Were you the proud fantasy owners of Tyler Kroft, James Hanna, Rhett Ellison, Luke Willson, A.J. Derby, or O.J. Howard last week? Probably not since they were all owned in less than three percent of fantasy football leagues. Adding Cameron Brate and Hunter Henry into the mix, these were the tight ends that scored touchdowns over the weekend, which makes putting together our Week 5 TE rankings a difficult job.
It's a tough world out there for fantasy owners and their TEs this year, and this week could spell trouble, too. Touchdowns seem to stay the name of the game for most TEs, and we can only hope the backups and low-owned players don't steal all the scores this week. Some tight ends might have a change in rankings, like Delanie Walker if Marcus Mariota (hamstring) misses this week, and some of the top TEs, like Zach Ertz and Rob Gronkowski, are facing top defenses against TEs (although we expect they'll still get their normal share of points), but it's something to watch out for.
Jordan Reed, Austin Hooper, Coby Fleener, and Denver's various TEs are on bye this coming week, which only complicates matters.
WEEK 5 RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | D/ST | Kicker
Reminder: We'll update our rankings throughout the week and add player analysis, so please check back often. And here are some frustrating ways you could lose in Week 5.
WEEK 5 DFS:
DK cash lineup | DK GPP | FD GPP | FD cash | Y GPP | Values | Stacks | DFS lineup builder
Week 5 Fantasy Football Rankings: TE
These rankings are for standard, non-PPR leagues
| 1 | Travis Kelce, Chiefs @ Texans |
| 2 | Zach Ertz, Eagles vs. Cardinals. Outside of Gronkowski, Ertz has been arguably the most dependent tight end, but he faces a tough test vs. the Cardinals, ranked fourth-best against TEs. Ertz leads all TEs in targets, receptions and receiving yards so far, so his consistent play should help him avoid any potential bust. |
| 3 | Charles Clay, Bills @ Bengals. Excluding the Packers game, the Bengals have held TEs to 1.9, 1.3 and 0 points. However, Jordan Matthews' injury boosts Clay's value, who already leads the team in targets and receiving yards. Clay's expected volume should override a stingy defense. |
| 4 | Hunter Henry, Chargers @ Giants. The Giants have given up five touchdowns to TEs in four games. Henry has been a boom-or-bust TE so far this year, and this week favors a boom more than a bust. |
| 5 | Tyler Kroft, Bengals vs. Bills. Like Clay, Kroft runs into a stingy defense against TEs, but Kroft is coming off a two-TD performance. The Bengals, similar to their opponent, the Bills, aren't afraid to target and throw to their TEs. Kroft's targets and red-zone potential shouldn't bother his overall fantasy production this week. |
| 6 | Kyle Rudolph, Vikings @ Bears. Other than the bust coverage on a 88-yard TD by Austin Hooper in Week 1, the Bears have stopped TEs in their tracks. Rudolph arguably is the best one they've faced so far, and if Sam Bradford comes back (still questionable), Rudolph should get more targets than he has been lately. |
| 7 | Martellus Bennett, Packers @ Cowboys |
| 8 | Delanie Walker, Titans @ Dolphins. After solid performances the first two weeks, Walker has backtracked the past two weeks (combined 8.2 pts). Marcus Mariota's hamstring injury doesn't help, so if Matt Cassel gets the start, Walker will drop further this week. |
| 9 | Jimmy Graham, Seahawks @ Rams |
| 10 | Evan Engram, Giants vs. Chargers |
| 11 | Antonio Gates, Chargers @ Giants. As stated earlier, the Giants are one of the worst this year defending the TEs. Gates has been more consistently targeted than Henry so far this year, but Henry has the higher upside. If needed, Gates is definitely worth a look as a streamer this week. |
| 12 | Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Jets @ Browns. The Browns have given up multi-TDs to TEs twice in four games, and also a 91-yard day to another. If there's ever a time to trust a Jets player, it might be this week. |
| 13 | Dwayne Allen, Patriots @ Bucs. |
| 14 | David Njoku, Browns vs. Jets |
| 15 | Ed Dickson, Panthers at Lions |
| 16 | Julius Thomas, Dolphins vs. Titans |
| 17 | Jason Witten, Cowboys vs. Packers. Witten has scored less than one point in his previous two games, and the Packers give up the second-lowest 2.25 FPPG to TEs. |
| 18 | Jesse James, Steelers vs. Jaguars. He's a touchdown dependent receiver, but the Jaguars have given up three TDs to tight ends in four games. He has streamer potential this week. |
| 19 | Ben Watson, Ravens @ Raiders |
| 20 | Zach Miller, Bears vs. Vikings |
| 21 | Jared Cook, Raiders vs. Ravens |
| 22 | Eric Ebron, Lions vs. Panthers |
| 23 | Cameron Brate, Bucs vs. Patriots |
| 24 | Marcedes Lewis, Jaguars @ Steelers |
| 25 | Ryan Griffin, Texans vs. Chiefs |
| 26 | Gerald Everett, Rams vs. Seahawks |
| 27 | O.J. Howard, Bucs vs. Patriots |
| 28 | George Kittle, 49ers @ Cotls |