Fantasy Football Week 15 Start 'Em Sit 'Em: Tyler Warren vs Harold Fannin Jr.
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How about these rookie tight ends? They have been a mark of excellence in the world of Fantasy Football this year. Tyler Warren and Harold Fannin Jr. lead the charge are Top-10 Tight Ends in Fantasy Football, and though they trend highly now, they may trend even higher into their sophomore seasons. We can get very excited about that, but we are currently worried about the Fantasy Football Playoffs. Which player has higher upside in Week 15? We debate.
The Case for Tyler Warren
Fantasy Sports On SI Week 15 Ranking: TE7
Warren has exceeded expectations this year. He has played all 13 Games and had 79 Targets (20% Target Share), 60 Receptions, 699 Yards, and 4 Touchdowns. Warren is the TE3 in Fantasy Football, just behind Trey McBride and Travis Kelce.
The Colts have officially named TE Tyler Warren has their QB2 following the injury of Daniel Jones.
— State Media (@StateMediaPSU) December 8, 2025
Penn State breeds VERSATILE players. 😤 pic.twitter.com/8P8cEfcf2j
Going forward, Warren is going to have much added risk to his profile. The Colts are aiming to start Riley Leonard this week, in place for Daniel Jones. If he cannot go, it will be Philip Rivers. Either way, this will downtick Warren's output, but it does not mean that he is not viable.
Our rankings downgraded Warren to be the TE7 in Week 15. It is going to be difficult to fully predict his output with a new quarterback, so we have to wait and see. Given Warren's role as a top option in this offense, we can expect the Colts to lean on him, maintaining a high-usage rate.
The Colts will head to take on the Seahawks this Sunday. The Seahakws may be known as an elite defense, but not against Tight Ends. They are 30th versus the position, allowing (71.8) Yards per Game — 2nd most in the NFL. They are stout in the Red Zone, allowing just (5) Touchdowns to Tight Ends. The yards are what kills, and Warren has to volume to eat it up.
The Case for Harold Fannin Jr.
Fantasy Sports On SI Week 15 Ranking: TE4
Fannin Jr. was highly touted out of Bowling Green, but since he did not hail from a Power Five school, he did float under-the-radar. The Browns saw this talent, grabbed him, and now he outperforms David Njoku. In fact, Fannin Jr. is the lead pass-catcher on this Browns offense.
1 minute of #Browns TE Harold Fannin Jr. from Sunday's game: pic.twitter.com/nRqkcLKM78
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) December 10, 2025
Fannin Jr. has played all 13 Games for the Browns. He has 83 Targets (21% Target Share), 59 Receptions, 619 Yards, and 4 Touchdowns. Fannin Jr. is the TE9 in Fantasy Football.
In recent weeks with Shedeur Sanders, Fannin Jr. has been trending even higher. He has maintained a similar workload, but he has 2-of-4 season touchdowns in the last two weeks. He did also tie his season-high of (10) Targets in Week 14.
Fannin Jr. will get the Bears this week, in Chicago. They are dead in the middle as 16th versus Tight Ends. The Bears are just 26th in Total Defense and 25th in Points Allowed so we expect that Fannin Jr., as the team's leading pass-catcher, does have notable upside in volume here.
Start 'Em Sit 'Em: Tyler Warren vs Harold Fannin Jr.
You cannot find two tight ends were similar output this year. They both have about the same targets share's yards, and the exact same amount of touchdowns. So, what gives?
I would look to the better volumed matchup, and the higher touchdown upside.
Fannin Jr. seems to trend higher with Sanders while Warren may trend lower with Leonard/Rivers. However, Warren has more than twice as many Red Zone Targets as Fannin Jr. (18-to-8). It may be thought that we can look past Warren's targets as he has a new quarterback, so that is something to consider.
Ultimately, neither player is overly likely to score. They will have >35% chance each to score, so I would rather side with volume than anything. Fannin Jr. has it, although I would not mind starting either player in my lineup.
Start Harold Fannin Jr. for much higher upside in his Quarterback situation.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.