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 15
Harold Fannin, Jr., Cleveland Browns
I am man enough to admit a mistake, even if it takes the shine off my fantasy football name. I dropped Harold Fannin Jr. in a league a couple of weeks ago because his numbers had tailed off, and Shedeur Sanders was taking over Cleveland’s subpar offense. It sounded like a recipe for fantasy disaster.
SHEDEUR TO FANNIN. WOW
TENvsCLE on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/UujURrsI0j
— NFL (@NFL) December 7, 2025
Instead, Fannin has made me look like the fool of all fools. He has racked up 11 receptions for 157 yards and two touchdowns over the past two weeks. Sanders looks like an NFL quarterback, and Fannin looks like a top-10 fantasy tight end. Plus, in two of his next three games, he will run routes against Chicago and Pittsburgh, two of the NFL's worst pass defenses.
Do the reverse of what I did. Pick up Fannin, and let him lead you to the promised land.
Other Tight Ends to Consider Adding
Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears
Colston Loveland is the real deal. I know he did not get off to the fast start fellow rookie Tyler Warren did out in Indianapolis, but Loveland has caught up to him in recent weeks. Loveland has four touchdown grabs over his last half-dozen games and has averaged 53 yards per game during that six-game span.
Cole Kmet has to stop catching key passes, though. His presence on the field is costing Loveland targets, catches, and fantasy stats. Loveland’s true fantasy value might not come until 2026, especially if Kmet goes to another organization. But for now, Loveland can help fantasy footballers down the stretch.
Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars
Another week, another column, another mention of Mr. Strange. Brenton Strange continues to be an underrated target of Trevor Lawrence’s in Jacksonville’s passing attack. Since returning from injury, he has picked up where he left off, providing 11 receptions for 165 yards and a touchdown over the last three weeks.
Strange should continue to find room to roam against opposing defenses now that top target Brian Thomas Jr. appears healthy and newly-acquired Jakobi Meyers appears to have fully grasped the offense. Look for Strange to be no stranger to more catches this week in a home tilt against the hapless 3-10 New York Jets.
Do Not Forget About…
Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans
Dalton Schultz keeps pushing the fantasy needle, especially in the reception and target departments. He has only had one game this season where he was targeted less than four times, which is why he has been in the top five for tight end receptions throughout the season. He has another good matchup this week against Arizona’s suspect secondary, but it sure would be nice if Schultz had more than one touchdown on the year, though.
Colby Parkinson, Los Angeles Rams
Matthew Stafford is clicking on all cylinders, and so are the pass catchers around him. Colby Parkinson seemed like a multimillion-dollar bust last year after signing his big contract, but he is paying off dividends this season. He has caught touchdown tosses in four of his last five games and has supplanted Tyler Higbee (ankle) while he has been on the injured reserve.
Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals
Mike Gesicki easily had his best game of 2025 versus Buffalo in the snow on Sunday, setting season-highs across the board with six receptions for 86 yards and a TD. Up next is Baltimore’s 26th-ranked pass defense, a unit that has been near the bottom for the entire campaign. Gesicki should be in for another solid outing.
Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens
Mark Andrews might have been the Ravens tight end who got big bucks recently, but Isaiah Likely is the one providing bang for fantasy footballers. After racking up a season-high 95 yards the game before, Likely scored his first touchdown of the season against Pittsburgh and arguably lost out on a second one near the end of the game by the officials.
Here is the pool report from @jeffzrebiec on the Isaiah Likely overturned TD and more: pic.twitter.com/JSGSBSxYTv
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 8, 2025
Playing against Cincinnati’s 31st-ranked pass defense in Week 15 should have fantasy managers salivating.
Theo Johnson, New York Giants
Smart fantasy managers should not forget about Theo Johnson because he and his Giants were on bye last week. His 42-456-5 season-long line ranks right up there with the top tight ends available in most leagues at this juncture. Johnson now faces a reeling Washington pass defense that is ranked 30th in the league and just allowed three tight-end touchdowns to Minnesota this past Sunday.
Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
Juwan Johnson has had at least 31 receiving yards in seven straight games now, and it is not like he has a Pro Bowl quarterback throwing to him. The bad news is that Johnson has not scored in his last three contests. The good news is he is facing Carolina this week, a team he has scored two touchdowns against in the last three games he has gone against them.
Darren Waller, Miami Dolphins
When Waller has suited up this season, he has been like how Cris Carter was early in his Hall of Fame career, scoring four touchdowns in six games. The problem is that backup tight end Greg Dulcich is now getting in the way and taking some targets. Dulcich had 41 yards versus the N.Y. Jets in Week 14, while Waller only had 13.
T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings
Remember when T.J. Hockenson was a top-5 fantasy tight end. Now he is available in more than half of the fantasy leagues out there. Just like Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, Hockenson has been hurt by the lack of consistent quarterbacking on his team. Hopefully, the return of QB J.J. McCarthy and the touchdown Hockenson scored on Sunday are signs of good things to come.
A.J. Barner, Seattle Seahawks
Seattle’s starting tight end keeps pushing his name in my column, but he has not been posting solid numbers consistently enough to get out of my column and on more fantasy rosters this season. He has failed to catch a TD toss in any of his last eight games and has fallen to fourth on Seattle’s target chart behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed, and Cooper Kupp.
A home game against Indianapolis’ 29th-ranked pass defense might be exactly what Barner needs to reach the end zone.
Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills
The return of TE1 Dalton Kincaid to Buffalo’s lineup should have ruined what was left of Dawson Knox’s fantasy worth. Yet after a season where the longtime veteran had not posted a 40-yard game, Knox led the way, catching six passes for 93 yards in the Bills' victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Maybe Buffalo has its passing attack revolve around its two talented tight ends instead of its mediocre wide receivers?
Ben Sinnott, Washington Commanders
Ben Sinnott was selected in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft to be Washington’s tight end of the future. The future is now, with Zach Ertz potentially suffering a torn ACL. It is hard to figure out what Sinnott will do with more playing time and targets since he has only caught nine passes in 28 career contests. He cannot be trusted in standard leagues, but he is an interesting low-price option in dynasty leagues and DFS contests.
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 Harold Fannin Jr., Colston Loveland, Dalton Schultz, Brenton Strange:
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