Fantasy Football: 3 Tight End Streamer Options for Week 5

Right when we thought we were starting to figure the tight end position out, T.J. Hockenson and George Kittle combine for 4.8 half-PPR points, Cole Kmet scores 2 touchdowns, and Jonnu Smith finishes as the TE3.

Sigh.

This position will be the death of me.

Still, there is hope at least. Seven tight ends eclipse double digits this week -- the most of any week this season!

Among those, our beloved Jake Ferguson (11.2 points, TE6) finally broke into the top 10 and can be promoted from streamer to weekly starter. If he's out there, go get him.

Otherwise, things are just as hectic as ever in the tight end wasteland.

I'm here to (try to) make sense of it all.

I've scoured through snap counts, target shares, and matchups and found three tight end streamers to target for Week 5. All of these guys should be available in the majority of 12-team leagues and at the very least possess value for the upcoming week.

Projections and rankings via numberFire.

Week 5 Tight End Streamers

Zach Ertz, Arizona Cardinals

There are exactly three tight ends in the NFL this year who have at least a 20% target share and a 30% red zone target share.

Travis Kelce has a 24.8% target share and a 30% red zone target share.

Mark Andrews has a 22.2% target share and a 42.9% red zone target share.

Zach Ertz has a 24.8% target share and a 33.3% red zone target share.

That's it.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that one of those players is not like the others.

Despite so much target volume, despite a league-leading 2.8 downfield (10+ yards) targets per game, and despite coming into Week 5 as the TE12 overall (5.9 points per game), Zach Ertz is available in a majority of leagues across the multitude of fantasy football platforms.

The only thing lacking about Ertz's fantasy profile is his lack of actual fantasy production. Those metrics look great, but he has yet to eclipse double-digit fantasy points and only has one top-12 finish this season.

I have a feeling that's about to change.

In Week 5, Ertz and the Arizona Cardinals host the limping Cincinnati Bengals. While Cincy's defense is decent on paper, they've been fantasy-friendly to tight ends, having given up the sixth-most points per game (12.6) to the position. On top of that, they've allowed the second-highest catch rate (84.0%), the fourth-most yards per route run (1.62), and the second-most touchdowns (3) to tight ends.

When soft defense meets heavy usage, good fantasy things tend to happen.

Assuming Ertz can maintain his strong target volume, he should be a safe, low-end TE1.

Ertz is easily my top streamer for Week 5.

Kylen Granson, Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts had three tight ends score fantasy points last week.

Two finished inside the top 12, scoring 12.3 and 10.0 points a piece.

The other scored 3.4

I want the one who scored 3.4.

That uninspiring number belongs to one Kylen Granson. The former fourth-round pick has established himself as the starting tight end in Indianapolis, leading both Andrew Ogletree and Mo Alie-Cox in snap and target share every week this season.

That's translated to just 20.3 fantasy points total through four weeks, but the usage numbers are encouraging. His 14.0% target share ranks third among all Indianapolis pass catchers and he tied Michael Pittman Jr. for the team lead (5) this past week.

The matchup isn't great in Week 5; Granson and the Colts host the Tennessee Titans. Tennesee's pass defense has been soft but not really to tight ends. The Titans have given up the ninth-fewest fantasy points per game (6.2) and the fourth-lowest target rate (12.4%) to tight ends.

However, they haven't exactly been up against Mike Ditka out there.

In fact, when teams have targetted their tight ends against the Titans, they've done so with great success. Tennessee is allowing the fourth-highest catch rate (84.2%) and the fourth-highest catch rate over expectation (11.4%) to tight ends.

For streamers, we're looking first and foremost at volume and then secondarily at the matchup. Granson's ever-growing target share checks the first box and Tennesee's lackluster pass defense checks the second.

If you want a streamer with guaranteed volume and a chance to score, Kylen Granson is your guy.

Jonnu Smith, Atlanta Falcons

Kyle Pitts managers, look away.

Jonnu Smith of the Atlanta Falcons is a serious streaming option this week.

After a dud in Week 1, Jonnu Smith has turned in three consecutive noteworthy performances.

He's caught 15 of 20 targets for 179 yards across the last three weeks. That's nothing out of this world, but his 25.4 fantasy points rank eighth among tight ends over that span.

It's even more impressive when you take into account how involved he's been with how little Atlanta throws (32nd-ranked with a -11.4% pass rate over expectation entering Week 4).

Over the last three weeks, Smith's 20.6% target share ties Drake London for the team lead. On top of that, Smith is a comfortable second in red zone target share (20.0%) and has almost an identical snap share (65%) to Pitts (71.5%)

Smith and the Falcons take on a surprisingly stingy Texans defense in Week 5. The Texans have allowed the second-fewest fantasy points per game (19.7) to opposing wide receivers but sit in the middle of the pack against tight ends (8.6 points per game) -- not that Desmond Ridder needed another excuse to look Smith's way.

He wouldn't be my first option, but, if you're in a pinch, Jonnu Smith is probably good for 4-5 catches, 40-50 yards, and (if we're lucky) a potential score in Week 5.

Interested in playing NFL DFS? Head over to FanDuel’s daily fantasy football lobby to see all the offerings for this week's slates.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.