Four weeks of the 2021 NFL and fantasy football seasons are complete. If you didn’t draft one of the big two at the tight end position this year, hopefully, you’ve been following along with this weekly TE fantasy football streamers column. We’ve definitely had some great calls thus far and will look to deliver three more ahead of an intriguing Week 5 NFL slate. Is it possible that the TE6 in fantasy on the season still has an ownership rate low enough to be streamer eligible? Will be featured in this very column for the third consecutive week?? Better read on to find out!
Read on for three fantasy football streamers at tight end for Week 5 of the NFL season. In addition, at the end of the article is a list of some fantasy football tight ends who might be worth fading in difficult matchups this week.
RELATED: Week 5 Fantasy Football Rankings
Week 5 Fantasy Football TE Streamers
Ownership percentages reflect all ESPN Fantasy Football leagues
Dawson Knox | Buffalo Bills (at KC)
Current Ownership: 50.1%
To answer the questions from the intro, yes it is possible and yes, here he is! For the third straight week, Bills TE Dawson Knox finds himself among the fantasy football streamers candidates at the position. Knox has garnered plenty of discussion across the industry this week after hauling in five catches for 37 yards and two touchdowns in Buffalo’s impressive Week 4 victory. While he was a popular name in fantasy waiver wire columns, he is still only owned in half of ESPN leagues. This is the TE6 on the 2021 season we are talking about here! Honestly, what are we doing here? As previously discussed, Knox has become a priority target of Bills quarterback Josh Allen in the red zone. Where things do get a bit dicey from a fantasy standpoint is when it comes to how he has amassed his fantasy points over the first four games.
Admittedly, four of Knox’s 15 total receptions on the season to date have gone for touchdowns. While there is certainly an argument that Knox’s fantasy football value is relatively touchdown-dependent, this doesn’t mean managers should shy away from him. After all, the TE position is so hit or miss on a weekly basis that any sort of consistency will be welcomed by most. Furthermore, Knox and the Bills have yet another favorable matchup on tap in Week 5. They’ll face a Kansas City Chiefs defense that ranks dead last in the NFL adjusted defensive efficiency and 27th in fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends (11.9 per game). Look for the former Ole Miss Rebel to have more opportunities this week in a game that could easily turn into a shootout.
Cole Kmet | Chicago Bears (at LV)
Current Ownership: 14.8%
Buying into the Bears’ offense for fantasy football certainly isn’t an exciting concept right now. However, it should be noted that Chicago looked a lot better last week with Matt Nagy once again relinquishing play-calling duties to offensive coordinator, Bill Lazor. We still don’t know who will be the Bears’ starting quarterback in Week 5. What we do know is that second-year tight end Cole Kmet will be on the field plenty regardless. Look no further than last week’s game in which the former Notre Dame standout was on the field for over 98% of Chicago’s offensive snaps.
Despite the high rate of playing time on a weekly basis, Kmet is yet to take off from a fantasy football standpoint. He has totaled just 13.9 fantasy points through four games. That figure sees him ranked as the TE38 on the season. That being said, better days are undoubtedly ahead. If the Bears can continue making progress offensively, Kmet will almost certainly become a reliable weapon in the passing game. Perhaps things will finally pick up this week against a Las Vegas Raiders defense that allows nearly 12 fantasy points per game to opposing TEs. Kmet certainly has the talent. Now, he just needs competent quarterback play and an opportunity to produce.
C.J. Uzomah | Cincinnati Bengals (vs GB)
Current Ownership: 3.9%
Apparently, the majority of fantasy football managers must’ve forgotten about the show C.J. Uzomah put on last Thursday night. Five catches for 95 yards and a pair of touchdowns saw the Bengals’ tight end accumulate 26.5 fantasy points. That figure was enough for him to finish as the TE1 in PPR scoring in Week 4. But unlike Dawson Knox who saw a sharp increase in his fantasy ownership, Uzomah remains owned in less than 5% of ESPN leagues. Uzomah had his 2020 campaign cut short by a torn Achilles. Last week’s effort proves that the veteran is fully healthy and ready to be a part of Cincinnati’s passing offense.
For managers who might be concerned that Uzomah’s Week 4 showing was a flash in the pan, it should be noted that he was on the field for 83% of the Bengals’ offensive snaps, more than any other skill player. Fellow tight end, Drew Sample, played 50% of the snaps. However, the majority of those were running plays. This further proves that Uzomah is the pass-catching TE in Cincinnati. Quarterback Joe Burrow has a stellar group of wide receivers but has been known to lean on his tight ends even going back to his college days. Uzomah just might have another big game in the cards this week. He faces a Green Bay Packers defense that allows 11.8 fantasy points per game to the position. That promising matchup helps make Uzomah an intriguing fantasy football streamers option for Week 5.
Tight Ends Facing Tough Week 5 Matchups
- George Kittle | San Francisco 49ers (at ARZ)
- Robert Tonyan | Green Bay Packers (at CIN)
- Kyle Pitts | Atlanta Falcons (vs NYJ)
Follow us on all of our social channels! Check out our Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok for more great FlurrySports content.
