2023 Week 5 Fantasy Football: Start Em’ or Sit Em’ Tight Ends

Each week we’ll break down one player that should start in your fantasy lineup and one that would be better left on the bench per position. There are players like Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews who are matchup proof and should be in your starting lineups every week barring a major circumstance.

Tight Ends to Start:

Sam LaPorta

Rookie Sam LaPorta has been entering top 5 tight end discussions and he’s not backing down. He’s here to stay in that conversation and the Lions went from one stud Iowa Hawkeye tight end in Hockenson to another in LaPorta. One more week of productivity and LaPorta will be in the must start every week category.

Jake Ferguson

The Cowboys have a tough matchup on Sunday Night Football against the undefeated San Francisco 49ers. This is going to be a game the Cowboys are going to need to be relying on Dak Prescott to make big plays. It’s going to be heavy on the pass with the Niners elite rush defense. In the red zone, the Cowboys are going to need to mix it up and go through the air which we think could net in a Jake Ferguson score.

Evan Engram

The Jaguars and Bills are going to be playing in a shootout in London and it’s going to set up the Jaguars receiving corps for plenty of targets. We’re expecting solid performances from Ridley, Kirk, & tight end Evan Engram. Engram is a top 10 fantasy tight end this week.

Tight Ends to Sit:

Jonnu Smith

After Jonnu Smith’s 95 yard performance, it’s tempting to want to start him, but the problem is Desmond ridder is his quarterback. We can’t trust anyone in this Falcons pass offense on a consistent basis and it’s unfortunate. Jonnu Smith is one that we need to see more than just one good game out of.

Darren Waller

The Giants tight end is still being used as a top 5 tight end in fantasy for his name recognition but he’s not playing like one on the field. The whole Giants pass offense has been playing pretty poor with Waller being one of them. Waller shouldn’t be treated like a top 5 tight end anymore and is only a start if you don’t have someone like Kelce or Andrews on your team.

Dalton Kincaid

The Bills and Jaguars might be in a shootout, but the tight ends for Buffalo aren’t as productive as Engram is for Jacksonville. Kincaid and Knox are touchdown dependent to be relevant for fantasy this week. We don’t trust either option to start for us in fantasy.