Week 5 NFL DFS TE Breakdown: Top Cash Game and Tournament Picks

Tight end is one of the most difficult positions to nail down each week. It’s a position where you can spend all the way up, pay all the way down, or look somewhere in between. Tight ends derive a bunch of their value from scoring touchdowns, which can be difficult to predict on a week-to-week basis.

In this piece, I highlight tight ends who stand out in our large suite of analytical fantasy tools, most specifically, our FantasyLabs Player Models. While the models are built for DFS contests, this is an all-purpose fantasy article with actionable information for all formats.

As news breaks throughout the week and we adjust our projections (powered by Sean Koerner), player ratings in our Player Models will change as the projections change. For updates, visit the models directly.

And don’t forget about the tools that FantasyLabs has to offer, like our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 300 lineups, or use our Lineup Builder if you like to hand-build your lineups.

Or you can just use our NFL DFS sims to effortlessly create advanced lineups.

Finally, make sure to check out all the projections available for purchase (Chris Raybon’s come included with a FantasyLabs subscription) within the FantasyLabs Models. Subscribers now have the option to purchase Derek Carty’s THE BLITZ from our Marketplace. Projections from One Week Season and Establish the Run are available if you’re a subscriber to those specific sites (our optimizer is a separate add-on feature).

You can also combine them to create your own aggregate projections:

Top NFL DFS Cash Game Options

Tyler Warren ($4,700 DraftKings, $6,100 FanDuel)

One of the most significant developments in recent years has been the increasing number of rookies capable of making an impact at tight end. It has historically been a tough position for young players to break through, but that no longer appears to be the case. We saw Sam LaPorta finish as a top option at the position in 2023, and Brock Bowers took things even further in 2024.

This year, Warren is making an impact right out of the gate. He’s currently TE4 in terms of PPR points per game, and he’s scored at least 11.9 PPR points in all but one contest. That gives him a very solid floor at one of the most volatile positions in fantasy.

Warren has established himself as one of the clear top options in the Colts’ surprisingly good passing attack. He has a 23% target share for the year, and his role is growing on a seemingly weekly basis. His route participation has increased in each subsequent game, culminating in a 91% mark vs. the Rams in Week 4. Trey McBride is the only TE in fantasy with a route participation of better than 91% for the year, so that bodes extremely well for Warren’s prospects moving forward.

Warren takes the field in a fantastic spot in Week 5. He’s taking on the Raiders, and the Colts are implied for 27.0 points in that contest. It’s the second-highest mark on the main slate, trailing only the Lions. The Raiders are merely 24th in pass defense EPA, so it’s a fantastic spot for the Colts to do some damage through the air.

Add it all up, and Warren is still underpriced across the industry. He’s No. 1 at the position in projected Plus/Minus on both DraftKings and FanDuel.

Trey McBride ($5,800 DraftKings, $7,000 FanDuel)

While Warren stands out as the best pure value, there’s no denying who the best TE in fantasy is at the moment. McBride has averaged 13.4 PPR points per game, and he’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in all four contests. He has the best utilization in the league at the position, racking up a 27% target share and 27% air yards share through the first four weeks. McBride has seen at least seven targets in all four games, giving him one of the most consistent floors in fantasy.

A lack of touchdowns is the only thing stopping McBride from separating from the pack further. He has one touchdown so far this season, and he had just two receiving scores last year. No TE underperformed their expected touchdown metric by a higher degree, so McBride appears due for some positive regression in that department.

The Cardinals are 7.5-point favorites at home vs. the Titans this week, so there’s no reason to go away from McBride. He’s historically averaged 15.39 DraftKings points in eight career games as a favorite, compared to just 11.74 as an underdog (per the Trends tool).

Paying up for TE isn’t typically a preferred strategy, but there’s more than enough value to do so in Week 5. McBride provides the safest floor at the position by a pretty comfortable margin, which is always a plus for cash games.

Now available: our NFL DFS SimLabs Lineup Generator that creates advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation.

Top NFL DFS Tournament Options

Jake Ferguson ($4,800 DraftKings, $6,000 FanDuel)

McBride may have the best utilization at the position this season, but Ferguson has actually scored the most fantasy points. He’s had at least 16.8 DraftKings points in three straight contests, and he’s racked up a whopping 33 overall targets in that stretch. Ferguson did take a slight step back in that department last week, but with CeeDee Lamb currently sidelined, there’s no reason to expect much different vs. the Jets.

The big difference between Ferguson and McBride is that Ferguson is being used much closer to the line of scrimmage. He has an average depth of target (aDOT) of just 4.6 yards, and he’s been at 3.3 or fewer in back-to-back games. While that does limit his upside somewhat, it makes him extremely likely to catch the balls thrown at him. He’s caught all but five of his targets this season, which is a plus in PPR formats.

Ferguson faces the Jets this week, who have not been nearly as formidable defensively as they were in previous years. They’re merely 30th in pass defense EPA through the first four weeks, and they allowed two touchdowns to Darren Waller just last week.

Ferguson currently ranks third at the position in DraftKings’ optimal lineup rate in Sim Labs, trailing only Warren and McBride.

Brock Bowers ($5,500 DraftKings, $6,500 FanDuel)

Bowers took the league by storm as a rookie, but he has not had the same impact in his second year. He hasn’t been bad, but he’s merely ninth at the position in terms of PPR points per game. He’s averaging nearly five fewer points per game than he did as a rookie, despite the team seemingly upgrading at quarterback in the offseason.

However, Bowers has been battling a knee injury for most of the year, which could explain the dip in production. Unfortunately, that’s not going to change heading into Week 5. He’s officially listed as questionable after missing practice on both Thursday and Friday, but he is reportedly expected to play. Pete Carroll said Bowers did not suffer a setback, but that the team just wanted to get him some extra rest.

That’s not the most encouraging sign, but Bowers is still one of the unquestioned top talents at the position. His price tag has decreased by -$1,000 since the start of the year on DraftKings, making him an interesting buy-low candidate vs. the Colts. Bowers has historically averaged a Plus/Minus of +4.13 in 10 games with a comparable price tag, so hopefully the extra rest does him some good.

Contrarian NFL DFS Tournament Options With Upside

Zach Ertz ($3,800 DraftKings, $5,100 FanDuel)

Ertz has quietly been a solid fantasy TE when playing alongside Jayden Daniels. He has a respectable 17% target share for the year, and he scored a touchdown with Daniels under center in Week 1. His production has decreased in his last two games with Marcus Mariota under center, but he had 11.6 and 18.4 PPR points in his two games with Daniels this season.

Ertz should be happy to see Daniels back at QB for the team’s contest vs. the Chargers in Week 5. Additionally, the Commanders will be playing without Terry McLaurin for the second straight contest, which opens up a few additional targets for the rest of the roster. McLaurin has a 21% target share for the year, so Ertz could be poised for a few extra looks on Sunday.

The only thing working against him is the matchup. The Chargers are third in pass defense EPA this season, so it’s far from an elite spot. However, they’ve been a bit less intimidating against tight ends than they have been vs. receivers. Theo Johnson managed to score a cheap touchdown at the position vs. the Chargers in Week 4, so perhaps Ertz can follow suit in Week 5. 

Evan Engram ($3,700 DraftKings, $4,900 FanDuel)

So far, it’s impossible to call Engram’s tenure with the Broncos anything but a massive bust. He was signed to a lucrative deal this offseason, yet he’s managed just eight catches and 62 yards through his first three contests. Part of that stems from the Broncos’ offensive ineptitude, but Engram certainly hasn’t helped matters on his own.

The good news is that Engram is at least trending in the right direction. He was up to a 60% route participation in Week 4, and he responded with a season-high 15% target share. Those numbers are still far from elite, but they at least represent some progress.

At his best, Engram is one of the better receiving tight ends in football. He had 114 catches and just under 1,000 yards for the Jaguars two years ago, so he could still be poised for some production as the season progresses.

Engram is deservedly garnering almost zero attention on this slate – his ownership projection is at just 0.5% on DraftKings – but there are at least some positive signs working in his favor. He has the third-largest differential between optimal lineup rate and ownership projection at the position, giving him some appeal in large tournaments.

Mason Taylor ($2,800 DraftKings, $4,700 FanDuel)

Punting the TE position is always a viable strategy, and Taylor stands out as the clear punt of choice on DraftKings. There’s no reason to go that route on FanDuel, where his $4,700 price tag puts him in the same range as some of the better “value” options. However, he’s dirt cheap at just $2,800, and those savings allow you to spend a bit more aggressively at other positions.

Like Warren, Taylor is another rookie making an immediate impact at the NFL level. His numbers aren’t as strong as Warren’s, but he’s playing for the most run-heavy team in football. The Jets have the lowest Pass Rate Over Expectation in the league at -10.0%, so it’s hard for anyone not named Garrett Wilson to have a consistent impact in the aerial attack.

That said, Taylor’s target share crept up to 15% in Week 3, and it ballooned to a massive 26% in Week 4. While that might be a bit of an outlier, there is definitely a world where he settles in as the No. 2 option for Justin Fields in the pass game.

Taylor gets a matchup vs. an abominable Cowboys’ defense in Week 5. They’re dead last in pass defense EPA, and Fields is expected to be one of the most popular choices at quarterback. Stacking him with his dirt-cheap tight end is a decent way to differentiate your lineups this week: Taylor is projected for roughly 3% ownership on DraftKings.

Pictured: Trey McBride
Photo Credit: Imagn