The tight end position is always tricky for fantasy football managers, and the 2024 NFL season has been no different. Kyle Pitts and Mark Andrews have struggled to the point where both are almost unusable for fantasy purposes. That has left managers scrambling for other options, with Cole Kmet and Pat Freiermuth among those who could fill the void.
Let’s take a look at how our Week 5 tight end rankings shake out and the outlooks for Pitts, Andrews, and Kmet.
WEEK 5 POSITIONAL RANKINGS: QB | RB | WR | K | DEF | FLEX
Top 30 Fantasy Tight End Rankings
1) Trey McBride | Arizona Cardinals (at SF)
2) George Kittle | San Francisco 49ers (vs. ARI)
3) Travis Kelce | Kansas City Chiefs (vs. NO)
4) Dalton Kincaid | Buffalo Bills (at HOU)
5) Brock Bowers | Las Vegas Raiders (at DEN)
6) Jake Ferguson | Dallas Cowboys (at PIT)
7) Evan Engram | Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. IND)
8) David Njoku | Cleveland Browns (at WAS)
9) Tucker Kraft | Green Bay Packers (at LAR)
10) Pat Freiermuth | Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. DAL)
11) Cole Kmet | Chicago Bears (vs. CAR)
12) Dalton Schultz | Houston Texans (vs. BUF)
13) Kyle Pitts | Atlanta Falcons (vs. TB)
14) Isaiah Likely | Baltimore Ravens (at CIN)
15) Zach Ertz | Washington Commanders (vs. CLE)
16) Taysom Hill | New Orleans Saints (at KC)
17) Tyler Conklin | New York Jets (vs. MIN {London})
18) Mike Gesicki | Cincinnati Bengals (vs. BAL)
19) Noah Fant | Seattle Seahawks (vs. NYG)
20) Colby Parkinson | Los Angeles Rams (vs. GB)
21) Hunter Henry | New England Patriots (vs. MIA)
22) Noah Gray | Kansas City Chiefs (vs. NO)
23) Cade Otton | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at ATL)
24) Jonnu Smith | Miami Dolphins (at NE)
25) Brenton Strange | Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. IND)
26) Greg Dulcich | Denver Broncos (vs. LV)
27) Mark Andrews | Baltimore Ravens (at CIN)
28) Johnny Mundt | Minnesota Vikings (vs. NYJ {London})
29) Elijah Higgins | Arizona Cardinals (at SF)
30) Juwan Johnson | New Orleans Saints (at KC)
Which TEs Are Intriguing for Week 5?
Kyle Pitts | Atlanta Falcons (vs. TB)
“Stats are for losers, man.”
No, Raheem Morris, stats are actually for winners. The numbers that get thrown at you on a weekly basis are positive stats and reflect the ability to move the ball down the field — an ability that is strongly correlated to team success.
#Falcons HC Raheem Morris on Kyle Pitts’ zero-catch game, and how cognizant Morris is about getting Pitts involved:
“It was just about going out there and winning the game… Stats are for losers, man. I don’t get involved in that stuff.” pic.twitter.com/8wk9TYmU7a
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex)
Okay, I had to get that off my chest. Pitts saw only one target on 19 first-half passes from Cousins in Week 4, and he finished the game without a single reception.
Maybe Pitts is the problem. We thought all of the changes in Atlanta would unlock this high-pedigree option, but with eight catches on 100 routes this season, the former Gator is as useless for fantasy purposes as ever.
One more week.
These two teams played in Week 14 last season, and Desmond Ridder got all three of the elite prospects in this offense a 30+ yard reception. A single play like that would likely result in a top-12 finish for Pitts. Is that too much to ask?
Pitts managers are going through a similar situation as those with Mark Andrews rostered — too talented to drop for the equally underwhelming options on the wire. Give it one more week and come back to me; we can mourn together if we have to discuss the four-letter “d” word next week.
Drop.
– Analysis by Kyle Soppe
Mark Andrews | Baltimore Ravens (at CIN)
Andrews had more highlighted blocks last week than targets. And the one look he did get — he promptly put on the turf.
With one top-25 finish at the position and a downward-trending route rate, Andrews has put you in the same position that Kyle Pitts managers find themselves.
You’re in jail.
You could drop Andrews, but what are you gaining in doing so? You’re unlikely to get a résumé of production or exposure to a strong offense — Andrews obviously has both.
If you want to look at Zach Ertz or Tyler Conklin as band-aids until (hopefully) the Ravens lean into Andrews, I have no problem with that. I’m just not yet comfortable in cutting ties with him to make that happen.
– Analysis by Soppe
Cole Kmet | Chicago Bears (vs. CAR)
Kmet has been held under 35 receiving yards in three of four games this season. Yet, we might be looking at a best-case scenario from a profile standpoint. He’s on a career pace in both average depth of target and catch rate, two stats that typically work in opposite directions.
There’s no such thing as a bad play at tight end these days, but there are better options than others; that’s the case here if you’re streaming the position.
– Analysis by Soppe
All stats are from TruMedia unless otherwise stated.
