Fantasy Football Week 5 waiver wire pickups: Top 7 TE’s
So far this season, there has been the start of a changing of the guard at tight end in fantasy football with veteran options like Jason Witten struggling while young TE like Martellus Bennett, Travis Kelce, Larry Donnell, and Zach Ertz emerging as true weekly starters.
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As we head into week 5, bye weeks aren’t as much of an issue this week with just the Dolphins and Raiders sitting this week out, but there’s always a good reason to build depth especially with more bye week waves coming in the future and injuries continuing to redefine the fantasy football landscape each week.
For the sake of all our waiver wire posts, all players listed are owned in less than 50% of ESPN leagues. If you have a specific question about a TE on your waiver wire or whether or not you should make a move, you can ask always find us at @FansidedFantasy on twitter.
Here are the top 7 tight ends who are currently available on most waiver wires:
Week 5 vs Falcons. Larry Donnell. 1. player. 31. Donnell is currently the fifth-ranked TE in ESPN standard scoring which is non-PPR. He’s even more valuable in PPR leagues since Eli Manning throws him so many checkdown short routes. Donnell has at least five catches in all the Giants games this season and also faces a very favorable schedule leadint up to his week 8 bye. He isn’t a prototypical uber-athletic, stretch-the-field tight end, but his red zone presence and role in the Giants offense should keep him as a TE1 for the next several weeks. He’s been on our pickup list the last several weeks, but his three-touchdown Thursday Night Football performance jumps him to the top of the ranks. . 26.8% owned
player. 124. Another TE who has regularly been in our pickups but will probably be too owned going forward, Kelce continues to emerge as a bigger and bigger part of the Chiefs passing attack. On Monday night, he set personal bests with eight catches for 93 yards and a touchdown. The Chiefs receivers have been inconsistent, but Alex Smith has always been successful getting the ball to his TE, so look for Kelce to be a top-ten option after the Chiefs bye in week 6. He’s still more of a long-term pickup since he’s in a tough matchup in San Francisco this week and then on his bye, but if you can wait two weeks or Donnell is already owned, he’s a good pickup. . 37.1% owned. Week 5 @ 49ers. Travis Kelce. 2
Daniels was second on the team to Steve Smith in targets and receptions this week against the Panthers finishing with four catches for 43 yards and getting an assist on one of Smith’s touchdowns after tipping the pass up in the air. Daniels should continue to be heavily involved in the Ravens passing game and is a low-risk option as long as he’s healthy in Gary Kubiak’s offense. Daniels has a nice stretch of three favorable matchups against the Colts, Bucs, and Falcons the next three weeks.. 8.9 % owned. Week 5 @ Colts. Owen Daniels. 3. player. 26
Heath Miller. 4. player. 55. Another veteran who is relatively low-risk, Miller had a monster game week 4 agains the Bucs in the Steelers home defeat. He finished with 10 catches for 85 yards and a touchdown and was the most involved in the passing attack he has been all year. Look for another big week this week against the Jags who rank last against the pass and specifically struggle with opposing TE. If you just need a one-week play, Miller makes a better pickup based on matchup than both Daniels and Kelce although he has less long-term upside than both of those options.. 12.8 % owned. Week 5 @ Jaguars
Jared Cook. 5. player. 51. As he comes off his bye week, don’t forget about Cook who has at least four catches and 46 yards in each of the Rams first three games. He’s coming off his biggest game of the season against the Cowboys when he led the team in targets and catches hauling in seven passes for 75 yards and dropping what should have been a touchdown to cap his day. He will most likely be working with Shaun Hill as the Rams try to keep up with the high-flying Eagles offense which could result in a nice day for Cook this week.. 3.5% owned. Week 5 @ Eagles
Allen has three touchdowns this season after his three-catch, 38-yard performance against the Titans on Sunday. He is definitely one of Andrew Luck’s go-to red zone options, but he doesn’t pile up enough yards to make him startable on a weekly basis at this point. He could continue to earn more time though if he continues to excel, but for now he is still sharing time with Coby Fleener and is one of many options in the Colts offense.. 16.1% owned. Week 5 vs Ravens. Dwayne Allen. 6. player. 46
Eric Ebron. 7. player. 50. Ebron scored his first NFL touchdown this week as part of his three catches which he took for 34 yards. Joseph Fauria’s ankle injury could open the door for Ebron to get more involved in the passing offense which may need playmakers with Calvin Johnson ailing. Ebron is still a long-term sleeper, but one with a clearer path to his upside with the recent injuries in Detroit.. 5.5% owned. Week 5 vs Bills