In need of a fantasy football win? We aren’t too far from the midway point of our regular season, and you can’t afford to fall too far behind. I’m here to help you break those ties and have your team pointing in the right direction when Week 5 is all said and done.
Which Tight Ends Should Fantasy Managers Start in Week 5?
All stats are from TruMedia unless otherwise stated.
Brock Bowers | LV (at DEN)
Even with Adams and Michael Mayer sidelined last week, Bowers posted his second straight sub-15% on-field target share game after clearing 25% in his first two contests.
This is expected as rookie seasons for elite pass catchers are often about ebb and flow. They are about adjusting to adjustments, both from the standout talent and the NFL as a whole.
Bowers wasn’t far from turning an ugly stat line into a productive one last week. He let a chunk play slip through his hands, but if he had made it, I guess that you’re not asking any questions.
You still shouldn’t be.
This is a high-pedigree option in an offense that is willing to explore what he can do at all three levels. With Surtain circling Vegas’ receivers this week, don’t be surprised if Bowers looks like he did in his first two games and posts a top-five finish at the position.
Cole Kmet | CHI (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 aDOT 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.
Dalton Kincaid | BUF (at HOU)
It’s easy to look at Kincaid’s 32.2 PPR points to date and be disappointed, but he’s been a top-14 finisher at the position in three straight weeks. And with his expected point total inching up each week, I think you can still feel good here.
After posting a negative-0.6 aDOT through two weeks this season, Kincaid’s average depth of target is 9.0 over the past two games, a usage pattern that I expect to be sustained. Buffalo’s tight end was the fifth-highest-scoring option at the position last week, and I think we get more of the same in this potential shootout.
David Njoku | CLE (at WAS)
Update: Njoku is active and expected to play. However, he might be limited in his first game back, per reports.
Njoku entered this season coming off of the best year of his career (81-882-6) and caught four of five targets in the season opener, but an ankle injury has sidelined the 28-year-old for three straight games, making this the fourth time in six seasons in which he’s logged at least three DNPs.
There is plenty of time, but you’d have to think that there is a decent chance that Njoku suits up this weekend. A four-game absence would have made an IR stint the more savvy move by the franchise to open up a roster spot.
While this wasn’t exactly potent in September, a matchup with the Commanders has a way of masking inefficiencies. There’s a good chance, due to the lack of depth at the position, Njoku will rank as a starter for me whenever he returns, which will certainly be the case if he’s cleared for Week 5.
Evan Engram | JAX (vs. IND)
The 2023 Pro Bowler came up lame during warmups ahead of Week 2 and has now missed three consecutive games due to that hamstring injury. This is all after essentially being invisible in the season opener against the Dolphins (one catch for five yards).
Safe to say, it hasn’t been a banner season for those who targeted the middle tier at the tight end position (or really anyone who spent anything at all to address TE). The Jaguars don’t go on bye until Week 12, which means that Engram will have to work through this injury within the cadence of a normal schedule — something that, based on reporting out of Jacksonville, seems to be nearing.
Engram was ruled inactive by the Jaguars on Sunday morning.
Through a month, it’s clear that this offense is lacking a go-to option, and that’s enough to assume that Engram is a fantasy starter the second he returns to the field. These soft-tissue injuries introduce in-game risk because they can flare up at a moment’s notice, but that’s a risk I’m willing to take at this position — particularly in a matchup where he caught all 12 of his targets a season ago.
George Kittle | SF (vs. ARI)
Update: Kittle was listed as questionable but is expected to play in Week 5.
In the event that you forgot what Kittle was capable of, he proved his health with a touchdown catch in triple coverage last week against the Patriots. He’s pulled down 15 of his 17 targets this season, and while the week-over-week consistency may never be there, Kittle’s ceiling is great enough to chase at a position that offers next to zero stability.
Brock Purdy called out to @gkittle46 mid play and then said hi to mom 😂 @49ers pic.twitter.com/9iz0GgavFH
— NFL (@NFL)
Neither Sam LaPorta nor Dalton Kincaid have had success in their matchups with the Cardinals this season, but that’s not stopping me from ranking Kittle as a top-five option this week.
Isaiah Likely | BAL (at CIN)
That TE1 finish in the season opener feels like it came a decade ago. The athletic profile remains, and the potency of Baltimore’s offense isn’t a question, but the tight end position has been an afterthought.
Likely has out-snapped Andrews in each of the past two weeks after not doing so in the first two games, but he hasn’t finished a week as a top-20 producer at the position since he stole all of our FAAB money a month ago.
I have Likely ranked over Andrews for the rest of the season. I believe in this situation from a process standpoint, but we are one week away from him falling outside of my starting tier. Likely is my TE12 this week, and that’s more damning of the position than it is a reflection of current optimism on my end.
Jake Ferguson | DAL (at PIT)
The big day is coming. Jake Ferguson has been solid in both of his games back to the lineup, and all the metrics like him to continue doing so moving forward. Across those two games, Dallas’ No. 2 option in the passing game has seen 27.7% of the team’s targets when he’s been on the field (71.1% snap share). He’s showcased versatility in the process with an 8.3 average depth of target rate in Week 3 and a 2.9 rate in Week 4.
Trey McBride’s efficiency and Isaiah Likely’s athleticism headline the talking points when discussing tight ends drafted in 2022, but it’s Ferguson who owns the edge over both of them in terms of career yards per route. Elite defenses have a way of making you beat them with less than your best. If Lamb is bracketed, we can project a third straight game with at least six receptions — that’s gold at the tight end position.
Mike Gesicki | CIN (vs. BAL)
If you don’t play in a full-PPR league, you outscored Gesicki last week by sitting on your couch (his only target resulted in a nine-yard loss). As hard as that performance was to swallow (and it was; trust me, I have a few shares), don’t let it blind you to the fact that Gesicki was a top-12 producer at the position in each of the two weeks before.
Don’t get me wrong, this profile is thin. There were two alpha receivers well ahead of Gesicki in the target hierarchy of Cincinnati’s offense, not to mention a pair of backs and a developing Iosivas. That said, we’re looking at a player who is almost never used for blocking and plays in an offense that we trust.
That’s enough. Heck, that’s plenty at the TE position.
Geiscki lives in the TE12-15 range for me, which is where he lands, even in a spot where Cincinnati’s offensive expectations are lower than normal.
Pat Freiermuth | PIT (vs. DAL)
That’s four straight top-15 finishes for Pat Freiermuth, with the 5-57-1 line last week in Indianapolis easily being his best line of the season (Freiermuth’s most catches, targets, yards, and his first score of 2024).
That’s not to say Freiermuth is some rockstar or difference-maker at the position, but boring can be effective — especially at a position like tight end where simply having a pulse puts players on the radar.
The @Steelers aren't done yet!
Fields finds Freiermuth for the score.
📺: #PITvsIND on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/1Ujcrq6G84— NFL (@NFL)
Dallas is going to have to get creative on the defensive side of the ball to overcome their rash of injuries, something that, in my opinion, makes two things likely — 1) an increase in exotic blitzes and/or 2) the desire to prevent splash plays.
Both of those schemes put Freiermuth in a position to again provide enough production in PPR formats for managers to be satisfied. He’s caught all five of his targets this season when Justin Fields is pressured (teammates: 55.6%), and he leads the team with 15 short receptions.
Pencil in Freiermuth for another 4-5 catches and 40-50 yards. Winning your matchups this season can be as much about not losing ground at the TE position as it is gaining ground — Freiermuth checks that box most weeks. I see no reason for that to change any time soon.
Trey McBride | ARI (at SF)
Update: McBride was downgraded to questionable on Saturday but is expected to play in Week 5.
Stop me if you’ve heard it before — it’s been a rough start to the season for the tight end position. A concussion resulted in McBride sitting out last week, but even before the injury, his per-target PPR production was down 26.9% from last season, due in part to a red-zone target rate that is less than half of what it was during his breakout sophomore season.
I’m not sweating it. McBride was on the field for 84% of Arizona’s offensive snaps through the first three weeks, and if a talented player is on the field with regularity as a featured member of an above-average offense — he’s a locked-in fantasy option.
McBride lit up these 49ers in Week 15 last season to the tune of 10 catches and 102 yards on 11 targets (his teammates in that 16-point loss: 59.3% catch rate). While this is certainly a different structure, he is a mismatch waiting to happen.
If McBride is active for the Cardinals, he’s active for you. It really is that simple.
Travis Kelce | KC (vs. NO)
To the surprise of no one, Kelce saw his usage spike after Rice departed (first half: 37.5% target and 45.5% reception share). Of course, banking on a 35-year-old to handle a role like that for an extended period is overly optimistic, but could he do it for 60 minutes on Monday night with a bye week coming next week?
I think it’s possible. Kelce’s stock is higher today than it was this time last week, and that’s good news given the price you paid for him this summer. We will see how long he is asked to carry a heavier workload and if his body can handle it, but in the scope of Week 5, embrace it.
Tucker Kraft | GB (at LAR)
Tucker Kraft has seen over 18% of the targets when he’s been on the field in three straight games, and with Jordan Love back under center, that level of involvement alone is enough to justify going in this direction.
The 2023 third-round pick has yet to post an average depth of target (aDOT) over 3.5 yards in a game this season. While that caps Kraft’s ceiling, those of us streaming the position are more worried about a reasonable floor than any sort of upside case.
The number of viable tight ends seems to decline by the week, and with two of them on bye in Week 5, Kraft — Week 4’s top scorer at the position — is a top-12 option in this spot, one whom I’m playing over both of Baltimore’s options.
The Packers’ other tight end, Luke Musgrave, is set to test his ankle pre-game. However, even if he is active, he will be limited at best, according to reports.
Zach Ertz | WAS (vs. CLE)
The veteran has caught 15 of 16 targets this season, a level of efficiency that puts Ertz on the streaming radar, even if he’s cleared 40 receiving yards just once this season.
Ertz was the TE18 last week, his worst ranking of the season (Weeks 1-3: TE11 average) and something that is at risk of happening with Daniels spreading the ball around (nine Commanders saw a target in Week 4’s demolition of the Cardinals).
For me, Ertz is who I had hoped Dalton Schultz would be in Houston — a reliable chain mover in a top-quarter-of-the-league offense. Ertz is not a must-roster player, and he’s my TE15 this week, but at a position that lacks stability, there’s a level of appeal in a player like him.
Which Tight Ends Should Fantasy Managers Sit in Week 5?
Dalton Schultz | HOU (vs. BUF)
I promise you that there is going to be a time this season (if there hasn’t been already) where you’re going to be scanning your waiver wire for tight end help and the “Hey, at least he plays for a good offense” thought will cross your mind.
In theory, I don’t have a problem with that. In practice, at least when it comes to Schultz, I do.
Schultz has run 135 routes this season, and two have resulted in a target inside the opponent’s 30-yard line. So does he really have the scoring equity that you assume? Schultz turned five targets into 34 yards in the win over the Jaguars last week, good for a TE20 finish, his best of the season.
Schultz is a decent player, but there are better roles for you to invest in.
Hunter Henry | NE (vs. MIA)
Henry had 109 of his 148 yards (73.6%) this season in Week 2’s loss to the Seahawks. My guess is that there are some of you out there who added him after that standout performance and have spent the past two weeks (both TE38 finishes in a 32-team NFL) chasing something similar.
That hurts. It does, however, serve as a learning experience.
This is going to happen to more than a few tight ends this season. In an offense like this (16 points scored over the past two weeks), any pass catcher needs to earn targets in an elite way, and there simply isn’t anyone on New England’s roster capable of doing that.
You can move on from Henry as long as Brissett is under center. If (when) Drake Maye takes over, we can have a different discussion, but even then, I’m more likely to be late to the party than early.
Jonnu Smith | MIA (at NE)
If you thought the outlook on Miami’s receivers was bleak, why go to their tight end?
I suppose the interest in Smith is an athletic profile and the general approach of assuming that a shallow target could be featured in an inept offense like this. But you’re really overthinking things if you’re still landing on Smith (one top-30 finish this season).
Mark Andrews | BAL (at CIN)
Mark 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.
Noah Fant | SEA (vs. NYG)
Fant only has one top-25 finish on his résumé this season, and the fact that a 4.6-point PPR week is possible in a game in which Smith threw 56 passes puts him off of my radar as far as tight end streamers go.
That’s hard to do. It’s easy to look for favorable matchups and simply plug in a tight end. Don’t.
Tyler Conklin | NYJ (at MIN)
There are five players on this team who own a more enticing per-target upside than Conklin. However, none of them play tight end, and it’s important to always contextualize your starts. You’re measuring Conklin’s numbers against other tight ends, not other Jets.
Conklin has nine grabs over the past two weeks after seeing just four targets through Week 2. He has pretty clearly earned Aaron Rodgers’ trust in terms of finding zones to sit down in. While that role has resulted in three games without a catch gaining more than 10 yards this season, there’s a path to a viable floor.
That holds value this time of year at a position that is as annoying as any to fill.
