Week 15 in the NFL features a massive 13-game fantasy football slate with eight games kicking off at 1:00 p.m. ET followed by five games that kick off at 4:25 p.m. ET. Five games are divisional matchups, and almost all games have playoff implications for one or both teams. It should be a wild push to the finish over the next four weeks, and there will be some great fantasy football slates along the way as well. One key position to include as you hunt for value is tight end, where the salary options go lower than at any other skill position. Getting the right fantasy football sleeper at a bargain rate will open up so many potential possibilities with the rest of your roster, so check out my top options who look ready to step up in Week 15 at tight end.
Each Saturday throughout the season, I’ve been listing my top fantasy football sleeper tight ends from the main slate to help you find the biggest production for the lowest salary.
The picks in this post can be excellent values for DFS contests and can also serve as sneaky plays in your season-long league since they are in a position to exceed expectations. Earlier this week, I highlighted my top-15 starters at tight end, and in this list, we’ll focus on players mostly outside those 15 players who still bring a high fantasy football ceiling in their Week 15 matchups.
Week 15 Fantasy Football Sleeper TEs (analysis below):
- Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens ($3,400)
- Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals ($3,300)
- Colby Parkinson, Los Angeles Rams ($3,200)
- Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills ($3,000)
- Jeremy Ruckert, New York Jets ($2,500)
Week 14 Results:
- Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears ($3,200; 12.9 FPTS)
- Colby Parkinson, Los Angeles Rams ($3,100; 12.2 FPTS)
- Gunnar Helm, Tennessee Titans ($2,900; 1.8 FPTS)
- Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills ($2,800; 17.3 FPTS)
- Elijah Higgins, Arizona Cardinals ($2,500; 1.0 FPTS)
Whether you’re looking for value plays in your DFS contests like the NFL $2.5M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st] or looking for a last-minute addition from the waiver wire, here are my top five fantasy football sleeper tight ends for Week 15 of the 2025 season:
Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens ($3,400)
It’s hard to trust a tight end who isn’t even the primary option on his own team at the position – I get it, but the matchup this week is too good to pass up on Likely at this price.
Since Lamar Jackson ($6,400) has returned from injury, Likely has been much more involved, with multiple catches in eight of his last nine games with at least three catches in three of the six games since Jackson returned. Against the Bengals on Thanksgiving night, he had five catches on six targets for 95 yards, and he followed that up with four catches for 25 yards and his first touchdown of the season last week in a loss to the Steelers.
Likely played 48 snaps (60%) last week, his highest snap percentage since Week 6. If he gets that much playing time again this week, Likely should be able to return great value in the rematch with the Bengals.
Cincinnati has been an outstanding matchup for tight ends this season, giving up the most fantasy points to the position by a wide margin. Tight ends have averaged 96.8 yards per game against the Bengals while scoring 15 touchdowns in 13 games, including 10 touchdowns in the last seven weeks.
Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals ($3,300)
On the other side of that AFC North matchup, Mike Gesicki is another fantasy football sleeper at the position. Gesicki is coming off a huge game last week in the snow in Buffalo. He has his best game of the season, hauling in six catches for 86 yards and a touchdown. The dreaded Gesicki griddy even made an appearance:
Gesicki has been targeted 16 times in the last three weeks, making 12 catches for 140 yards and that touchdown. He seems to be fully over his injury from earlier this season and ready to be a healthy contributor for Joe Burrow ($6,600) going forward. This week, Gesicki should be even more involved in the attack than usual since Tee Higgins (concussion) will miss this game against the Ravens. He could actually line up at WR more often as a result and run Higgins’ typical routes.
Gesicki has a ton of potential in Week 15, so even if you don’t think the Bengals will be able to save their season, the tight end is enough of a fantasy football sleeper to consider adding to your lineups for this matchup.
Colby Parkinson, Los Angeles Rams ($3,200)
With Tyler Higbee (ankle) on IR, the Rams continue to give Parkinson plenty of playing time as their top tight end. Parkinson didn’t seize the job last year while Higbee was out, but he has been very solid this year while working with Matthew Stafford in the effective Rams passing game.
Parkinson has four touchdowns in his last five games and has multiple catches in seven straight. Last week against the Cardinals, he hauled in three targets for 32 yards and this score:
While he does remain touchdown dependent and isn’t putting up a ton of yards, he’s getting plenty of attention in the red zone and has a good chance of delivering value in what should be a high-scoring matchup against the Lions in Los Angeles this week.
Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills ($3,000)
Knox definitely benefited from facing the Bengals last week and should remain very involved as the Bills look to earn a split of their season series with the Patriots this week.
In the snow in Buffalo, Knox had six catches for a season-high 93 yards and finished with 17.3 fantasy points. He has only one touchdown on the season (back in Week 6), but he has posted at least three catches in four of his last five games.
With the Bills receivers struggling with consistency, Knox and Dalton Kincaid ($4,500) should be busy against the Patriots, who allow the ninth-most fantasy points to the position. While he probably won’t get a ton of targets, he’s been making the most of his chances, which is enough to make him a fantasy football sleeper at just $3,000.
Jeremy Ruckert, New York Jets ($2,500)
If you want to get really wild and go ultra-cheap, check out Jets TE Jeremy Ruckert, who looks lined up to make a start this week against the Jaguars. No offensive player on the board has a lower salary than Ruckert, so if you are stacking stars, Ruckert can be a key to unlocking just the right pay-up plays with his salary that’s lower than everyone else’s.
The Jets won’t have QBs Tyrod Taylor (groin) or Justin Fields (knee), so it’ll be undrafted rookie Brady Cook ($4,300) making passes for them this week. Cook completed 14-of-30 passes for 163 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions in his first NFL work last week, and he’ll look to improve on those numbers on Sunday as he takes on the Jaguars in Jacksonville. One of Cook’s go-to targets last week was TE Mason Taylor, but Taylor is out this week after suffering a neck injury. Taylor was the team’s leading receiver with five catches for 51 yards in this past Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins.
Ruckert is expected to start in Taylor’s spot, and the former third-round pick from the NFL Draft could get enough targets to return good per-dollar production. He has 18 catches for 150 yards on the season and has snagged multiple catches in each of the last three weeks even while working behind Taylor.
The Jaguars have allowed the third-most fantasy points per game to tight ends this season, giving up seven touchdowns and 65.1 yards per game to the position on the season. If you are looking to unlock extra salary for your lineup, using Ruckert at either TE or in your FLEX spot is definitely a strong strategy to consider.
