It’s begun, folks. The bye weeks are here. Luckily, the NFL is easing us in with only the Kansas City Chiefs and Carolina Panthers on bye this week. But the slates are going to get slimmer and more difficult to navigate as we proceed from this point forward. So we need to cherish this full slate of beautiful tight ends while we have it here in Week 5. 

NFL DFS TE Top Tier Picks For Week 5

Trey McBride TE, Arizona Cardinals DraftKings: $6,700 | FanDuel: $7,200

Trey McBride is going to be chalky this week. And for good reason. There are only two players in the entire league who have gotten 10 targets in every single game. One is star wide receiver Chris Olave. And the other is tight end Trey McBride.

But it’s not just that. The Lions have been brutal against the tight end this year. No team has allowed more fantasy points to the position. Both of their starting safeties, Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph, ended up on IR, meaning they had to miss all four of the first games for Detroit. They had hoped to have them back, but it looks like both are going to miss this week as well. McBride could put up some big numbers here. 

Sam LaPorta TE, Detroit Lions, DraftKings: $4,900 | FanDuel: $6,000

McBride isn’t the only tight end from that game we are willing to use, however. The over/under for this game is set at 54.5, which is the highest of any game on the season so far. The Cardinals also happen to grade out as a bottom-six team against the tight end per DVOA over at FTN Fantasy. So LaPorta is also in play coming back the other way at his price. 

 

 

 

NFL DFS TE Mid-Tier Picks For Week 5

Isaiah Likely TE, New York Giants - DraftKings: $4,300 | FanDuel: $5,300

I’m a little confused here. Did Isaiah Likely not get 12 targets last week? His second double-digit target game since Jameis Winston took over? It’s a little odd to me that DraftKings did not boost his price up, especially against a Commanders team that is bottom seven against the tight end both in points allowed and DVOA so far this year. Typically, a TE in this position should be $5,000 at the absolute minimum.

Mike Gesicki TE, Cincinnati Bengals - DraftKings: $4,100 | FanDuel: $5,200

Conditions are almost TOO perfect here. Ja'Marr Chase has already been ruled out with a concussion. As of the writing of this, Tee Higgins has not yet suited up for practice. Andrei Iosivas was placed on IR already, so the Bengals could be without their top three wide receivers this week.

And, if that’s not enough, the Miami Dolphins are arguably the worst defense in the league. They currently rank last in DVOA against the tight end and are allowing the third most points to the position. Gesicki has scored in three of four games so far. In the other game? Zero points. Gesicki is either going to go off this week or pull the rug on us completely, but you have to take a shot with a lineup or two given how things are lining up. 

NFL DFS TE Value Picks For Week 5

Kenyon Sadiq TE, New York Jets - DraftKings: $3,800 | FanDuel: $5,100

This week was a really interesting lesson in percentages. Kenyon Sadiq only ran 12 routes, which is typically a pretty bad number. But the New York Jets ran an absurdly low 32 offensive snaps with only 18 dropbacks. So running 12 of 18 routes is actually a 67% route share, the best of the season for Sadiq. Hypothetically, if they were to run more plays and throw more, Sadiq could be in line for his best usage this season. So we aren’t scared that he just had zero points. 

Either way, Sadiq is a freak athlete with literal 100th percentile speed for the position. He could break a long touchdown at any moment. Plus, he’s already scored a touchdown on an end-around. Sadiq right now is one of those guys where you just throw him in there knowing that a big week is possible at any time. But he’s also on the Jets, so a terrible week is also possible, as we just saw. In DFS land, we care most about the upside. 

Chig Okonkwo TE, Washington Commanders - DraftKings: $3,300 | FanDuel: $4,700

As we often mention that the key to DFS is to hit on players the exact moment they breakout. It’s better to be too early because, if you wait for that day to come, the price has already gone up. So we’re going to try to hit the nail on the head with Chig Okonkwo this week.

Chig actually got four targets in Week One before he left with a hamstring injury. Last week he returned to a partial snap share to a team without Jayden Daniels (who also lost Marcus Mariota mid-game). Now we are hoping he won’t have any snap limits this week in the first game back for Jayden Daniels. Terry McLaurin is trending towards out, so there could be some extra targets available. Chig also has 96th percentile speed, so he can rip off big plays at the drop of a hat. 

 

 

 

NFL DFS TE Bonus Dart Throw

Greg Dulcich TE, Miami Dolphins - DraftKings $3,100 | FanDuel: $4,800 

You probably should not do this. Dulcich basically has two games with a 70% route participation and two games down at 50%. He’s had a game with 7 targets, but he also just had a game with zero points. But the Bengals have been straight-up terrible against the tight end going back more than a calendar year, so the whole idea is just starting tight ends against them. If Dulcich does nothing this week, you’ll probably never see him in this article this week. 

NFL DFS TE Fades For Week 5

George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers - DraftKings: $5,200 | FanDuel: $6,700

Historically, pretty much anytime George Kittle has been in the fades section of this article, it’s almost a running bit at this point. So feel free to start him just to benefit from the reverse jinx. But the Seahawks really are not a good matchup for tight ends. It’s a bottom-five matchup per DVOA, and that’s largely because the combo of Nick Emmanwori and Julian Love has been a big problem for tight ends. 

Dalton Schultz, Tennessee Titans - DraftKings: $4,000 | FanDuel: $5,300

We had Dalton Schultz in the fades last week because he was priced insanely high with Nico Collins back. His price has come down but not nearly enough to be an option we might consider. We generally view the Titans as a favorable matchup, but they are quietly top three in DVOA against the position. We’ll never forget that 14-target week we got from ya in this article, Schultzy, old pal.