The 2022-23 NFL season has already been extremely entertaining. It has shown fantasy trends that have started to develop and show what could happen the rest of the season. Already some players have proven to be fantasy relevant while some fantasy stars have been alarmingly disappointing to this point. Injuries have started to mount up this season. It is always a great idea to evaluate backup options so that way fantasy managers are prepared if star players miss time. Here are the Week 5 fantasy football tight end rankings.
*Ratings are subject to change due to injury reports or possible move to reserve/COVID-19 list*
(Check out the section below for details on players already rumored to possibly miss this week and how their replacement options rank for the week)
Key:
Must Start- a player who is in your lineup regardless of the matchup or most circumstances. They Will likely finish near the top of the league in points that week and in most weeks.
Starting TE1- a player who makes fantasy owners comfortable starting week after week. Regardless of the matchup, this player has a solid floor.
TD Dependent Starter- a player who may not be a lock to start for a team every week, but will start more times than not because of depth at the position. Their production is based on whether they can get in the end zone or not. It can be the difference between a top 10 performance or a top 25 performance
Deep League Starter- a player whose ceiling isn’t high but should put up enough production to be started in deep leagues. When a player like this is started it is because their production though it will likely be low, will be better than a few options.
Leave on the Bench- a player who should be avoided in all lineups that week. Many times this player could even be left on waivers.
| Category | Name | Opponent | Ranking |
| Must Start | Travis Kelce | vs Las Vegas Raiders | TE1 |
| Must Start | Mark Andrews | vs Cincinnati Bengals | TE2 |
| Starting TE1 | T.J. Hockenson* | vs New England Patriots | TE3 |
| Starting TE1 | Tyler Higbee | vs Dallas Cowboys | TE4 |
| Starting TE1 | Darren Waller | vs Kansas City Chiefs | TE5 |
| Starting TE1 | Zach Ertz | vs Philadelphia Eagles | TE6 |
| Starting TE1 | Dallas Goedert | vs Arizona Cardinals | TE7 |
| Starting TE1 | Pat Freiermuth | vs Buffalo Bills | TE8 |
| Starting TE1 | Kyle Pitts* | vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers | TE9 |
| Starting TE1 | George Kittle | vs Carolina Panthers | TE10 |
| TD Dependent Starter | Gerald Everett | vs Cleveland Browns | TE11 |
| TD Dependent Starter | David Njoku* | vs Los Angeles Chargers | TE12 |
| TD Dependent Starter | Dalton Schultz | vs Los Angeles Rams | TE13 |
| TD Dependent Starter | Tyler Conklin | vs Miami Dolphins | TE14 |
| TD Dependent Starter | Hayden Hurst* | vs Baltimore Ravens | TE15 |
| TD Dependent Starter | Logan Thomas | vs Tennessee Titans | TE16 |
| TD Dependent Starter | Dawson Knox* | vs Pittsburgh Steelers | TE17 |
| TD Dependent Starter | Will Dissly | vs New Orleans Saints | TE18 |
| Deep League Starter | Irv Smith Jr. | vs Chicago Bears | TE19 |
| Deep League Starter | Robert Tonyan | vs New York Giants | TE20 |
| Deep League Starter | Cameron Brate | vs Atlanta Falcons | TE21 |
| Deep League Starter | Evan Engram | vs Houston Texans | TE22 |
| Deep League Starter | Mo Alie-Cox | vs Denver Broncos | TE23 |
| Leave on the Bench | Hunter Henry | vs Detroit Lions | TE24 |
| Leave on the Bench | Juwan Johnson | vs Seattle Seahawks | TE25 |
| Leave on the Bench | Cole Kmet | vs Minnesota Vikings | TE26 |
| Leave on the Bench | Albert Okwuegbunam | vs Indianapolis Colts | TE27 |
| Leave on the Bench | Kylen Granson | vs Denver Broncos | TE28 |
| Leave on the Bench | Noah Fant | vs New Orleans Saints | TE29 |
| Leave on the Bench | Mike Gesicki | vs New York Jets | TE30 |
| Leave on the Bench | O.J. Howard | vs Jacksonville Jaguars | TE31 |
| Leave on the Bench | Jelani Woods | vs Denver Broncos | TE32 |
| Leave on the Bench | Austin Hooper | vs Washington Commanders | TE33 |
| Leave on the Bench | Colby Parkinson | vs New Orleans Saints | TE34 |
| Leave on the Bench | Isaiah Likely | vs Cincinnati Bengals | TE35 |
| Leave on the Bench | Taysom Hill* | vs Minnesota Vikings | TE36 |
Possible Changes that can occur before Sunday
TE3 T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions
T.J. Hockenson missed practice Wednesday because of a hip injury. If he was to miss Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots Brock Wright would be Detroit’s starting tight end but not be able to produce at the level Hockenson is capable of doing in a given week.
TE9 Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
Kyle Pitts missed practice Wednesday with a hamstring injury. If he is to miss this week’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers there is no clear tight end that would come in and step in to replace his production.
TE12 David Njoku, Cleveland Browns
David Njoku sat out of practice on Wednesday to rest a knee injury. He is expected to practice later this week and play on Sunday. However if Njoku was to miss this week’s game Harrison Bryant would join the list at TE22 between Evan Engram and Mo Alie-Cox.
TE15 Hayden Hurst, Cincinnati Bengals
Hayden Hurst was limited in practice Wednesday with a groin injury. If he was to miss this week’s game against the Baltimore Ravens then Devin Asiasi would join the list as TE32 between Jelani Woods and Austin Hooper.
TE17 Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills
Dawson Knox missed practice on Wednesday with both foot and hamstring injuries. If he was to miss this week’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers then Quintin Morris would be expected to step up as Buffalo’s starting tight end in Knox’s absence.
TE36 Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints
Taysom Hill missed last week’s game against Carolina Panthers with a rib injury. If Hill misses this week’s game against the Minnesota Vikings Adam Trautman would be expected to step up as the Saints’ second tight end.
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