Top 5 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups: Tight Ends (Week 13)

We will have you covered throughout the fantasy football season with our bevy of tools, including our Waiver Wire Assistant. Find the top available players and get detailed analysis on how potential fantasy football waiver wire adds will impact your team. Of course, our team of analysts will also have written advice each week. Check out some of our top fantasy football waiver wire tight ends to target for the week below. And here are all of our fantasy football waiver wire pickups for NFL Week 13.

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets: Tight Ends

Tight Ends

Written by Derek Brown

Dalton Schultz (TE – HOU): 47% Rostered

Next Opponents: @IND, @KC, ARI
True Value: $4
Desperate Need: $6
Budget-Minded: $2

Analysis: Since Week 3, Dalton Schultz has had an 18.2% target share with 48.9 receiving yards per game, 1.60 yards per route run and a 20.4% first-read share, per Fantasy Points Data. In those nine games, he has seen six red-zone targets, five deep targets and averaged 10.7 PPR points per game. Schultz should be a strong TE1 in two of the next three weeks. The Colts and Cardinals have bled out production to tight ends all season. Indianapolis has allowed the second-most receiving yards and fantasy points per game to the position. Arizona has given up the ninth-most receiving yards and the eighth-most fantasy points per game to tight ends.

Colston Loveland (TE – CHI): 43% Rostered

Next Opponents: @PHI, @GB, CLE
True Value: $2
Desperate Need: $4
Budget-Minded: $1

Analysis: Colston Loveland finally did it. He overtook Cole Kmet to lead the tight end room in Week 12 with a 65% snap rate and 68.4% route share, per PFF. He had a 14.2% target share that he turned into 49 receiving yards and a touchdown. Loveland’s talent is unquestioned. If he can continue to eat away at Kmet’s playing time, he should flirt with TE1 production moving forward, despite his upcoming matchups not being great.

Brenton Strange (TE – JAX): 13% Rostered

Next Opponents: @TEN, IND, NYJ
True Value: $1
Desperate Need: $2
Budget-Minded: $0

Analysis: Brenton Strange returned from a hip injury in Week 12 with a strong performance. He had a wonderful matchup against Arizona, which he made the most of with a 70.9% snap share, a 71.4% route share and a 16.6% target share, per PFF. He turned all of that usage into five receptions for 93 yards. I don’t expect Strange to do that weekly, but he could come close to this stat line in Week 14 against the Colts. Indianapolis has allowed the fifth-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points per game to tight ends.

AJ Barner (TE – SEA): 18% Rostered

Next Opponents: MIN, @ATL, IND
True Value: $1
Desperate Need: $2
Budget-Minded: $0

Analysis: Entering Week 12, AJ Barner had a 12.3% target share with 30.6 receiving yards per game, 1.63 yards per route run and a 10.1% first-read share, per Fantasy Points Data. He has four TE1 weekly finishes on his 2025 resume (TE9, TE8, TE1, TE4). Barner had a quiet game against the Titans in Week 12 with a 15.3% target share, two receptions and 18 scoreless receiving yards. He should bounce back nicely in Week 13 and Week 15 against the Vikings and Colts. The Vikings have allowed the sixth-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points per game to tight ends, per Fantasy Points Data. Indianapolis has allowed the fifth-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points per game to the position.

Isaiah Likely (TE – BAL): 5% Rostered

Next Opponents: CIN, PIT, @CIN
True Value: $0
Desperate Need: $1
Budget-Minded: $0

Analysis: I’m not incredibly high on Isaiah Likely as a streaming tight end option for the rest of the season, but I’m tossing him in here as a deeper matchup-based option for the next three weeks. Likely has surpassed 20 receiving yards in only one game this season. His next two opponents don’t have a clue how to defend tight ends, so that could help his outlook and streaming upside. The Bengals have allowed the most schedule-adjusted fantasy points per game to tight ends, while the Steelers have given up the third-most, per Fantasy Points Data. If you’re in a pinch, you could do a lot worse than Likely over the next three weeks.