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Dan's tight end start 'em, sit 'em picks for fantasy football Week 5 lineups (2025). Read his expert TE start/sit advice for Sam LaPorta, T.J. Hockenson, Dalton Kincaid, and more.
2025 has been another rough season for the tight end position. Just one player with a minimum of three games played is averaging more than 15.0 fantasy points per game (Jake Ferguson). Just 12 tight ends are averaging double-digit points.
Being able to identify good streaming options is once again a viable way to navigate the tight end position this season. That is especially true now that we must navigate bye weeks and injuries in the coming weeks.
Which tight ends are worth starting or sitting in Week 5? Find out below.
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 4 Starts- Potential Fantasy Football Booms
Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions at Cincinnati Bengals
Sam LaPorta was the TE1 overall in fantasy points and the TE3 in points per game (14.1), as a rookie in 2023. He has struggled to hit those same heights since.
LaPorta was still a top 10 tight end in PPR scoring in 2024 (10.9 PPG, TE9) but has gotten off to a slow start in 2025. The veteran tight end is currently the TE18 in PPR points per game (8.4) with just one week above 8.0 points scored.
LaPorta has at least four targets, three receptions, and 25 receiving yards in every game this season, but has yet to find the end zone. He is still tied for second for targets in the Lions’ passing attack (21) but is third in receptions (16) and receiving yards (177).
He will have an excellent chance to get back on track in Week 5 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Cincinnati’s defense is tied for the most targets to tight ends (40) while ranking in the bottom 10 of defenses in terms of receptions (27), receiving yards (244), and touchdowns (2) allowed to the position.
Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots
Dalton Kincaid is off to a strong start in fantasy on the back of touchdown production. The third-year tight end has already set a career-high in touchdowns (3) in just four weeks. Kincaid had a stretch of three straight games with at least four targets, four receptions, and 37 yards per game before falling flat in Week 4 (two targets, one reception, 28 yards, and one touchdown).
There is a fair amount of risk in turning to Kincaid in fantasy football. He is currently tied for the touchdown lead among tight ends despite logging a paltry 43.1% snap share over the first four weeks. Kincaid is also the TE3 in yards per target (9.9) and the TE5 in expected points added (10.71).
The Patriots are allowing the eighth most fantasy points per game to tight ends this season (9.3), allowing Kincaid to have another fantasy-relevant week despite being part of a three-way split at tight end for the Bills.
Darren Waller, Miami Dolphins at Carolina Panthers
It didn’t take long for Darren Waller to return to fantasy relevance with the Miami Dolphins. Waller missed the first three weeks of the season due to a hip injury, but made his Dolphins’ debut in Week 4. He finished as the TE4 in PPR points (17.7) thanks to four targets, three receptions, 27 yards, and two touchdowns.
Waller only played 27.6% of Miami’s offensive snaps, but he made his limited workload count, especially in the red zone. He led all tight ends in end zone targets in Week 4.
Already making an impact 💪 pic.twitter.com/kYdbgGcINi
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) September 30, 2025
Miami will need Waller to get up to speed quickly now that Tyreek Hill has been ruled out for the year with a significant knee injury. It is probably unrealistic to expect Waller to jump from a 27% snap share to a full-time role (especially since he was retired last season), but his workload should expand in Week 5.
The Dolphins' Week 5 opponent, the Carolina Panthers, has allowed the fourth most points per game to tight ends this season (10.3). They have allowed the second-most receiving yards to tight ends this season (285) despite being 18th in targets against (26) and 12th in receptions against (21).
Week 4 Concerns- Potential Fantasy Football Busts
Evan Engram, Denver Broncos at Philadelphia Eagles
The Evan Engram experience has been underwhelming in Denver. Engram was signed this offseason to be a weapon that could make plays in the middle of the field. Instead, Engram has struggled to make a consistent impact on the field while navigating through injuries.
Engram has played just three games this season, catching eight of 13 passes for 62 yards. He has yet to play more than 44% of the Broncos’ offensive snaps. His “best” performance this season was seven targets, four receptions, and 29 yards in Week 4. Engram has not had a game with 7.0 or more fantasy points and is currently the TE35 on the season (4.7 PPR points).
Week 5 is probably not going to be the week that Engram gets back on track. The Philadelphia Eagles have been one of the most effective teams against tight ends this season, thanks to linebackers Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell. Tight ends have caught just 14 of 26 targets against the Eagles this season for 97 yards. The Eagles are allowing the second-fewest points per game to the tight end position (2.4).
T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings vs Cleveland Browns
2025 has been a colossal disappointment for T.J. Hockenson. The veteran tight end was expected to be a source of fantasy points to start the season, thanks to Jordan Addison’s three-game suspension. Instead, he caught just nine of 13 targets for 76 yards and a touchdown. He had just one week with more than 5.0 fantasy points during that stretch.
Oddly enough, the second-best performance of Hockenson’s season came in Addison’s debut, a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Even then, Hockenson’s four receptions for 39 yards (7.9 PPR points) led the veteran tight end to a TE22 finish.
Minnesota’s offense has struggled throughout the season, first through J.J. McCarthy’s growing pains and then through Carson Wentz’s inconsistencies. That has led all of their pass catchers to post inconsistent fantasy performances to start the year.
Things won’t be much better for Hockenson with a game against the Cleveland Browns on the docket in Week 5. Cleveland is arguably the best defense in football and is allowing just 6.1 fantasy points per game to the tight end position.
Chigozeim Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans at Arizona Cardinals
There was a belief that the Tennessee Titans could take a significant step forward as a team after drafting Cam Ward with the first overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. Instead, Ward (and the offense as a whole) have struggled this season. The Titans have just one game with 20 points or more scored this season.
Those struggles are certainly being felt in fantasy football as well. The team has already tried moving to a new play caller, but it seems like the next step is starting to give some of the team’s younger players more playing time to identify any potential future pieces for the offense. That is bad news for veteran tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo.
Okonkwo has had back-to-back weeks with a snap share of 70% or fewer. He is also coming off a season-worst performance against the Texans, where he caught one of three targets for four yards. After the game, head coach Brian Callahan stated the team wanted to get more playing time for rookie tight end Gunnar Helm.
.@Titans OC Nick Holz said rookie TE Gunnar Helm has been a bright spot, and the physicality he plays with has even exceeded the team's expectations. Is picking things up well. Expects his opportunities to increase
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) September 30, 2025
The potential loss of playing time combined with a difficult matchup against the Cardinals, a team allowing just 7.9 points per game to tight ends this season, makes it impossible to trust Okonkwo in your fantasy lineup for Week 5.
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