2022 Fantasy Football: Week 5 Tight End Rankings

The tight end position is shallow and can be a bit of a crapshoot. But now that we have four weeks of football under our fantasy belts, we’re starting to get a better idea about volume and usage patterns. So with that in mind, let’s take a look at my Week 5 tight end rankings and notes.

Week 5 Tight End Notes

• Darren Waller has underwhelmed recently, but he gets a favorable Week 5 matchup against Kansas City. The Chiefs have been vulnerable through the air this season. They’ve surrendered 10 passing touchdowns – tied for league-most – and have given up the 10th-most fantasy points to tight ends. Waller is a prime bounce-back candidate in what is expected to be a high-scoring affair.
• It’s not often that a tight end leads all players in fantasy points, but T.J. Hockenson did just that in Week 4 (in half-PPR formats). He benefited from Detroit’s lack of receivers, catching 8-of-12 targets for 179 yards and hauling in two scores. Hockenson has now scored in back-to-back games, and gets a plus matchup against the Patriots this week. Continue to fire him up.
• Tyler Higbee is a flat-out target hog. He leads all tight ends with 38 targets on the season, and his 25.5% target share is second only to Mark Andrews at the position. He’s yet to score this season, but he has at least 60 receiving yards in three of the last four games. Higbee’s volume keeps him as a top-eight tight end this week, despite an unfavorable matchup against the Cowboys.
• Pat Freiermuth continued to roll in Week 4 despite a change at quarterback. He led the team in targets (9) and finished with seven catches for 85 yards. Freiermuth should continue to be heavily targeted, and could be a safety blanket for Kenny Pickett in a tough Week 5 matchup against Buffalo.
• Kyle Pitts has 25 receiving yards or less in three out of four weeks, and he hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 5 of the 2021 season. What’s most concerning is his continued drop in playing time. Pitts played 93% of snaps in Week 2, compared to 67% in Week 3 and 62% in Week 4. Pitts is the TE21 in half-PPR formats through four weeks.  He needs to string together some good outings before he is a TE1 anytime soon.  UPDATE: Pitts has been ruled out with a hamstring injury.
• Will Dissly is shaping up to be the most TD-dependent tight end of the season! Dissly hasn’t seen more than four targets in a game; but his three touchdowns lead the Seahawks and are tied with Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, and T.J. Hockenson for most at the position. The Saints have only allowed three passing touchdowns all season, so Week 5 isn’t the best time for a Dissly dart throw. Just something to keep in mind moving forward.

Week 5 Tight End Rankings

More Week 5 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | Flex Rankings

Note: Rankings are based on half-PPR scoring