Tight end has been a tough position to crack so far this season with even some typically reliable producers struggling in the early going. With injuries and bye weeks also testing teams’ depth, you may be on the market for a fantasy football sleeper tight end for your season-long DFS lineup this week.
There are cheap options available on the 10-game main slate and on many leagues’ waiver wires. While these players all rank outside my top 10 plays at the position, they are still bargain options with upside if you need an emergency audible for your squad this week.
Here are my top five sleeper tight ends for Week 5:
Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers
OK, maybe I’m stretching sleeper just a little bit with this pick. Though if you’re shopping on the waiver wire for an immediate starting option, he’s the first name to look for, if everyone in your season-long league is overlooking him. He’s also the option with the highest ceiling at $3,500 or below on DraftKings in DFS contests like the NFL $3.25M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st]. If he’s too chalky or already gone in your league, don’t worry, there are deeper picks coming up later in this post.
The Packers will likely be without Christian Watson (ankle) and Romeo Doubs (personal), who were both listed as doubtful for this week against the Rams. With Jordan Love ($6,500) airing it out with 34 and 54 pass attempts in his two starts this season, there should be plenty of targets available for Kraft in Green Bay’s offense.
Last week, Kraft broke out with six catches, 53 yards and a touchdown on his nine targets on his way to 18.3 fantasy points. Even before that, though, he was operating as the team’s top pass-catching tight end and had multiple catches in each of his three games this season.
I wrote about Kraft’s emergence earlier this week, and I think he’s a great option if you’re looking for a sleeper at the position this week. He’s a great value for DFS rosters as well, although he may be a little chalky after his big game last week.
Tyler Conklin, New York Jets
Conklin and the Jets take on his former team in the early game in London. He doesn’t have quite the ceiling that Kraft brings since he’ll likely have fewer targets, but he’s still a very viable option available on many leagues’ waiver wires.
Conklin is also a good DFS value if you’re playing the NFL $400K Showdown Special [$100K to 1st] (NYJ vs MIN) to start your DraftKings Week 5 success early. In those Showdown contests, Conklin is only $3,200 in a flex spot and leaves lots of salary cap flexibility.
Two weeks ago against the Patriots, Conklin had his best game of the season, hauling in five catches for a team-high 93 yards and 14.3 fantasy points. Last week in the sloppy conditions at MetLife Stadium, he only had four catches for 17 yards and 5.7 fantasy points. However, he was still targeted eight times, which tied him for the team lead with Garrett Wilson ($8,600 in Showdown) and Allen Lazard ($6,600).
Conklin gets some extra juice from facing his former squad this week, and the Vikings’ defense has allowed an average of five catches for 50 yards per game to opposing tight ends this season. Last week, they gave up Kraft’s big game in Green Bay.
Erick All Jr., Cincinnati Bengals
Now we get to the deep cuts portion of the article. The three rookie tight ends from here on out all have salaries under $3,000 in DFS and are virtually unowned in standard season-long leagues. They do have upside though, and they give a ton of salary cap space if you think you can catch lightning in a bottle with one of these ultra-cheap, long-shot options.
All has been the most productive of the three rookies recently. He also seems to be growing into a larger role in the Bengals offense. Last week, he played a career-high 60% of the team’s snaps, more than both Mike Gesicki ($3,400) and Drew Sample ($2,600).
For the third straight week, All finished with four catches on four targets. He produced 32, 22 and 28 yards in those three games, so he isn’t exactly tearing up the stat sheet. However, his consistent involvement is a great sign for him moving forward, as is his rising snap count.
He is an excellent flier play this week against the Ravens, who have allowed the second-most fantasy points in the NFL to opposing tight ends this season. They have given up at least six TE receptions every week for an average of 81.8 yards per game to the position.
Theo Johnson, New York Giants
Johnson is a much more speculative play this week since he hasn’t been as involved for the Giants yet as All has been this year, but he could be called upon for a much bigger workload this week. The Giants will be without rookie standout Malik Nabers (concussion), which will open up a lot of targets in the Big Blue passing game.
Johnson has been the team’s primary tight end all season after being taken in the fourth round of last year’s NFL Draft. The Penn State product has played about 80% of snaps most weeks but has only gotten eight targets. He has never had multiple catches in a game but did get four targets back in Week 1 vs. the Vikings when Nabers wasn’t soaking up quite so many targets.
With Nabers out, more work could come Johnson’s way against the Seahawks, who haven’t allowed a tight end touchdown this year but have given up an average of 59.5 yards per week to the position.
Noah Gray, Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs lost Rashee Rice (knee) last week and are still without Hollywood Brown (shoulder) and Isiah Pacheco (fibula) as well. With multiple absences on offense, Gray could step up to help fill in the gap.
He doesn’t play until Monday Night Football this week against the Saints, so he isn’t a DFS option in Sunday’s contests but can still be a deep-league option if you’re desperate.
Gray has played 50% or more of the Chiefs’ snaps every week. He has multiple targets in every week but Week 2 and had his best game of the season against the Chargers in Week 4, finishing with four catches for 40 yards.
While he isn’t a lock to be involved and does come with plenty of risk, he also brings enough upside to be a flier play either in Monday Night Football DFS contests or if you’re desperate for a late-week solution.
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