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Craig's tight end (TE) fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 9 of 2025. His top TE fantasy football pickups, free agents to add, tight end streamers.
Halloween week will not be too scary for fantasy football managers at the tight end position.
Four NFL teams are on bye this week. Still, fantasy managers will not be affected much at the tight end unless they roster Philadelphia’s Dallas Goedert, who has gotten off to a scintillating start (seven TDs) and keeps quiet on social media when he has a four-target game, unlike teammate A.J. Brown. Cleveland’s Harold Fannin Jr. will also be out of action this week.
Here are the top candidates at tight end to pick up on fantasy waiver wires heading into Week 8, starting with Justin Herbert’s newest talented toy, spending his second week in a row at the top of my column:
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Top Tight Ends to Pick Up - Week 9 Waiver Wire
Oronde Gadsden II, Los Angeles Chargers
Here we go again. For the fools who passed on Oronde Gadsden last week when he was undoubtedly the best tight end available on the free agent market in fantasy leagues, now you have another chance to swing and miss or pick up this powerful player.
The surprising Syracuse product has now accounted for 19 receptions for 309 yards and two touchdowns over his last three games. His biggest game of the three came against the 7-1 Indianapolis Colts. Gadsden has been virtually unstoppable since Week 5 and shows no signs of slowing down.
.@Orondegii is the Week 7 @pepsi Zero Sugar Rookie of the Week ‼ pic.twitter.com/pRhQ6FHBIX
— NFL (@NFL) October 23, 2025
Gadsden’s upcoming schedule should be ultra-enticing, too. Tennessee, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, and Las Vegas all have pass defenses ranked in the bottom half of the NFL. So the streaking Gadsden is not going to stop racking up receiving yards and touchdowns anytime soon. Pick him up now or face his wrath from the fantasy team in your league that does so later down the line.
Theo Johnson, New York Giants
New York keeps losing gigantic pieces of its offensive puzzle to season-ending injuries. Now that receiver Malik Nabers (knee) and running back Cam Skattebo (ankle) are no longer in the picture, Theo Johnson should be given even more targets and opportunities.
The young tight end has scored four touchdowns over his last five games and faces a San Francisco secondary that just let Houston’s C.J. Stroud light them up for 318 yards and two TD despite not having top target Nico Collins (concussion) on the field. I see Johnson gifting fantasy managers a 5-65-1 line next weekend and becoming a larger focal point of the Giants' offense from here on out.
I know Johnson dropped a crucial pass against Philadelphia on Sunday. Forget about it. Do not be worried about former Giants TE1 Daniel Bellinger, either. He had his one good game in Week 7, but it is doubtful he will have more of the same between now and season’s end.
Other Tight Ends to Consider Adding
A.J. Barner, Seattle Seahawks
Super sophomore A.J. Barner only recorded one catch for seven yards in Week 7 and was on bye in Week 8, so he might have been dropped or ignored in many leagues. But Barner already has scored four touchdowns and has converted 18 of the 22 passes thrown to him into completions, so he has been extremely efficient.
Barner has Washington next on his schedule, a defense that allowed 69 points in a two-game span heading into its Monday night tilt versus Kansas City.
Harold Fannin, Jr., Cleveland Browns
Yes, Harold Fannin Jr. is on bye this week. Yes, David Njoku returned from injury and scored a touchdown of his own last weekend. Yes, Dillon Gabriel is struggling in the early going as Cleveland’s starting signal caller. But Fannin remains one of the most viable options on fantasy waiver wires because he has 21 receptions for 192 yards and two touchdowns over the past month.
Most other tight ends did not post those numbers over the same span. Pick up Fannin now and use him in Week 10 and beyond.
Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
New Orleans’ top tight end has caught 10 passes (on 15 targets) for 132 yards over his past two games and has delighted his fantasy managers by picking up plenty of his yards while his Saints team was trailing and throwing constantly. I am not sure if benching quarterback Spencer Rattler will help Johnson’s fantasy value, but it probably will not hurt it.
Kyle Pitts Sr., Atlanta Falcons
Nine targets, nine receptions, 59 yards against Miami this past Sunday for Mr. Kyle Pitts Sr. Yet, whether it's Kirk Cousins, Michael Penix Jr., Desmond Ridder, Marcus Mariota, or Taylor Heinicke, Pitts has had to suffer through below-average quarterback play the past several seasons that has stunted his fantasy worth.
It's a shame the Falcons haven't solved their quarterback issue, given the talented tight end on their roster.
Do Not Forget About…
Mason Taylor. New York Jets
With Jets WR1 Garrett Wilson (knee) and WR2 Josh Reynolds (hip) sidelined with injuries, Mason Taylor is left to battle over-the-hill and unheralded receivers for targets. Jason Taylor’s talented kid scored his first NFL TD against Cincinnati, so do not forget about him, even though his team gets to celebrate their first victory of the season over a bye week.
Breece Hall double clutches and throws a touchdown to Mason Taylor!
NYJvsCIN on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/yQ6gDM4nen
— NFL (@NFL) October 26, 2025
Evan Engram, Denver Broncos
I feel like Evan Engram and Courtland Sutton should be the two Denver pass catchers catching Bo Nix’s touchdown tosses, yet it always seems like backup running backs and WR3s and WR4s are the ones hauling in his passes in the end zone. Engram has been targeted 27 times over his past four outings, however, and remains a viable option in PPR leagues since he is Nix’s favorite target on passes 10 yards or shorter.
Noah Fant, Cincinnati Bengals
Noah Fant has filled in admirably for the injured Mike Gesicki in Cincinnati’s passing attack. The veteran has topped the 25-yard mark in six of his seven games and is coming off back-to-back 40-yard efforts. His next game – home to the up-and-down Chicago Bears – makes Fant an interesting low-cost DFS option or one-week standard league fill-in.
Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears
The Chicago rookie was targeted a season-high five times in Week 8, but his escalating target total is not the only reason to look out for him in Week 9. Colston Loveland should have no trouble finding room to roam against a Cincinnati defense that is ranked 30th against the pass and just made Justin Fields and the New York Jets look like Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers
After being in the witness protection program for the first six weeks of the season, Pat Freiermuth emerged from hiding in Week 7 and shocked fantasy managers with 111 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The problem is he has mustered only 89 yards over his other half-dozen games. Freiermuth will be up against Indianapolis’ 29th-ranked pass defense this Sunday, however, so there is hope for another decent effort from him.
Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans
It is hard to get excited about a longtime veteran who has not scored a TD in seven games this season and has had under 40 yards in five of them. Houston’s receiving corps is banged up, however, so Dalton Schultz will continue to see a steady flow of passes heading his way until Collins and company get healthy.
Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens
I know I am stretching here, folks, but I must reach my word count limit. Isaiah Likely only has five catches for 26 yards on the season, and still does not have Lamar Jackson back as his QB. Still, fantasy managers know that Likely has receiver-like skills and always delivers when injury-free, especially if Mark Andrews is out of the lineup himself.
While the latter is not the case right now, could a possible trade deadline deal make Likely a TE1 for Baltimore or another team? Feel free to pick him up now and find out.
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2025 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on Oronde Gadsden, Kyle Pitts Sr., Harold Fannin Jr., Theo Johnson, Dalton Schultz, Noah Fant, Pat Freiermuth, Mason Taylor. They are some of the most common searches for tight-end fantasy football waiver wire pickups.
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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 Oronde Gadsden, Kyle Pitts Sr., Harold Fannin Jr., Theo Johnson, Dalton Schultz, Noah Fant, Pat Freiermuth, Mason Taylor:
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