Believe it or not, tight end is actually becoming a little bit stronger as the season wears on. It's not necessarily because of breakout sleepers (though there are a few of those, like Tyler Conklin and Hayden Hurst); rather, it's because we're getting a better idea of favorable and unfavorable matchups. That doesn't necessarily mean our Week 5 fantasy TE rankings for standard leagues are "deep," but you there are a few waiver-wire streamers who stand out if you're sick of your starter.
One thing that TE has going for it right now is the lack of notable injuries. Dalton Schultz returned last week (though you might not have noticed), and there were no issues this past Sunday outside of Cameron Brate going into concussion protocol. Even without injuries, this is the last week this position will be at "full strength" until Week 12 when there are no byes (though there are teams off in Weeks 13 and 14).
Our Week 5 rankings still feature a lot of the same guys in the top eight as the preseason, and our top 16 also features a lot of familiar faces. We still have Pat Freiermuth (@ Bills in Week 5), Dawson Knox (vs. Steelers), and Tyler Higbee (vs. Cowboys) in the top 14 despite varying results and varying matchups. Knox has been the best of the bunch, while Higbee might be the best bet for targets. Freiermuth is usually solid, too, but few defenses have been tougher against TEs this year than Buffalo. (UPDATE: Knox is out in Week 5.) Overall, you can get by starting any of these players, but they shouldn't be viewed as "must-starts." The same is true for Schultz (@ Rams), who really disappointed last week and now had to contend with Michael Gallup in the receiver rotation.
WEEK 5 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | D/STs | Kickers
Conklin (vs. Dolphins) and Hurst (@ Ravens) are two of this season's biggest surprises, and both have favorable matchups this week against two of the worst pass defenses in the league. There are reasons to question both (Conklin often produces in garbage time; Hurst hasn't been great the past two games but managed a late score last week), but they're just as reliable as the Freiermuth-Knox-Higbee-Schultz group and similarly productive as Gerald Everett (@ Browns) and David Njoku (vs. Chargers), both of whom have much tougher matchups.
WEEK 5 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Among the true "streamers" this week, Mo Alie-Cox (@ Broncos), Hunter Henry (vs. Lions), and Cole Kmet (@ Vikings) have the best matchups. If you really want to play the numbers in deep leagues, you could also try Juwan Johnson (vs. Seahawks), Cameron Brate (@ Falcons), and Albert Okwuegbunam (vs. Colts), but they're even less reliable right now. We like Alie-Cox the best of that group, with Henry next up. Both of those players are too good to continue struggling so much.
WEEK 5 DFS: Best stacks | Best values
Overall, though, this is a good week to have a star despite some of last week's surprising no-shows. Mark Andrews (vs. Bengals), Travis Kelce (vs. Raiders), Darren Waller (@ Chiefs), and Dallas Goedert (@ Cardinals) all have highly favorable matchups. Even if you don't have one of those studs, you should be able to put up a respectable score for your TE slot, and it should get easier to spot sleepers going forward.
WEEK 5 DFS LINEUPS: FanDuel | DraftKings
We'll be updating these standard TE rankings as needed throughout the week, so check back for the latest changes and analysis.
WEEK 5 FANTASY PICKS: Sleepers | Busts | Start 'em, sit 'em
Week 5 fantasy TE rankings for standard leagues
Rankings based on standard, non-PPR scoring
| Rank | Player |
| 1 | Travis Kelce, Chiefs vs. Raiders |
| 2 | Mark Andrews, Ravens vs. Bengals |
| 3 | Darren Waller, Raiders @ Chiefs |
| 4 | George Kittle, 49ers @ Panthers |
| 5 | Dallas Goedert, Eagles @ Cardinals |
| 6 | Zach Ertz, Cardinals vs. Eagles |
| 7 | T.J. Hockenson, Lions @ Patriots |
| 8 | Tyler Conklin, Jets vs. Dolphins |
| 9 | Hayden Hurst, Bengals @ Ravens |
| 10 | Gerald Everett, Chargers @ Browns |
| 11 | Tyler Higbee, Rams vs. Cowboys |
| 12 | David Njoku, Browns vs. Chargers |
| 13 | Pat Freiermuth, Steelers @ Bills |
| 14 | Dalton Schultz, Cowboys @ Rams |
| 15 | Mo Alie-Cox, Colts @ Broncos |
| 16 | Hunter Henry, Patriots vs. Lions |
| 17 | Logan Thomas, Commanders vs. Titans |
| 18 | Robert Tonyan, Packers vs. Giants |
| 19 | Cole Kmet, Bears @ Vikings |
| 20 | Will Dissley, Seahawks @ Saints |
| 21 | Cade Otton, Buccaneers vs. Falcons |
| 22 | Juwan Johnson, Saints vs. Seahawks |
| 23 | Albert Okwuegbunam, Broncos vs. Colts |
| 24 | Mike Gesicki, Dolphins @ Jets |
| 25 | Evan Engram, Jaguars vs. Texans |
| 26 | Irv Smith Jr., Vikings vs. Bears |
| 27 | Daniel Bellinger, Giants vs. Packers |
| 28 | Noah Fant, Seahawks @ Saints |
Week 5 TE fantasy projections, rankings from Draft Sharks
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