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Matt's tight end (TE) fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks for Week 5 of 2025. His TE lineups advice for Week 5 fantasy football start/sit decisions.
It's bad enough trying to navigate the tight end position on a regular week. Now, as we enter Week 5, fantasy managers must begin to navigate the bye weeks for the most volatile fantasy position.
With two of the top five generous defenses against the tight end position on bye this week, you may have lineup questions. Luckily, we've got the answers you are seeking in the lineup.
Here are your starts and sits at the tight end position for Week 5 of the fantasy football season.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
- Running back (RB) fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver (WR) fantasy football rankings
- Tight end (TE) fantasy football rankings
- Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Kicker (K) fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Week 5 Starts - Fantasy Football Booms
Juwan Johnson - TE, New Orleans Saints vs. New York Giants
After averaging 14.2 fantasy points per game through the first three weeks of the NFL season, Juwan Johnson was held in check last week against the Buffalo Bills, limiting one of the 2025 fantasy football early-season sleepers' production to three receptions for 28 yards and 5.8 fantasy points.
This week, Johnson looks to respond to his TE25 finish, facing a Giants defense that has allowed an average of 14.70 fantasy points per contest thus far. Despite the down week, Johnson enters this contest with 204 receiving yards, seventh-most at the tight end position this season, while his 183 air yards and 10.8% target share rank fourth, and his air yard share is 18.5% the third-most among his peers.
Despite competing with Chris Olave, who has 43 targets this season, Johnson's first-read target share of 26.7% sits second only to Trey McBride.
Johnson may not be classified as a wide receiver. Still, as the second option in the Saints' passing attack, it's a safe assumption that Johnson could also see a portion of the 46.90 fantasy points per game that the Giants allow to the wide receiver position.
Dalton Kincaid - TE, Buffalo Bills vs. New England Patriots
With a pair of 14-plus fantasy performances already under his belt this season, Dalton Kincaid of the Buffalo Bills currently sits as the TE7 in points per game, averaging 12.5 points per contest. This, a season after averaging a measly 7.8 per game, forces many fantasy managers to all but forget that, at one time in his career, Kincaid offered a positional advantage.
Dalton Kincaid is wide open for a Buffalo TD!
NOvsBUF on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXnxV pic.twitter.com/2aUjmKYR7H
— NFL (@NFL) September 28, 2025
So far this season, Kincaid has three touchdown receptions through four weeks, and his 14 receptions have resulted in 179 receiving yards and an average of 12.8 yards per reception. Besides the three touchdowns in four games on 18 targets, what makes Kincaid such a great option this week is the 149 air yards and 18.2% air yards share, ranking 10th and fifth, respectively, adding a baked-in upside every week.
That upside has a real good chance at hitting this week, considering the Patriots have allowed 252 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns already this season to opposing tight ends. For fantasy managers, that combination of yards conceded and touchdown receptions works out to an average of 15.05 fantasy points per game against.
Cade Otton - TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Seattle Seahawks
With Mike Evans inactive this week, we have some elite cornerback versus wide receiver matchups as the Buccaneers head to Seattle to take on the Seahawks. Tampa's pass-catching duo of Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka combined for seven receptions and 127 receiving yards against the Philadelphia Eagles last week. This week, they face Riq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon.
Receiving yards have been tough to come by when facing the Seahawks' secondary, as the Seahawks are allowing just 207.2 passing yards per game, with an average of 103 per contest coming from opposing receivers. Tampa will need a hero if they want to move the ball through the air this week; that hero could be Otton.
In four contests this season, opposing tight ends have caught 31 passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns against this Seattle defense. For fantasy, that works out to an average of 18.55 fantasy points per game to the position, the most in the NFL this season.
In a plus matchup this week, it is essential to note that while Otton has been relatively quiet for fantasy purposes, he has run 118 routes this season, the seventh-most, leading to a top 10 route participation rate of 74.2%. Everything is in place for Otton to put together a week no one saw coming, unless you read this.
Week 5 Sits - Potential Fantasy Football Busts
Tyler Warren - TE, Indianapolis Colts vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week against the Los Angeles Rams, Warren was up to his bag of tricks, hauling in five passes for 70 yards, bringing his season totals to 19 receptions for a league-leading 263 yards at the tight end position.
It's easy to say week in and week out to sit Dalton Schultz, Cole Kmet, or Tyler Higbee. Fantasy football is often about limiting risk. If you have a risky play, you must know how to balance that risk out elsewhere in your lineup. You're not removing Warren from the lineup, but you need a contingency plan elsewhere.
This season, Las Vegas has surrendered just 12 receptions and 167 total receiving yards to the tight end position, leading their defense to the fifth-fewest fantasy points against thus far, 7.18 per game. As stingy as the Raiders have been on the tight end position, they have been more than generous regarding opposing receivers, allowing 41.13 points per game, the third-most.
There is a chance that Warren is closer to being a wide receiver facing this Raiders unit, but if that is not the case, be prepared.
Hunter Henry - TE, New England at Buffalo Bills
One spot ahead of Warren in the fantasy football tight end peaking order lies Hunter Henry of the New England Patriots. Henry's 13.4 fantasy points per game and 53.4 thus far this season are tied with McBride's.
Henry has been impressive. Anyone following along in the RotoBaller Discord channel knows Henry has been on our fantasy radar since early August. Last season, Henry was Drake Maye's top option in the passing game, and even after adding TreVeyon Henderson, Kyle Williams, and Stefon Diggs in the offseason, it's Henry who has been the recipient of a 19.4% target share along with a 21.7% first-read target share through four weeks.
Henry is still the focal point of the Patriots' passing game with 204 air yards and a 24.5% air yards share (second-most) this season.
Here's the problem. Unlike Warren's matchup against the Raiders, Henry faces a Bills defense that not only sits seventh in fantasy points against wide receivers, but they have been even more frugal against opposing tight ends, containing them to a league-low 67 receiving yards on nine receptions. In fantasy terminology, that's 5.43 fantasy points per game; only the Atlanta Falcons have been stingier.
Travis Kelce - TE, Kansas City Chiefs at Jacksonville Jaguars
Can Travis Kelce "Shake it Off" or is Kelce "Guilty as Sin" when it comes to finally hitting that age cliff? Heading into the fifth week of the NFL season, Kelce's 182 receiving yards sit ninth. The 22 targets, 10th. However, the 15.5% target share is 16th among tight ends, and Kelce is on the outside looking in regarding the top 12 fantasy tight ends, averaging 9.8 fantasy points.
Even Mark Andrews, who had 2.9 fantasy points before Week 3, has been more productive this season.
This week, the former All-Pro faces an upstart Jacksonville Jaguars defense that is not only one of the top fantasy DST units this season, but they have been solid against the opposition's tight end position this season, allowing just one touchdown reception and just under 50 receiving yards per game. Through four contests, Kelce has only one game in which he exceeded 50 receiving yards and has been held under 10 fantasy points in each of his last two contests.
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