Week 5 Tight End Projections & Rankings: Darren Waller Cracks Top 10

Darren Waller headlines our Week 5 fantasy football tight end projections and rankings as he cracks the top 10.

Miami Dolphins tight end Darren Waller (83) reacts after the game against the New York Jets at Hard Rock Stadium. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Last week, 17 tight ends scored between 10.00 and 19.70 fantasy points in PPR formats, giving the position a steady, unexplosive feel. This season, there have been only three tight end games with over 20.00 fantasy points.

• Tucker Kraft (6/124/1)
• Hunter Henry (8/90/2)
• Jake Fergusson (13/82)

The two highest drafted tight ends (Brock Bowers and Trey McBride) this year have yet to deliver an impact game or score over 16.00 fantasy points. Bowers comes into this week with three consecutive dull showings (5/38, 4/38, and 5/46) while McBride brings a safe, steady feel (12.10, 13.80, 15.30, and 12.20). 

Jake Ferguson remains the best value at tight end after four games (15.58 FPPG) while extending his streak with over 16.00 fantasy points to three games. Here are the top 12 tight ends after four games:

• Jake Ferguson (62.30)
• Trey McBride (53.40)
• Hunter Henry (53.40)
• Tyler Warren (51.90)
• Tucker Kraft (50.80)
• Dalton Kincaid (49.90)
• Juwan Johnson (48.40)
• Kyle Pitts (46.50)
• Brock Bowers (43.50)
• Zach Ertz (42.90)
• Dallas Goedert (41.40)
• Mark Andrews (40.00)

Travis Kelce (12.70, 10.10, 9.80, and 5/48) has slid to where he is no longer an automatic start each week in fantasy leagues. The Chiefs have 142 pass attempts this year, but Kelce only has 22 targets (15.5% - 5.5 per game).

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Each week, I’ll release my weekly depth charts and projections on Wednesday, with a neutral eye that is dictated by hinting stats from previous results or in-season injuries. These statistics represent baseline outlooks, with their potential already factored in. Touchdowns create impact scores and winning fantasy days, especially in non-PPR formats. Who scores them each week is the Holy Grail that the fantasy market searches for weekly.

My projections will be sorted into rankings, which won’t look anything close to the weekly consensus. My man, Matt Brandon, is in charge of finding a balance between my player outlooks and the public view of each week's rankings.

Week 5 Fantasy Football Tight End Projections Preview

Here’s a look at our opening Week 5 top 12 tight ends projections:

Shawn Childs

With Ashton Jeanty and Jonathan Taylor squaring off in Indianapolis this weekend, I wonder if the real fantasy show is between two talented tight ends – Brock Bowers vs. Tyler Warren. They both rank in the top four this week. Bowers brings the “due factor,” while Warren has settled in as the number two passing option for the Colts, behind Michael Pittman.

Darren Waller, Miami Dolphins

Despite playing in his first game (3/27/2 on four targets) after missing well over a year of game action, Waller was only on the field for 28% of the Dolphins’ plays in Week 4. The injury to Tyreek Hill propels him to at least the third option in the passing game behind De’Von Achane and Jaylen Waddle. He’s far from a slam dunk due to already missing three games this year with a hip issue, but Waller is the best-looking waiver wire tight end this week.

The top 12 tight end rankings this week lack a Cleveland Browns’ option. They’ve caught 31 passes (2nd) for 288 yards (3rd) on 46 targets (2nd) this year, while not scoring. Over 32% of the Browns’ catches and receiving yards come from the tight end position. The injury to Cedric Tillman should also help Cleveland’s tight ends. 

• Harold Fannin (33.40 – 17th)
• David Njoku (26.80 – 26th)

Tight ends have 21 catches for 164 yards on 29 targets against the Vikings this year. They’ve faced the Bears (3/43), Falcons (4/37), Bengals (9/58), and Steelers (5/26). I expect one of the Browns’ tight ends to score this week.

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CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR FULL WEEK 5 FANTASY FOOTBALL TIGHT END PROJECTIONS!

Here's the only Week 5 tight end Friday night update:

Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints

I added Taysom Hill to the Saints’ tight end depth chart, but I still have him sitting him out this week. He is a viable pickup in deep formats.