It’s Week 15 of the NFL season which means that we have arrived at the opening round of the Fantasy Football Playoffs. A huge congratulations to those managers who survived the wild season and are set to embark on the pursuit of a league championship! While bye weeks are also now in the books for all 32 teams, injuries and a certain virus continue to alter the availability of several players. For those in need of possible fantasy football TE streamers for Round 1 of the playoffs, you have come to the right place!
Read on for three fantasy football streamers at tight end for Week 15 of the NFL season. At the end of the column, readers will also find a list of starting TEs who might be worth fading in difficult matchups this week.
Week 15 Fantasy Football TE Streamers
Ownership percentages reflect those across all Sleeper Fantasy Football leagues
James O’Shaughnessy | Jacksonville Jaguars (vs HOU)
Current Ownership: 2%
If Urban Meyer stays on as the head coach in Jacksonville beyond this season, the Jaguars will be making a massive mistake. It is quite clear that he is incapable of handling the NFL coaching role. Along with mismanaging the team’s best offensive player in James Robinson, there have also been reports that Meyer got into it with veteran wideout Marvin Jones Jr. Oh, and rookie top draft pick Trevor Lawrence seems to be getting worse instead of better as the season nears its close. There is next to nothing positive happening in Duval right now. Yet, James O’Shaughnessy makes a second consecutive appearance in this fantasy football streamers column.
Taking over the near-weekly spot in this article that was vacated by the injured Dan Arnold, O’Shaughnessy remains widely available ahead of the fantasy playoffs. While the 6.1 PPR points he totaled last week didn’t win any matchups, it also saved those who did stream him from the dreaded 0 in the TE spot. The fact that his stat line included six targets and only 21 yards on the four he hauled in suggests that he could easily score more moving forward. As has been the case all year, the lack of quality targets forces Lawrence to look to his tight end often. O’Shaughnessy also gets a favorable matchup this week against a Houston Texans defense allowing nearly 15 PPR points per game to opposing TEs.
RELATED | Week 15 Fantasy Football Rankings for PPR and Half PPR
Ricky Seals-Jones | Washington Football Team (at PHI)
Current Ownership: 14%
Ricky Seals-Jones failed to come through for us as a fantasy football streamers play last week. In fact, he actually was out-snapped by backup John Bates in Washington’s loss to Dallas. Given that it was Seals-Jones’ first game back from a hip injury, it seems safe to assume that the Football Team took the approach of easing him back into a live game. Despite only being on the field for 46% of the team’s offensive snaps, Seals-Jones did manage to garner four targets. This is one positive aspect of the otherwise discouraging performance that fantasy managers can roll over into Week 15.
When fully healthy, Seals-Jones is clearly the tight end that Washington wants to use in the passing game. Thus, Bates does not figure to be a serious threat to his playing time and role in the offense moving forward. Assuming he gets a bump in playing time this week, Seals-Jones will have the opportunity to turn in another quality fantasy line just as he did the first time Logan Thomas went on IR earlier in the season. The matchup doesn’t get any better than a Philadelphia Eagles defense that has allowed 18.2 PPR points per game to opposing TEs, the most of any team. With top receiver Terry McLaurin in concussion protocol and yet to practice, perhaps Seals-Jones might even see a few extra targets come his way on Sunday.
Nick Vannett | New Orleans Saints (at TB)
Current Ownership: 0%
Although the Saints designated top tight end, Adam Trautman, to return from IR allowing him to resume practicing this week, most believe that the second-year pro is still a week or two away. As a result, veteran Nick Vannett does carry fantasy football streamers potential into Week 15. The Saints are clearly a run-first offense with Taysom Hill at quarterback. However, the lack of any consistent wide receivers along with Hill’s inaccuracy down the field continues to allow the tight ends to have a role. With Trautman sidelined, Vannett has been the beneficiary in recent weeks.
The fifth-year pro played a season-high 73% of New Orleans’ offensive snaps in last week’s win. Vannett also saw a season-high six targets, catching three of them for 44 yards. He scored over seven PPR fantasy points for the second straight week. While the upside here is not great, fantasy football managers who find themselves in a desperate situation with the playoffs getting underway can do worse than stream Vannett in Week 15. The matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is not quite as daunting as it may initially seem. The Bucs are quietly allowing 14.9 PPR points per game to opposing TEs. Furthermore, if New Orleans faces a deficit, the offense could shift to a more pass-heavy approach than typical with Vannett becoming one of Hill’s top targets.
Tight Ends Facing Tough Week 15 Matchups
- Dallas Goedert | Philadelphia Eagles (vs WAS)
- Kyle Pitts | Atlanta Falcons (at SF)
- T.J. Hockenson | Detroit Lions (at ARZ)
