Week 15 Tight End Preview: Bench Tyler Warren?
Top Fantasy TEs for Week 15
Let's break down the key usage notes and matchups that are driving our Week 15 TE Rankings.
TIP
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1. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals
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McBride hits the weekend with 5+ catches in every game this season. He's scored seven TDs over his past eight. Despite a tough matchup with Houston, McBride remains an elite TE1.
2. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
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Kittle has averaged 7.0 targets, 5.3 catches, 71 yards, and 0.7 TDs with QB Brock Purdy back the last three games (despite Purdy not even playing well in the last two). We expect Purdy to bounce back vs. the Titans on Sunday. Tennessee ranks a middling 14th in adjusted fantasy points allowed to TEs.
3. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
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Bowers has managed top-7 PPR finishes in four straight games and five of the six games since returning from his knee injury. That keeps him easily startable in spite of the Raiders' general struggles and this week's negative matchup.
4. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
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Played Thursday night.
5. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
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The Chargers have been a negative TE matchup by our adjusted fantasy points allowed, but they also rank just 30th in TE-coverage DVOA. This shouldn't be a scary spot for Kelce, and last week marked just the third time all season he fell short of 4 receptions.
6. Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns
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Chicago has allowed the 13th-most fantasy points to TEs, making this a solid matchup for Fannin. The rookie TE is tied with Jerry Jeudy for a team-leading 21% target share and is coming off his best game of the season. Fannin has scored a TD and topped 11 PPR points in back-to-back games. Since Week 10, Fannin has been the No. 4 TE in PPR leagues. He's locked in as a top-10 starter and has top-5 upside against a vulnerable Bears' pass defense. Fannin could see even more targets if David Njoku is ruled out.
7. Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills
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Kincaid returned from injury last week to post a 4-41-1 receiving line on a 19% target share. His route rate remained low, but TE1 appeal remains for Sunday’s matchup with New England. The Bills are implied for 26 points, while the Pats are bottom-12 in catches and yards allowed to TEs.
8. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
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Andrews did very little last week, going 1-9-0 against the Steelers. Luckily, the Bengals have just been abysmal against TEs, so starting anyone against them usually is lucrative. He is playing more snaps than Isaiah Likely, though Andrews continues to struggle to produce fantasy points. He went 4-47-0 two weeks ago against the Bengals, but almost had a TD in the game. Those numbers could increase this week with Lamar Jackson looking better last week.
9. Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys
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We'll keep an eye on the calf injury that kept Ferguson out of Thursday's practice. If that checks out, he'll find a sneaky good matchup against a Vikings defense that ranks first in adjusted fantasy points allowed to WRs but just 18th against TEs. That could funnel a bit more action Ferguson's way. He's already caught five balls in three straight and four of his last five.
10. Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
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Carolina has allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to TEs. That includes Juwan Johnson's monster 4-92-1 outing in Week 10. That 19.2-point outburst remains Johnson's best game of the season, but he's remained heavily involved in the Saints' weekly offense. Johnson has 4+ receptions in four straight games and seven of his last eight. This is an excellent matchup for Johnson, who should be viewed as a top-10 fantasy option.
11. Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens
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Likely went 4-26-1 last week against the Steelers, dropping a second TD. He still sits behind Mark Andrews in terms of snaps and routes, but Likely does run deeper routes. Two weeks ago against the Bengals, Likely went 5-95-0 and nearly had a TD that he fumbled away. With how abysmal the Bengals are against TEs, Likely can be started as a low-end TE1.
12. Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts
Philip Rivers starting over Riley Leonard would *probably* be good news for Warren's PPR chances. Of course, we say that with asterisks because no one can really know what we should actually expect from Rivers this Sunday, five YEARS after he last played in the NFL. That adds obvious risk to all Colts pass-catchers, especially against one of the league's top pass defenses.
13. Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars
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Strange went 3-27-0 on 6 targets last week. The stat line was below average, but that was his most targets since Week 4. The consistent volume makes Strange an intriguing play this week against a weak Jets defense. They have struggled defending TEs in the red zone, yielding a 7.6% TD rate, which ranks 27th in the NFL.
14. Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
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The Bills have allowed league lows in catches (37) and yards (441) to enemy TEs. They've given up only two TDs to the position. Buffalo’s weakness vs. the run certainly plays a role, but we’d keep TE1 expectations in check here. Henry’s at least hit six targets in four of his past five.
15. Theo Johnson, New York Giants
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In seven games with QB Jaxson Dart and without WR Malik Nabers, Johnson has averaged 6.3 targets, 3.9 catches, 39.6 yards, and 0.6 TDs per game. It feels like he's good for at least one ugly drop per game. But Johnson's volume projection is strong enough to make him a viable TE1 start vs. Washington's 30th-ranked TE defense.
16. Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans
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Schultz has cooled off lately, falling shy of 25 yards in two of his past three. But he sticks in TE2 range for a nice matchup vs. Arizona, as the Texans are implied for a healthy 26 points.
17. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles
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Goedert's strong receiving line against the Chargers stands as an outlier vs. the rest of his season. It followed three straight games of 2 receptions and six consecutive outings of 43 yards or less. The Raiders arrive as a positive WR-scoring matchup, strongly positive RB-scoring matchup, but second-worst for TE scoring.
18. Colby Parkinson, Los Angeles Rams
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Parkinson went 3-32-1 last week on 5 targets, emerging as the top TE option for the Rams. He does need a TD to pay off in fantasy, but his usage has ticked well above the other TEs on the team. The Rams do seem to swap their personnel based on the matchup and may limit their 12 and 13 personnel against a Lions’ defense hurting in the secondary. Parkinson is a desperation start this week as a TE2.
19. A.J. Barner, Seattle Seahawks
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Barner retains more TD potential than most guys in his TE2 range of the rankings. Despite an eight-game scoreless streak, he has seen four red-zone targets over the past four games, including two from inside the 10-yard line. Seattle's low passing volume keeps him from being a “good" option.
20. Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals
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Gesicki went 6-86-1 against the Steelers last week, benefiting from Tee Higgins being off the field for a portion of the game. The Bengals continue to rotate TEs, but Gesicki remains the primary pass catcher. He could be a streaming option if you are weak at TE in hopes of a TD.
21. Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears
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Loveland's volume has remained fairly consistent. He's commanded 4-6 targets and recorded 3-4 receptions in each of Chicago's last five games. He's had two top-10 finishes in that stretch, and two other games inside the top-20. This week, Loveland gets a tough matchup against a Cleveland defense that has allowed the 11th-fewest fantasy points to TEs. Loveland's consistency keeps him fantasy-relevant, but he's more of a low-end TE2 in Week 15.
22. Evan Engram, Denver Broncos
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Engram had a strong showing against Washington in Week 13, but has otherwise been a negative in fantasy lineups for some time. He hasn't scored more than 8 PPR points in any other game since way back in Week 7. That Week 13 game was the only time all season Engram has topped 45 receiving yards. It's been a rough season for Denver's supposed 'joker' and things aren't looking up in Week 15. The Broncos host a Green Bay team that has only allowed one TE to reach double-digit PPR points since Week 7. Engram has little upside and should be viewed as a low-end TE2.
23. Oronde Gadsden II, Los Angeles Chargers
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You should try to sit Gadsden after his second straight one-catch game and fourth straight outing of 6.1 PPR points or fewer. His biggest issue is an offense that has leaned further toward the run recently and that needs more reps from its blocking TEs to help an embattled O-line.
24. T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings
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Hockenson has had two of his best games of the season over the last two weeks -- but those have still resulted in just TE12 and TE15 PPR finishes. He remains an unexciting fantasy option in Sunday night's game against the Cowboys' 15th-ranked TE defense.
25. Darren Waller, Miami Dolphins
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Waller's seen just an OK 15% target share in his two games back from injury. He’s totaled three catches over that stretch and remains a low-floor fantasy option.
