Harold Fannin Jr. entered the league with an interesting profile as a prospect. The undersized tight end out of Bowling Green etched his name into the record books during his college career, but there were open questions as to his ability to replicate that at the NFL level. After an ok start to the season, Fannin has found his stride down the stretch run with Shedeur Sanders under center. That 3-game stretch has Fannin as the TE4, averaging just over 15 fantasy points per game, and has seen his route participation and target rate spike as his role in the offense expands. This week, he draws a matchup against a Bears team that has allowed the 6th-most receptions to Tight Ends this season and a game script that should have the Browns taking to the air. I’ve got Fannin listed at my TE5 this week, in lock-step with the QBL consensus and his highest ranking on the season. –Eric Romoff
The Colston Loveland breakout appears to be upon us. After coming off the board as the TE1 when the Bears selected Loveland 10th overall, the former Wolverine started the season with a bit of a whimper. Following the Bears’ Week 5 bye, we started to see some positive signals as both snap counts and routes run started to tick up. Fast-forward to last week, where the Bears were without Rome Odunze, and Loveland maintained a larger role while making another trip to the end zone, his 4th in the past 6 weeks. Odunze is likely sidelined for Week 15 as well, opening the door for another strong performance from Loveland as they face a Browns team that has hardly been limiting tight end production. I am the highest on Loveland among our rankings squad, listed him as my TE7 this week. –Eric Romoff
If not for an untimely fumble at the goal line and one of the most blatant blown touchdown calls in recent memory, Isaiah Likely would be coming off back-to-back 20-point performances and would be the TE1 over the last two weeks. Instead, variance has broken the other way, and Likely is merely averaging about 8 points per game over his last two. Obviously, these sorts of things will ebb and flow over the course of a season, but what is far more reliable is the Likely’s usage in recent weeks. Since Lamar Jackson has returned from injury, Likely is averaging nearly 5 targets per game and has seen his target share spike to 17%. This week, he gets the benefit of facing a Bengals defense that is allowing tight ends to score at a prolific rate. Cincinnati’s 15 receiving touchdowns and 1,258 yards allowed to the position aren’t just the most in the league; each is nearly 50% more than the teams with the 2nd-most. Likely should feast this week and is up to 13th in our consensus rankings. –Eric Romoff