Tight End Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Picks For Fantasy Football Week 5

Michael Fabiano | 3 Hours Ago

Start Em, Sit Em TEs: Week 5 /

It’s Week 5, folks! Time to set those fantasy lineups! Start ‘Em, Sit 'Em is the ultimate look at the best and worst matchups in a given week for fantasy football leagues. Each week, I'll examine the tight ends who could exceed or fail to meet expectations based on their weekly opponent … like Cade Otton and Taysom Hill in Week 4!

For your final lineup decisions, check out my fantasy player rankings. I update them daily! Also, make sure you subscribe to the Fantasy Dirt Podcast with Lindsay Rhodes and I, as we break down all things fantasy football five days a week!

All Positions: QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | K & DSTs

Fabs’ Top 10 Tight ends

1. Travis Kelce vs. Saints (Mon.)
2. Brock Bowers at Broncos
3. Jake Ferguson at Steelers
4. George Kittle vs. Cardinals
5. Dalton Kincaid at Texans
6. Pat Freiermuth vs. Cowboys
7. Kyle Pitts vs. Buccaneers (Thurs.)
8. Isaiah Likely at Bengals
9. Taysom Hill at Chiefs (Mon.)
10. Cade Otton at Falcons (Thurs.)

Complete Week 5 tight end rankings

Bye Weeks: Chargers, Eagles, Lions, Titans

Week 5 Start ‘Em: Tight ends

Start of the Week

Jake Ferguson at Steelers (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC): Ferguson has been one of the very few reliable fantasy tight ends, scoring 11-plus points in each of his last two games and three of four on the season. He faces the Steelers this week, which looks like a bad matchup on paper. However, the only fantasy-relevant tight end the team has played is Kyle Pitts, and he beat them for 11.6 points. I’d start Ferguson with confidence in this old-school battle.

Start ‘Em

Cade Otton at Falcons (Thurs. 8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video): Otton has quietly posted a combined 20.9 fantasy points in his last two games, during which time he saw 17 targets. He’s also playing a full complement of snaps, which means plenty of routes run. This week he faces the Falcons, who have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends, so Otton is worth a look. He’s a free agent in many fantasy leagues, too.

Pat Freiermuth vs. Cowboys (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC): Freiermuth is coming off his best game of the season, scoring 16.7 points in a loss to the Colts. He’s averaging just under 10 points per game, and his targets have gone up in each of the last three weeks. So, while the Cowboys have been tough on tight ends this season, fantasy fans should still start Freiermuth just based on his snap and target share heading into the weekend.

Tucker Kraft at Rams (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS): I might be chasing the points with Kraft, who scored 17.3 points in last week’s loss to the Vikings, but I also like his increased target share. Kraft is also running more routes than Luke Musgrave, and this week’s matchup in Los Angeles is a positive one. The Rams have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to tight ends, and this game opened with a total of 48 points. He’s a viable streamer.  

TEs With Good Matchups

• Tyler Conklin vs. Vikings (London, 9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network)
• Taysom Hill at Chiefs (Mon. 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN)
• Brenton Strange vs. Colts (1 p.m. ET, CBS)

Week 5 Sit ‘Em: Tight ends

Nov 12, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews (89) looks on before a game against the Cleveland Browns at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jessica Rapfogel-Imagn Images / Jessica Rapfogel-Imagn Images

Sit of the Week

Mark Andrews at Bengals (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Andrews has been unbelievably bad this season, scoring fewer than four points in three of his four games including two where he has been held to zero. His offensive snaps are way down, and Andrews’ targets are mostly non-existent. With four weeks in the books, this trend has now lasted a quarter of the way through the season, making it difficult to continue blindly starting him in fantasy leagues.

Sit ‘Em

Kyle Pitts vs. Buccaneers (Thurs. 8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video): At this point, Pitts has to be one of the most disappointing players in fantasy football … and that’s a long list. He didn’t score a point on three targets in last week’s win over the Saints, and he’s now been held to fewer than eight fantasy points in three straight games. The matchup hasn’t even mattered either, as Pitts simply doesn’t get enough chances to be a reliable option.  

Hunter Henry vs. Dolphins (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Henry had some fantasy appeal after his big Week 2 performance against the Seahawks, but he’s disappeared in the last two weeks. In that time, he’s scored a combined 6.1 points while losing snaps and targets to Austin Hooper. The Patriots pass attack as a whole doesn’t offer much for fantasy managers, and Henry is no different. He should be benched (or released) in most leagues.

Dalton Schultz vs. Bills (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Schultz leads all tight ends in snaps played after four weeks, but he’s simply not getting enough opportunities in the offense. In fact, he’s tied for just 17th among tight ends in targets and he’s averaging fewer than five PPR points per game. The Bills have allowed just one tight end to beat them for more than eight points in their first four games as well, so I’d expect Schultz to post a stinker.

TEs With Bad Matchups

• Zach Ertz vs. Browns (1 p.m. ET, Fox)
• Noah Fant vs. Giants (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS)
• Jonnu Smith at Patriots (1 p.m. ET, Fox)