The 2026 NFL season is already full of surprises. That is broadly true in fantasy football as well, especially at the tight end position. Aside from a few of the top names, tight ends have shuffled through the weekly rankings early in the season. That means having a firm handle on when to start your players is almost as important as building a solid team in the first place.
So which tight ends can you count on in Week 5? And which guys should be benched, even if just for one week?
Below are three start and sit recommendations for tight ends headed into Week 5 of the 2026 fantasy football season.
Week 5 Start ‘Em Tight Ends
Trey McBride, Cardinals vs. Lions
Yes, this is an incredibly chalk pick. But that does not mean McBride isn't worth talking about in this format.
The main reason why McBride made the list this week is because he could have a truly outrageous game in Week 5. It could easily be his best game of the entire fantasy season.
Detroit has the worst defense in the NFL by quite a wide margin this season. Their biggest weakness is defending the pass and opposing teams have feasted by confusing their linebackers. That is great news for McBride and the Cardinals.
McBride is coming off his worst game of the season after only managing seven receptions for 31 yards against New York.
The Cardinals will make sure he gets back on track in Week 5.
Isaiah Likely, Giants at Commanders
Likely has yet to have another perfect game like he did in Week 1. But he is still a great fantasy asset, especially against a flawed Commanders defense.
The 26-year-old tight end receives plenty of targets. In fact, his 35 targets through four weeks is second to only McBride.
Jameis Winston finally got into a rhythm with Likely in Week 4, targeting him a whopping 12 times. It is safe to assume that Winston will keep looking his way in Week 5.
Juwan Johnson, Saints vs. Vikings
Johnson is a difficult tight end to figure out ahead of Week 5.
On one hand, Johnson has logged double-digit fantasy points in every game so far this season. He also seems to be one of Tyler Shough's top targets alongside Chris Olave and Devaughn Vele. But he will face his biggest challenge of the season this weekend.
The Vikings have one of the best defenses in the league with Brian Flores calling plays. In an ideal world, the Saints may want to protect Shough by running the ball a ton. Unfortunately, Travis Etienne Jr. is on injured reserve. That should make relying on the runnin game much less effective.
It is easy to imagine Johnson getting plenty of targets as a safety valve for Shough. That could mean lots of targets, even if most of them won't result in huge completions.
Keep in mind that Johnson's ceiling may not be very high against Minnesota. But the targets should be there, so expect a relatively high floor nonetheless.
Week 5 Sit ‘Em Tight Ends
Tucker Kraft, Packers vs. Bears
It is time to separate the name from the game with this one.
Kraft only has 15 receptions for 148 receiving yards and a touchdown through four games. Simply put, he has not been as productive as he has been in the past.
By his own admission, Kraft has been dealing with drop issues this season. Those types of issues can be terrifying in fantasy football, especially for players who don't receive a large target volume.
Make no mistake, Kraft will get his targets. But the Bears could easily devote more resources to slow him down.
Kraft is still a defensible starter in Week 5. However, the smart move is to bench him unless you cannot find a better option on the waiver wire.
Brenton Strange, Jaguars vs. Eagles
Article Continues BelowStrange was awesome in Week 4, He hauled in seven receptions for 95 receiving yards on eight attempts. Jacksonville got him more involved than they have at any other point before this season.
So why is he on the sit 'em list?
It is too early to tell if last week's performance was a mirage or not. Remember, he only managed seven receptions for 72 receiving yards in the three weeks before that.
Now the Jaguars prepare to take on a reeling Eagles squad that looks more vulnerable than ever. That's no necessarily a good thing for Strange, at least for fantasy purposes.
Jacksonville is the superior team and may not need to shock the Eagles with a ton of points to win the game. Instead, they could simply look to pound the life out of Philadelphia on the ground.
Wait for a bigger sample size before putting too much trust in Strange.
Dalton Kincaid, Bills at Rams
The logic for Kincaid is pretty similar to Strange, only in reverse.
Kincaid was sensational against the Texans in Week 1, racking up 130 receiving yards on five receptions. But since then, he has only 140 receiving yards and a touchdown spread across three games.
The Bills will take on the Rams on Monday Night Football this week. LA boasts one of the best coverage units in the league this season. In fact, they are at the top of the league with Seattle in most statistical categories.
This is not the week to take a chance on Kincaid.