Week 16 in the NFL is centered on a solid,11-game fantasy football main slate on DraftKings that kicks off at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon. With 22 teams in the player pool, many strong fantasy builds make sense to consider. One place that can be critical to save some salary is at tight end, where there are a host of good fantasy football sleeper options to choose from.
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. Tight end is especially important to consider for fantasy football sleeper options since the salaries go lower at tight end than at other positions. Using a bargain tight end in your FLEX spot can unlock more salary to use on stars in other spots, but getting production from your bargain tight end is also critical.
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 16 matchups.
Week 16 Fantasy Football Sleeper TE picks (full analysis below)
- Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills ($3,300)
- T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings ($3,000)
- Gunnar Helm, Tennessee Titans ($2,900)
- Darnell Washington, Pittsburgh Steelers ($2,600)
- Tommy Tremble, Carolina Panthers ($2,500)
Week 15 Results:
- Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens ($3,400; 0.0 FPTS)
- Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals ($3,300; 2.1 FPTS)
- Colby Parkinson, Los Angeles Rams ($3,200; 24.5 FPTS)
- Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills ($3,000; 18.7 FPTS)
- Jeremy Ruckert, New York Jets ($2,500; 3.3 FPTS)
Whether you’re looking for value plays in your DFS contests like the NFL $2.25M 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 16 of the 2025 season:
Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills ($3,300)
The Bills have relied heavily on their tight ends over the last few weeks with Knox staying very involved even with Dalton Kincaid ($4,300) returning from injury.
In fact, Knox’s two strong showings in the last two weeks have come within the first two games since Kincaid’s return from his knee injury. He’s still less than 100%, though, since he didn’t practice on Wednesday or Thursday, which could leave more work again for Knox, who continues to showcase a good connection with Josh Allen.
Knox has caught at least three passes in four straight weeks, and he posted 17.3 and 18.7 fantasy points in the last two games. Against the Bengals in the snow, he had six catches for 93 yards, and last week in New England, he had three catches for 37 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Knox is still very affordable under $3,500 and brings lots of upside as the Bills visit the Browns in Cleveland. The forecast looks like it will be another cold-weather game with snow possible. The Bills should handle the snow just fine, and shorter passes to Knox could be exactly what they need to succeed against Cleveland this week against the Browns, who have done a good job against receivers.
T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings ($3,000)
Another veteran who has been trending up in the last few weeks has been Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson. Hockenson’s season started slowly with QB issues plaguing the offense, but he has got some momentum since J.J. McCarthy ($4,900) returned to action.
Hockenson has multiple receptions in 12 straight games and posted over 9.0 fantasy points in each of the last three games, going over 50 receiving yards in two of those three games.
In the only game in which he didn’t get to 50 yards, he got into the end zone with this catch against the Commanders:
The Vikings are in New York this week in a favorable matchup against the Giants. Since he has averaged 4.0 catches per game in the last four games, Hockenson seemingly has a pretty high floor while working with McCarthy. If he gets into the end zone again, he will bring a very high ceiling as well.
Gunnar Helm, Tennessee Titans ($2,900)
The Titans have gotten more work for rookie tight end Gunnar Helm over the last few weeks and the fourth-round pick has stepped up, showcasing a good connection with fellow rookie Cam Ward ($4,400). He’s officially questionable with a toe injury, but he is expected to play after a full practice on Friday.
Helm picked up the toe injury last week against the 49ers while he was having one of his best games of the year. He hauled in all four of his targets for 49 yards and his second touchdown of the season.
Helm is more boom-or-bust than Hockenson, but he’s such a big part of the Titans’ future that he’s likely to stay involved. He’s sharing time with Chig Okonkwo ($3,200), but with so few pass-catching options, both tight ends should be involved enough to bring potential value against the Chiefs in Week 16.
Darnell Washington, Pittsburgh Steelers ($2,600)
Another fantasy football sleeper worth considering this week at tight end is the Steelers’ Darnell Washington. The Steelers have both Jonnu Smith ($2,700) and Pat Freiermuth ($2,800), but they still have found ways to get Washington involved.
Washington has multiple catches in four of his last five games. He caught three of his four targets on Monday Night Football for 25 yards against the Dolphins last week.
Washington brings a unique physical element to the offense, and he defines the kind of smashmouth football the Steelers want to be their hallmark.
Against the Lions, the Steelers could lean into getting the ball into Washington’s hands, and if he gets a couple of catches, he should be a good value at just over $2,500.
Tommy Tremble, Carolina Panthers ($2,500)
Another bargain option that can be a fantasy football sleeper this week is Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble. Tremble and Ja’Tavion Sanders ($2,500) are splitting time, but Tremble has been the more involved pass catcher.
Last week coming out of the bye, Tremble caught two of his four targets for 13 yards while Sanders caught two passes for five yards on his two targets. Tremble has 22 catches for 199 receiving yards and a touchdown this season, but it looks like he is the slightly preferred option in the passing game right now.
The Panthers face the Buccaneers this week, who have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to tight ends this season. Last week, the Falcons’ tight ends (Kyle Pitts Sr.) had three touchdowns against Tampa Bay, who have allowed five tight-end touchdowns in the last four weeks with 50+ yards to the position in each of those four weeks.
