The Week 5 waiver wire is like every other week at the tight end position. There just isn’t much out there. Waiver adds at TE are very much an exercise in chasing your tail and hoping to catch it just once. With that in mind, here are some potential targets for fantasy football managers on the wire this week.
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Top TE Waiver Wire Targets in Week 5
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Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears (53% Rostered)
Kmet is slightly above the rostership threshold, but there’s nothing else out there at tight end. We have to take him seriously after he caught seven passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns.
The Broncos can’t stop anyone on defense. That certainly contributed to Kmet’s huge game. Nevertheless, any tight end capable of scoring 27 fantasy points in a starting role is worth rostering.
FAAB Recommendation: 3-5%
Which TEs Should You Roster in Fantasy Football?
Should You Roster Cole Kmet or Tyler Higbee?
Through four games, Kmet has been surprisingly solid. Outside of a Week 3 disaster, Kmet has at least four catches for 38 yards in every game. At the tight end position, that will do.
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Last week, Kmet took advantage of a Broncos defense that has been the worst in NFL history through four weeks to catch seven passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns.
Kmet’s monster game will compel fantasy managers to put him in lineups next week. I’m just not sure if I buy it. Justin Fields still isn’t playing well, and the matchup in Week 3 couldn’t have been easier.
Tyler Higbee has now posted back-to-back strong outings. He saw 11 targets against the Colts in a game where the Rams had mostly a positive game script.
Cooper Kupp’s return looms, but I think there’s enough here to keep Higbee as a viable back-end TE1. I would stick with Higbee.
Should You Roster Jonnu Smith or Kyle Pitts?
Yes, this is a real question. Yes, it is sad. No, the answer is not Kyle Pitts. I’m just not sure how we can defend Pitts anymore. We saw him disappoint for the entirety of the 2022 season. In 2023, I would say it’s been more of the same, but that would be a lie — it’s been worse.
Pitts is averaging 5.7 fantasy points per game. Jonnu Smith, at 8.2 ppg, is not only significantly ahead of Pitts but is a borderline TE1.
Pitts remains the TE1 in terms of snap share, but it’s been very close. Smith has played over 50% of the snaps in every game this season. Against the Jaguars, he played just five fewer snaps and ran seven fewer routes.
Smith’s six catches for 95 yards was a better performance than every single Pitts game since Week 16 of the 2021 season. I am not saying Smith is the better football player, but he is undeniably the better fantasy asset. I would not criticize anyone who drops Pitts for Smith.