Week 5 Tight End Rankings for Fantasy Football

Where did that come from, Darren Waller? The NFL truly keeps us on our toes, and the tight end position in Week 4 was a great example of that. Who had Darren Waller making his season debut, after not playing all of last season, and catching two touchdown passes? What about Tommy Tremble, Jake Tonges, and AJ Barner in the top-10? At the beginning of the season, or even at the beginning of the week, that thought would have generated uncontrollable laughter? But yet again, we are left wanting more from Sam LaPorta and Brock Bowers (we can blame Geno Smith). How does all this affect our Week 5 Tight End Rankings? Read on to find out.

Their recent struggles don’t mean you shouldn’t start LaPorta or Bowers, as both are still TE1 material and Bowers will be at the top of the list. Please don’t start Tremble over LaPorta or Bowers, but can I really blame you for thinking about it? And to make matters worse, bye weeks are here so that takes four more options off the table. Now, let’s jump right into our Week 5 Tight End Rankings.

Week 4 Top-Five Performances

Dallas Goedert – 4 catches, 37 yards, 2 TD
Tyler Warren – 5 catches, 70 yards, 2 carries, 3 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD
Kyle Pitts – 5 catches, 70 yards, TD
Darren Waller – 3 catches, 27 yards, TD
Jake Ferguson – 7 catches, 40 yards, TD

Week 5 Bye Weeks

Atlanta Falcons – Kyle Pitts
Chicago Bears – Colston Loveland
Green Bay Packers – Tyler Kraft
Pittsburgh Steelers – Jonnu Smith

Injury Notes for Week 5

Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams

With the short week ahead of Thursday’s game, it makes sense that the Los Angeles Rams would tread carefully with Tyler Higbee. Seeing the tight end listed as a non-participant on both Monday and Tuesday’s practice report isn’t surprising, and I’m not sure that it will impact his status for Week 5.

He had a 55% snap share last week, and Higbee didn’t appear to be any worse for wear. Matthew Stafford targeted Higbee five times, but he was only able to turn that into two receptions for 25 yards. I’d look for him to get back on track this week against a San Francisco 49ers team that struggles against the tight end.

Evan Engram, Denver Broncos

After being sidelined in Week 3, Evan Engram returned to action last week. Between having to be replaced two weeks ago and his slow start to the season, it wouldn’t be surprising to find Engram on some waiver wires, which could be helpful for this week. In his return, Engram was targeted seven times, which is a good sign for his future value. He’s still learning his new team and Bo Nix, so, at least for one week, I wouldn’t read too much into his stat line of four catches for 29 yards. The more important news is that he’s healthy.

Tight End Notes

Mason Taylor, New York Jets

The fact that the New York Jets needed help at the tight end position wasn’t a surprise. After all, they did draft Mason Taylor in the second round of April’s draft. You can also apply the same sentiment to their need for downfield receiving threats aside from Garrett Wilson. In that department, things get thin very quickly for the Jets.

That’s why it’s a great development for Justin Fields and the Jets’ offense to see Taylor begin to emerge. After seeing six targets last week, Taylor was targeted seven times in Week 4. Two weeks ago, he caught four passes for 18 yards, so it was a good sign to see an improved performance in Week 5. Taylor finished with five catches, but for 65 yards. I’d expect the Jets to continue looking Taylor’s way and for him to catch his first career touchdown pass in the near future.

Jake Tonges, San Francisco 49ers

Yes, it’s possible that George Kittle returns next week, but that’s too far away. We have a fantasy matchup to win this week, and Jake Tonges can help.

The San Francisco 49ers are very thin when it comes to healthy receiving options, while aside from Christian McCaffrey, Tonges has shown an ability to step up. Last week, he caught three of five targets for 58 yards and his second touchdown pass of the season. As far as streamers go, it helps that Tonges is targeted in the red zone, and he also might be one of the last men standing.

Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

With Lamar Jackson sidelined for the next two to three weeks, the Baltimore Ravens offense is going to look very different. Isaiah Likely did return to action in Week 4, but he wasn’t even targeted in what was a rough game for the Ravens. While I don’t expect that to continue, there’s a true path to success for Mark Andrews outside of that.

When healthy, Andrews has proven to be a critical part of the Baltimore offense. With Cooper Rush now under center, I’d expect that to only increase. Last week, Andrews was busy with seven catches on eight targets, but it only went for 30 yards. If we look for the targets to remain the same with the yardage doubling, and maybe add in a touchdown, Andrews is a solid TE1 candidate.

Theo Johnson, New York Giants

With Jaxson Dart now under center, or at least shotgun, running the Giants’ offense, things are looking a lot different. Then, when you factor in the season-ending injury to Malik Nabers, it becomes the land of opportunity.

It’s clear that, at least for now, the Giants aren’t going to push things with Dart. When you combine that with the newly available targets, it makes sense that Theo Johnson would take on a larger role. This is a play more for deeper leagues, but the athletic tight end did finish with three catches for 17 yards and a touchdown last week. That was three of Dart’s 13 completions, and I’d expect Johnson’s role to increase.

Check out all of our Week 5 Rankings: Flex Rankings | QB Rankings | RB Rankings | WR Rankings | TE Rankings