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I like a lot of tight ends this week, which is pretty rare for me during a bye week. As is often the case, a lot of my favorite plays depend on the health of other tight ends. In the cases of Hunter Henry and Will Tye, those guys play late, and I am totally fine if you want to avoid the headache of seeing if Antonio Gates or Larry Donnell will play. That being said, I think it could be worth it, which is why I have included them in the Week 5 Tight End Coach as well as some other options I like quite a bit as well. As always, please leave your tight end questions in the comments or in the FantasyAlarm forum, or hit me up on Twitter: @stevesfantasyad.
| Pts | Opp | OPP RK | Opp Pass | ||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | H/A | Opp | G | Snaps | Tar | Tar% | Rec | Catch% | ReYds | ReTD | Fum | YPC | Allow | Pass Rk | Def Rk | Yds/G | O/U | $FD | $DK | $FA |
| Jordan Reed | WAS | A | BAL | 4 | 227 | 35 | 23.5% | 25 | 71.4% | 263 | 2 | 0 | 10.5 | 5.2 | 9 | 5 | 176 | 45 | $7,800 | $6,600 | $5,100 |
| Rob Gronkowski | NE | A | CLE | 2 | 53 | 3 | 2.6% | 1 | 33.3% | 11 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 | 15.1 | 21 | 25 | 259.8 | 47 | $7,200 | $6,500 | $5,850 |
| Greg Olsen | CAR | H | TB | 4 | 293 | 40 | 26.0% | 24 | 60.0% | 335 | 2 | 0 | 14.0 | 4.4 | 27 | 22 | 258.5 | 0 | $8,000 | $6,300 | $5,000 |
| Delanie Walker | TEN | A | MIA | 3 | 142 | 19 | 14.1% | 11 | 57.9% | 159 | 1 | 0 | 14.5 | 10.2 | 20 | 16 | 272 | 44 | $6,400 | $4,700 | $4,650 |
| Jason Witten | DAL | H | CIN | 4 | 290 | 29 | 22.5% | 21 | 72.4% | 189 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 | 8.4 | 10 | 7 | 225.3 | 46 | $5,800 | $4,400 | $4,300 |
| Tyler Eifert | CIN | A | DAL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 16.1 | 24 | 23 | 263.5 | 46 | $6,200 | $4,200 | $4,500 |
| Dennis Pitta | BAL | H | WAS | 4 | 209 | 29 | 17.3% | 21 | 72.4% | 200 | 0 | 0 | 9.5 | 7.7 | 18 | 24 | 280.5 | 45 | $5,500 | $4,100 | $4,600 |
| Antonio Gates | SD | A | OAK | 2 | 84 | 9 | 6.4% | 6 | 66.7% | 35 | 1 | 0 | 5.8 | 10.8 | 28 | 29 | 325.5 | 50 | $5,700 | $4,000 | $3,800 |
| Martellus Bennett | NE | A | CLE | 4 | 254 | 20 | 17.5% | 15 | 75.0% | 247 | 1 | 0 | 16.5 | 15.1 | 21 | 25 | 259.8 | 47 | $6,300 | $3,700 | $4,150 |
| Kyle Rudolph | MIN | H | HOU | 4 | 239 | 33 | 25.8% | 19 | 57.6% | 221 | 3 | 0 | 11.6 | 4.0 | 5 | 8 | 162.5 | 40 | $5,500 | $3,600 | $4,550 |
| Zach Miller | CHI | A | IND | 4 | 204 | 21 | 15.2% | 18 | 85.7% | 156 | 3 | 0 | 8.7 | 7.6 | 29 | 30 | 277 | 48 | $5,400 | $3,600 | $4,200 |
| Zach Ertz | PHI | A | DET | 1 | 60 | 7 | 6.9% | 6 | 85.7% | 58 | 0 | 0 | 9.7 | 18.4 | 32 | 32 | 271.8 | 46 | $5,600 | $3,500 | $4,450 |
| Eric Ebron | DET | H | PHI | 4 | 242 | 25 | 16.5% | 18 | 72.0% | 210 | 1 | 0 | 11.7 | 2.4 | 1 | 2 | 203.3 | 46 | $5,900 | $3,400 | $4,350 |
| Hunter Henry | SD | A | OAK | 4 | 157 | 14 | 9.9% | 10 | 71.4% | 153 | 1 | 1 | 15.3 | 10.8 | 28 | 29 | 325.5 | 50 | $5,400 | $3,300 | $4,350 |
| Gary Barnidge | CLE | H | NE | 4 | 266 | 20 | 14.8% | 16 | 80.0% | 160 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 | 10.4 | 26 | 26 | 264.5 | 47 | $5,700 | $3,200 | $4,300 |
| Dwayne Allen | IND | H | CHI | 4 | 233 | 19 | 12.0% | 11 | 57.9% | 133 | 1 | 0 | 12.1 | 7.7 | 12 | 17 | 210 | 48 | $5,600 | $3,100 | $4,000 |
| Jacob Tamme | ATL | A | DEN | 4 | 188 | 22 | 15.8% | 16 | 72.7% | 157 | 2 | 0 | 9.8 | 8.3 | 3 | 5 | 169.5 | 48 | $5,400 | $3,000 | $4,100 |
| Cameron Brate | TB | A | CAR | 4 | 190 | 25 | 14.3% | 16 | 64.0% | 159 | 2 | 0 | 9.9 | 14.3 | 19 | 15 | 257.5 | 0 | $5,400 | $2,900 | $4,300 |
| Jordan Cameron | MIA | H | TEN | 3 | 97 | 11 | 8.3% | 8 | 72.7% | 60 | 1 | 0 | 7.5 | 10.0 | 14 | 13 | 240.8 | 44 | $5,200 | $2,900 | $4,100 |
| Richard Rodgers | GB | H | NYG | 3 | 104 | 8 | 8.6% | 5 | 62.5% | 56 | 1 | 0 | 11.2 | 10.3 | 23 | 21 | 262.3 | 48 | $5,000 | $2,900 | $4,000 |
| Jesse James | PIT | H | NYJ | 4 | 183 | 18 | 12.4% | 12 | 66.7% | 85 | 2 | 0 | 7.1 | 12.2 | 31 | 28 | 285 | 49 | $4,500 | $2,900 | $4,200 |
| Virgil Green | DEN | H | ATL | 2 | 82 | 8 | 6.4% | 7 | 87.5% | 74 | 0 | 0 | 10.6 | 17.4 | 30 | 31 | 317 | 48 | $4,800 | $2,800 | $4,000 |
| Charles Clay | BUF | A | LA | 4 | 220 | 19 | 16.5% | 12 | 63.2% | 114 | 0 | 0 | 9.5 | 9.8 | 11 | 12 | 275 | 40 | $5,200 | $2,700 | $4,000 |
| Brent Celek | PHI | A | DET | 3 | 136 | 6 | 5.9% | 4 | 66.7% | 72 | 0 | 0 | 18.0 | 18.4 | 32 | 32 | 271.8 | 46 | $5,100 | $2,700 | $3,500 |
| Clive Walford | OAK | H | SD | 4 | 173 | 19 | 12.5% | 13 | 68.4% | 125 | 1 | 0 | 9.6 | 12.3 | 13 | 20 | 289.5 | 50 | $4,800 | $2,700 | $3,800 |
| Lance Kendricks | LA | H | BUF | 4 | 233 | 20 | 16.8% | 11 | 55.0% | 128 | 0 | 0 | 11.6 | 6.0 | 15 | 14 | 260.5 | 40 | $4,500 | $2,700 | $3,500 |
| Trey Burton | PHI | A | DET | 2 | 64 | 13 | 12.9% | 7 | 53.8% | 68 | 1 | 0 | 9.7 | 18.4 | 32 | 32 | 271.8 | 46 | $4,500 | $2,700 | $3,300 |
| Larry Donnell | NYG | A | GB | 4 | 115 | 11 | 7.2% | 8 | 72.7% | 50 | 1 | 0 | 6.3 | 14.2 | 22 | 10 | 307.3 | 48 | $5,200 | $2,600 | $3,600 |
| Will Tye | NYG | A | GB | 4 | 144 | 17 | 11.2% | 12 | 70.6% | 83 | 0 | 0 | 6.9 | 14.2 | 22 | 10 | 307.3 | 48 | $4,800 | $2,600 | $3,500 |
| Jack Doyle | IND | H | CHI | 4 | 177 | 16 | 10.1% | 14 | 87.5% | 143 | 2 | 0 | 10.2 | 7.7 | 12 | 17 | 210 | 48 | $4,700 | $2,600 | $3,500 |
| C.J. Uzomah | CIN | A | DAL | 4 | 174 | 22 | 15.4% | 11 | 50.0% | 144 | 0 | 0 | 13.1 | 16.1 | 24 | 23 | 263.5 | 46 | $5,100 | $2,500 | $3,350 |
| Vernon Davis | WAS | A | BAL | 4 | 80 | 7 | 4.7% | 7 | 100.0% | 79 | 0 | 0 | 11.3 | 5.2 | 9 | 5 | 176 | 45 | $4,600 | $2,500 | $3,900 |
| Austin Seferian-Jenkins | NYJ | A | PIT | 2 | 52 | 3 | 2.2% | 3 | 100.0% | 44 | 1 | 0 | 14.7 | 10.7 | 17 | 18 | 316.5 | 49 | $4,600 | $2,500 | $3,700 |
| Jace Amaro | TEN | A | MIA | 2 | 28 | 4 | 3.0% | 3 | 75.0% | 59 | 0 | 0 | 19.7 | 10.2 | 20 | 16 | 272 | 44 | $4,600 | $2,500 | $3,000 |
| Crockett Gillmore | BAL | H | WAS | 4 | 109 | 6 | 3.6% | 4 | 66.7% | 43 | 0 | 0 | 10.8 | 7.7 | 18 | 24 | 280.5 | 45 | $4,600 | $2,500 | $3,000 |
| Austin Hooper | ATL | A | DEN | 4 | 47 | 5 | 3.6% | 5 | 100.0% | 140 | 1 | 0 | 28.0 | 8.3 | 3 | 5 | 169.5 | 48 | $4,500 | $2,500 | $3,900 |
| C.J. Fiedorowicz | HOU | A | MIN | 4 | 151 | 9 | 6.3% | 6 | 66.7% | 55 | 1 | 0 | 9.2 | 8.2 | 4 | 3 | 223.5 | 40 | $4,500 | $2,500 | $3,850 |
| Dion Sims | MIA | H | TEN | 4 | 138 | 7 | 5.3% | 6 | 85.7% | 76 | 0 | 0 | 12.7 | 10.0 | 14 | 13 | 240.8 | 44 | $4,500 | $2,500 | $3,500 |
| Ryan Griffin | HOU | A | MIN | 4 | 141 | 19 | 13.2% | 14 | 73.7% | 128 | 0 | 0 | 9.1 | 8.2 | 4 | 3 | 223.5 | 40 | $4,500 | $2,500 | $3,000 |
| Stephen Anderson | HOU | A | MIN | 3 | 47 | 7 | 4.9% | 5 | 71.4% | 40 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 | 8.2 | 4 | 3 | 223.5 | 40 | $4,500 | $2,500 | $3,000 |
Premium Options
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Rob GronkowskiThis recommendation comes with a couple of caveats. First of all, I’m not sure I’m paying up for him on FantasyAces, where he costs $750 more than Jordan Reed and $850 more than Greg Olsen. Secondly, I probably want to see him have one good game before I’m using him in a cash lineup.
That being said, it sounds like a lot of DFS players plan to avoid Gronk altogether, and that seems like a mistake. I admit, I would feel better if Gronk had played more snaps or run more routes in Week 4, but it seems like people are discounting the possibility that had more to do with Jacoby Brissett and less to do with Gronk’s health. If you aren’t confident Brissett can get the ball to Gronkowski downfield, maybe it makes more sense to have Gronk block and let Martellus Bennett work underneath. That strategy makes less sense with Tom Brady back, especially considering Bennett is a good blocker himself, as he proved in Week 1.
Bill Belichick is the king of having a new game plan every week, and it seems unlikely Gronk will be relegated to blocking in Week 5. After all, blocking presumably puts strain on your hamstrings too. At the very least, isn’t it worth stacking Brady and Gronkowski in a GPP? I think so.
The Redskins finally made a concerted effort to get Reed the ball in the end zone, and it paid immediate dividends. There is an excellent chance Reed snags another touchdown in this game, which is why I give him the slight edge over Greg Olsen.
He is the fourth-most expensive tight end across the board, but he costs $1,600 less than Greg Olsen on DraftKings and FanDuel. Walker’s numbers are down thanks to playing two games against what I consider top-five defenses, but I don’t see any reason to believe the Dolphins will slow him down Sunday. I probably feel slightly better about playing Walker in a GPP than a cash lineup, but I could easily see using him in cash lineups as well.
Value Options
The problem with Hunter Henry is the Chargers play late Sunday, so unless Antonio Gates is ruled out, Henry is a risky play in early slates. That being said, I love Henry on DraftKings, where you can always pivot to Cameron Brate or Richard Rodgers if Gates is active. Henry gets an awful pass defense for the third consecutive week, and I don’t see any reason why he wouldn’t take advantage again.
Ertz is slightly more expensive than Henry, but at least you can plug him in your lineup at noon with confidence. Like Henry, Ertz has a fantastic matchup, and Ertz looked great in Game 1 before his rib injury.
Cameron BrateBrate has five catches in each of the last two games since Austin Sefarian-Jenkins was run out of town, with 18 targets over that span. The Panthers have allowed four touchdowns to opposing tight ends this season, and this is likely your last chance to use Brate at a discounted price.
Rodgers probably isn’t as safe as Cameron Brate, but he is cheaper than Brate on FanDuel and FantasyAces. Rodgers was a top-10 fantasy tight end last season, and while a lot of that had to do with Jordy Nelson’s injury and Rodgers’s health, Rodgers was also a pretty good player. Rodgers is cheap enough to consider for cash games, though I probably prefer him slightly in GPP lineups.
Bargain Options
On the one hand, this call is probably pretty obvious. I suspect Larry Donnell will sit out Sunday night with a concussion, which means Tye should play more snaps and get more targets. On the other hand, I think some fantasy players have forgotten how good Tye was last season after Donnell went down. Tye had five or more receptions in five of his last seven games in 2015 and he scored a touchdown in three of his last four games. I love Tye as a cheap cash game play and he has enough upside for GPP lineups as well.
Sims is not as good as Will Tye, but he plays earlier and seems more assured of being his team’s top tight end in Week 5. If you can’t or don’t want to wait until Sunday night to see if Larry Donnell will play, Sims is a strong punt play with a reasonable shot at four receptions and/or a touchdown.
Player News
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports the Steelers are “counting on” a 2025 jump for WR Roman Wilson.
Wilson, per Fowler, “looks like a different player than from his injury riddled rookie campaign.” Steelers general manager Omar Khan said in February that the team has “a lot of confidence” in Wilson, the 84th overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft who played just five offensive snaps as a rookie after suffering a serious hamstring injury in October. Wilson, entering his age-24 season, had 789 yards and 12 touchdowns on 49 catches in his final season at Michigan. He was 19th among all college wideouts in yards per route run in 2023. An injury-free offseason could position Wilson as the clear No. 2 receiver behind DK Metcalf in 2025.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports the Steelers “remain in contact with Aaron Rodgers and are hopeful that he’ll be a Steeler.”
Things have been quiet on the Rodgers front since the NFL Draft, though he remains a factor for the QB-needy Steelers, who on Wednesday traded George Pickens to Dallas in exchange for draft picks. That leaves DK Metcalf and perhaps Roman Wilson as the Steelers’ top two receivers. Metcalf’s fantasy fortunes would get a bit of a bump if Rodgers lands with the Steelers. The team’s commitment to a massively run-heavy approach should limit Metcalf’s upside, however. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio suggested Rodgers is waiting to sign with Pittsburgh until after the NFL’s schedule release “so that the league can’t saddle the Steelers with extra prime-time and/or short-week games.” We’ll continue to monitor the never-ending Rodgers saga.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports the Cowboys’ plan is for George Pickens “to play out his rookie deal.”
It looks like we won’t see any sort of long-term contract struck between Pickens and the Cowboys after the mercurial wideout was traded from the Steelers to Dallas in exchange for a 2026 third round draft pick and a 2027 fifth rounder. Dallas coaches and Jerry Jones likely want to see how Pickens, 24, acclimates to his new team after alienating coaches and teammates in Pittsburgh last season. Pickens, who has 2,841 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns over three NFL seasons, will immediately become the team’s No. 2 option behind CeeDee Lamb and a much-needed deep ball target for Dak Prescott.
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane reports TE Dallas Goedert will remain with the Eagles in 2025.
Goedert agreed to a $4 million salary cut for the upcoming season, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz. He will make $10 million in 2025 and be a free agent next offseason. It’s quite the turnabout after Eagles coaches and front office officials strongly implied for months that Goedert had played his last snap with the team. Goedert, 30, has missed 15 games over the past three seasons and was widely expected to be dealt during the NFL Draft. Goedert will be a solid top-12 fantasy option, well behind AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith in the team’s target pecking order. He averaged 4.2 catches and 49.6 receiving yards per game in 2024 and had the ninth highest EPA per target among tight ends.
Titans re-signed DT James Lynch.
Lynch, 26, a former fourth round selection by the Vikings, will return for a second season with the Titans after starting all 17 games in 2024. He had 20 tackles, two tackles for loss, and one sack for the Titans last season. Pro Football Focus graded the Titans as last year’s fourth worst pass rush and ninth best run-defending unit.
Jaguars released WR Gabe Davis.
Davis, who secured $24 million in guarantees when he signed with Jacksonville last year, managed 20 catches for 239 yards and two touchdowns over ten games in his only year with the Jags. The Davis signing is yet another in a string of disastrous decisions by the former Jacksonville front office. With Brian Thomas and Travis Hunter in the fold, the Jaguars ended their experiment with Davis, 26. He should see interest from wideout-needy teams in the coming weeks, including perhaps the Lions. Davis will be locked into a strictly downfield role wherever he lands this spring or summer.