Week 5 brings some challenging decisions for fantasy football managers, particularly at the tight end. With several key players dealing with quarterback changes and tough matchups, identifying the right starts and sits becomes crucial for your lineup success.
The tight end landscape continues to be unpredictable, making evaluating both opportunity and matchup context essential. This week, despite their typical reliability, there is a mix of players who could surprise and others who might disappoint.
Start ‘Em: Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders’ offense functioned pretty well with Marcus Mariota under center. They scored 41 and 27 points in their two contests. But Mariota is not Jayden Daniels. He threw for 207 and 156 yards in his two starts, completing a total of 31 passes.
Mariota has not been kind to Zach Ertz. The veteran tight end posted lines of 3-38 and 2-21 with the backup at the helm.
This is admittedly not the greatest matchup. The Chargers have a good defense and are just outside the top 10 in fewest fantasy points allowed to tight ends. However, the tight end position is a wasteland, and we need starters.
Ertz is expected to get Daniels back this week. Terry McLaurin certainly appears to be sidelined again. That puts Ertz in the role of de facto No. 2 pass catcher behind Deebo Samuel Sr. In a week with multiple starting tight ends on bye, that’s good enough to get him in fantasy lineups.
Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars
The same logic that applies to Ertz applies to Brenton Strange. It’s a little different in that Strange is not the No. 2 pass catcher in his offense. But he’s the clear No. 1 TE on his team and ran just two fewer routes than Brian Thomas Jr. last week.
Strange has yet to find the end zone, but has still managed double-digit fantasy points in three of his four contests (He had 9.9 in Week 1. I’m rounding up).
MORE: Free Fantasy Start/Sit Optimizer
The Jacksonville Jaguars have also benefited from a surprisingly large amount of positive game script over the first month of the season. That seems likely to change when facing Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Even though the Chiefs are allowing the fourth fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends, Strange is still worth a spot in lineups this week.
Sit ‘Em: T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings
We are doubling down on the Vikings’ offense this week. It’s just a terrible spot against a Browns defense that is simply good.
T.J. Hockenson was not particularly featured in this offense back when JJ McCarthy was starting and Jordan Addison was suspended. He had nine catches for 76 yards and a touchdown over the first three weeks of the season.
Now, with Carson Wentz under center and Addison back, what exactly is Hockenson’s upside? He managed four receptions for 39 yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin, but he didn’t catch a pass until the fourth quarter when the Vikings were down three scores. There is no deliberate effort to get him the ball.
Given the state of the tight end position and how few reliable starters there are, you probably won’t be able to bench Hockenson. Just know that it could be another disappointing effort from the veteran.
Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
Outside of Week 2, Hunter Henry has been a very reliable tight end. He’s posted games of 10.6, 29.0, and 11.9 in his other three contests. You may not have a better option. But this week is going to be a challenge.
The Buffalo Bills are allowing the third fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends. While the likelihood of a negative game script may seem beneficial, there’s a very real risk that the Bills will dominate the New England Patriots, with the latter struggling to extend drives. Pass catchers can’t rack up target volume when drives aren’t extended.
Additionally, Henry’s usage hasn’t been entirely consistent. He saw eight targets in Week 1 and 11 in Week 3. In Weeks 2 and 4, he saw a combined five targets. It’s really hit or miss, which is to be expected in an offense that lacks a clear top option in the passing game.
Henry looks like a fantasy TE1 for the rest of the season, but he does not look like one in Week 5.
