Colston Loveland’s usage surged in Week Four, a sign that the Chicago Bears tight end is becoming a consistent fantasy threat. Despite not scoring his first touchdown this season, Loveland caught six of nine targets from quarterback Tyson Bagent—his highest target volume to date. His increasing involvement puts him on the radar as a top fantasy tight end for Week Five, with a projected 9.8 fantasy points against the Green Bay Packers.
Fantasy analyst James Newell of The Sporting Tribune noted that Loveland has steadily improved in targets, catches, yards, and fantasy points since Week Three. “With his increase in usage and production, I would put the second-year tight end back into starting lineups,” Newell said, projecting Loveland to finish in the top 10 at his position this week.
Isaiah Likely of the Washington Commanders stands out as another fantasy tight end to watch in Week Five. Likely leads all tight ends in targets this season with 35 and commands a 31.5 percent target share in his team’s offense, trailing only wide receivers Jaxon Smith-Njigba and CeeDee Lamb across the league. Last week, Likely caught 12 passes and scored 13.6 fantasy points. Facing a Commanders defense that has allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to tight ends, he is expected to continue producing strong numbers.
Mike Gesicki of the Miami Dolphins also remains a consideration for fantasy managers. Gesicki has scored a touchdown and reached 12 fantasy points in three of four games, despite sharing the offense with high-profile receivers Chase Brown, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins. With the Cincinnati Bengals potentially missing Chase and Higgins in Week Five, Gesicki could see an uptick in opportunity against Miami. The Dolphins are set to face Cincinnati, a team that recently allowed tight end T.J. Hockenson 13 catches for 119 yards.
Several other tight ends received honorable mentions from Newell for Week Five. Juwan Johnson faces the Minnesota Vikings, T.J. Hockenson takes on New Orleans, Harold Fannin Jr. matches up against the New York Jets, Jake Ferguson goes against Tampa Bay, Hunter Henry meets Las Vegas, and Mark Andrews plays Atlanta. Each could offer upside depending on their roles and matchups.
On the other side, some previously reliable options have become questionable starts. Dalton Schultz of the Houston Texans projects only 8.6 fantasy points against the Tennessee Titans, a defense that has allowed just one touchdown and the third-fewest yards to tight ends this season. Schultz’s production has been erratic beyond his Week Two explosion, and the return of wide receivers Nico Collins and Tank Dell could further reduce his targets.
Dalton Kincaid’s fantasy stock has declined sharply after a hot start. After amassing 40.5 fantasy points in the first two weeks, Kincaid managed only 5.5 points in the last two games, with his target share dropping from 25 percent to 8.9 percent. He faces a Los Angeles Rams defense in Week Five that has limited tight ends like George Kittle and Isaiah Likely to under 8.4 fantasy points and allowed just 85 receiving yards to the position all season. Newell advises avoiding Kincaid this week.
Brenton Strange is another player to sit despite a strong 16.5-point performance last week. Strange faces the Philadelphia Eagles, who have allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points to tight ends and have only conceded one player over 7.1 fantasy points at the position this season. Philadelphia’s defense remains a tough matchup even amid team turmoil.
Other low-end options include Pat Freiermuth against Indianapolis, Michael Mayer at New England, Evan Engram at Los Angeles Chargers, AJ Barner versus San Francisco, Tyler Higbee against Buffalo, and Kyle Pitts Sr. facing Baltimore.
Newell’s weekly Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em column aims to provide fantasy managers with actionable advice beyond the obvious choices. He invites readers to reach out on Twitter at @JamesNewell96 for questions or to discuss players not featured in his rankings.
According to Yahoo Sports.
