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

Michael Fabiano | Oct 4, 2024

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!

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Fabs’ Top 10 Tight ends

1. Trey McBride at 49ers
2. Travis Kelce vs. Saints (Mon.)
3. Brock Bowers at Broncos
4. Jake Ferguson at Steelers
5. George Kittle vs. Cardinals
6. Dalton Kincaid at Texans
7. David Njoku at Commanders
8. Evan Engram vs. Colts
9. Pat Freiermuth vs. Cowboys
10. Tyler Conklin vs. Vikings (London)

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

Brock Bowers at Broncos (4:05 p.m. ET, Fox): The Raiders will continue to be without Davante Adams this week, so Bowers will no doubt be one of the team's most targeted players when they face the Broncos. While their defense has been tough on tight ends, it did allow almost 10 points to Cade Otton two weeks ago. When you also look at Bowers' snaps and target share, and he's an obvious start 'em at what is a thin position.

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

• Trey McBride at 49ers (4:05 p.m. ET, Fox)
• David Njoku at Commanders (1 p.m. ET, Fox)
• Tyler Conklin vs. Vikings (London, 9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network)

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

Cole Kmet vs. Panthers (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Kmet came crashing back to earth last week, scoring just 6.4 points a week after producing nearly 26 points. That had much to do with the return of Keenan Allen, which resulted in a huge decline in Kmet's target share. I'd keep him on the sidelines against the Panthers, who have held Brock Bowers and Mike Gesicki to fewer than eight fantasy points this season. Expect a modest stat line this week.

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)