Tight Ends Start 'Em, Sit 'Em and Fantasy Football Trends for Week 5 (2025)

Rob's tight end fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks for Week 5 of the 2025 season. Who should I start at tight end for fantasy football in Week 5 lineups?

The tight-end position is filled with dismay and sorrow every year. There are weekly disappointments consistently, and while four weeks is far too early to be calling anyone a bust, there are several tight ends who have yet to live up to their draft capital. Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, Travis Kelce, and Mark Andrews have all failed to live up to their draft status.

Meanwhile, tight ends such as Tyler Warren, Dallas Goedert, Tucker Kraft, Hunter Henry, and Dalton Kincaid have significantly outplayed their ADP. We're still dealing with small sample sizes, so fantasy managers should expect all of these players to remain where they are. We'll be looking past the box score and PPG averages to identify busts, breakouts, and sleepers.

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Keep an Eye on Mason Taylor

Mason Taylor is just a rookie, but his role in the New York offense is expanding. The 2025 Jets offense is similar in structure to the Bears offense of 2023. That year, Justin Fields was the starter, throwing to DJ Moore and Cole Kmet. Behind these two, the cupboard was bare.

The Jets have a similar ecosystem. It's Garrett Wilson and Taylor. Through four weeks, it's taken Taylor a hot second to get his feet wet, but he began to show promise this past week.

Through the first four weeks of the season, Taylor has a 72.5% route share. Despite his rookie status, this ranks 12th among tight ends, an encouraging sign for him. Routes don't always lead to fantasy production, but they are typically a good starting point. That's because routes mean opportunities. In the first two weeks of the season, Taylor averaged just 1.5 targets per game. That has increased significantly over the past two weeks.

In Weeks 3 and 4, Taylor's targets per game average rose to 6.5. His target share rose to 20.6%. His 6.5 targets per game that he's averaged over the past two weeks would tie him for fifth on the season with Bowers. His 20.6% target share would also rank fifth, narrowly surpassing Bowers. It shouldn't be surprising that his target volume increased because Taylor has been far more efficient.

"We want to do everything we can to get Mason Taylor more involved. He's a dynamic player for us. He's a guy that we all recognize needs to get the ball more."- Aaron Glenn#Jets pic.twitter.com/092K0naH5N

— Harrison Glaser (@NYJetsTFMedia) September 25, 2025

His yards per route run were just 0.56 in Weeks 1 and 2, but that significantly increased, tripling all the way to 1.51 in Weeks 3 and 4. His expected half-PPR PPG was just 2.2 in Weeks 1 and 2, but that ballooned to 10.2 in Weeks 3 and 4. His half-PPR PPG was 1.8 in the first two weeks, but has increased to 6.4 in the past two weeks. We're still not to the point that Taylor is truly on the fantasy radar, but he's certainly moving in that direction.

Theo Johnson Breakout?

Johnson is a second-year player, but logged just 12 games as a rookie. He's playing a much larger role in his second season, and the injury to Malik Nabers only increases his importance.

While the Nabers injury is a significant blow to the Giants offense, it does present a massive target opportunity for Johnson. Instead of competing with an alpha receiver, Johnson will be competing with the likes of Wan'Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton.

Following Nabers' exit in Week 4, Johnson posted a 30.0% target share and a 33.3% target rate in the second half. That's the good news. The bad news is that his route share was just 60.0%. That's where it's been for most of the year. Through four weeks, his route share is at 64.6%. That's too low for Johnson to be a consistent fantasy producer, but with the loss of Nabers, the hope is that Johnson's involvement in the offense grows in the coming weeks.

Jaxson Dart’s first career TD pass, a shovel to Theo Johnson. pic.twitter.com/JyHZ6NPPZE

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) September 28, 2025

In Jaxson Dart's first start, he averaged 6.4 intended air yards per attempt. Dart did not force the ball downfield at a high rate. Given the loss of Nabers, that will likely continue as the Giants offense no longer possesses the tools to do that effectively. It's a common saying that a rookie quarterback tends to favor a tight end. Johnson is an elite athlete, and the Giants would be wise to utilize his size, speed, and strength to make life easier for Dart.

Theo Johnson was drafted in round 4 pick 107 in the 2024 draft class. He scored a 9.93 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 9 out of 1199 TE from 1987 to 2024. https://t.co/sVZgB7wazA pic.twitter.com/mxhtoPNHDq

— RAS.football (@MathBomb) April 27, 2024

Johnson's future fantasy prospects are unknown, but the unknown creates potential. With Nabers no longer in the fold, Johnson could garner 5-7 targets per game. However, the risk is that without Nabers, this offense falters in such a way that it'll be difficult for any of the pass-catchers to be efficient enough to be fantasy-relevant. Like Taylor, he's not yet on the fantasy radar, but his ascension could occur quickly.

Are We Buying Dallas Goedert's Hot Start?

Goedert is off to a hot start and is currently the TE1, averaging 11.8 half-PPR PPG. He has scored over 7.5 half-PPR points in each of the three games he's been active thus far. However, of the 35.4 total points, 18 points have come via touchdowns. That's 50.8% of his points. Even more troubling is his touchdown rate.

Goedert is currently in his eighth season in the NFL. In the first seven years, Goedert recorded more than three touchdowns just three times. He's never exceeded five. From 2018 to 2024, Goedert caught 24 touchdowns on 476 targets. That's a touchdown rate of just 5.0%. In 2025, his touchdown rate is 23.0%. That's a major red flag. Fantasy managers need to expect his touchdown rate to drop significantly.

While Goedert has averaged 11.8 half-PPR PPG, his expected half-PPR PPG is just 7.4. Given the discrepancy between his actual and expected half-PPR PPG averages and his incredibly high touchdown rate, Goedert appears to be a sell-high candidate. Especially given how dreadful the Philadelphia passing game has been. Not everything is bad, however.

Goedert is currently third in the NFL among tight ends with an 83.2% route share; his 16.2% air yards share ranks ninth, and his 16.5% target share ranks 11th. However, among 35 tight ends with 10 targets, Goedert ranks just 30th in target rate at 15%.

Even worse, while Goedert has three touchdowns, he does not have a single end-zone target. In fact, Goedert has more touchdowns than he does red-zone targets (two). Given his limited utilization around the end zone and Goedert's three touchdowns, especially considering just 13 targets, fantasy managers should expect a dry spell soon. If you're able to sell high on Goedert, I would recommend doing so.

What to Make of Sam LaPorta's Slow Start?

In Weeks 1-4 in 2024, LaPorta was just TE17 with a 5.2 half-PPR PPG. From Weeks 5-18, LaPorta increased his half-PPR PPG to 10.3, ranking as the TE7 during this stretch. We're seeing a similar trend unfold this season. Through the first four weeks of the season, LaPorta is the TE18 with a 6.4 half-PPR PPG. Can fantasy managers expect another surge out of LaPorta, like he had last year?

There's reason to be optimistic that LaPorta turns things around. He currently ranks sixth with a 76.8% route share. His 17.2% target share ranks eighth. His 22.0% target rate is the 11th best among 24 target ends with at least 15 targets. He's been incredibly efficient as well. His 1.82 yards per route run average is the sixth highest, and his 8.43 yards per target average is seventh best.

LaPorta's expected half-PPR PPG is 8.0, while he's averaging just 6.4 PPG. He is currently tied for second on the team in targets behind Amon-Ra St. Brown. After last season, it appeared that Jameson Williams might have moved ahead of LaPorta in the target hierarchy, but through four weeks, that does not appear to be the case.

LaPorta seems to be a strong buy-low option. In fact, if I could flip Goedert and get LaPorta and some change in any redraft league, I would do that right now.

Week 5 Rankings

1. Trey McBride vs. Tennessee Titans
2. Brock Bowers at Indianapolis Colts
3. Tyler Warren vs. Las Vegas Raiders
4. Jake Ferguson at New York Jets
5. Hunter Henry at Buffalo Bills
6. Dalton Kincaid vs. New England Patriots
7. Sam LaPorta at Cincinnati Bengals
8. Travis Kelce at Jacksonville Jaguars
9. Juwan Johnson vs. New York Giants
10. Dallas Goedert vs. Denver Broncos
11. Zach Ertz at Los Angeles Chargers
12. Darren Waller at Carolina Panthers
13. T.J. Hockenson at Cleveland Browns
14. Brenton Strange vs. Kansas City Chiefs
15. David Njoku vs. Minnesota Vikings
16. Mark Andrews vs. Houston Texans
17. Mason Taylor vs. Dallas Cowboys
18. Harold Fannin Jr. vs. Minnesota Vikings
19. Theo Johnson at New Orleans Saints
20. Dalton Schultz at Baltimore Ravens
21. Chig Okonkwo at Arizona Cardinals

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