The bye weeks ramp up with four teams on bye in Week 5. The Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers, New York Jets and Miami Dolphins are all getting the week off, so players like Greg Olsen and Jordan Cameron will not be available in fantasy leagues.
Fantasy football waiver wire advice: 4 tight ends to target for Week 5
There are slim TE pickings on the waiver wire as Greg Olsen and Jordan Cameron hit the bye week.
Those losses are a problem for fantasy owners, who already struggle to find decent production out of the tight end position. There isn’t much on the waiver wire to pick from, but we have a few potential upside options owned in less than 50 percent of Yahoo! leagues.
Larry Donnell, New York Giants (35 percent)
Donnell will never match his 63-623-6 statline from last season, but with Daniel Fells headed to injured reserve, there’s no more competition for targets at New York’s tight end position. Donnell is barely a TE2 option in standard 12-team leagues, but he’s worth a DFS dart throw against the San Francisco 49ers this week.
Coby Fleener, Indianapolis Colts (23 percent)
Fleener has been a regular started with Dwayne Allen sidelined. He made the most of his every-down opportunity against the Jacksonville Jaguars, going off for nine catches, 83 yards and a touchdown and operating as a safety valve for the 40-year-old Matt Hasselbeck. Fleener’s targets might go down once Andrew Luck returns to stretch the field some more, but he remains a solid intermediate target. He has TE1 upside against a reeling Houston Texans defense.
Richard Rodgers, Green Bay Packers (16 percent)
Rodgers had one of his better games last week -- and yes, five catches for 45 yards counts as a “good game” for Rodgers. He at least found the end zone for his second touchdown of the season, but your guess is as good as mine as to the next time he’ll score. Rodgers is just a desperation TE2 play against the St. Louis Rams this week.
Gary Barnidge, Cleveland Browns (nine percent)
If Week 3 was a fluke, then Week 4 might be the start of a trend. The 30-year-old journeyman followed up his impressive 6-105-1 Week 3 performance with an equally big game this week, putting up six catches for 75 yards and a touchdown against the San Diego Chargers. He’s clearly become a real part of the offense as the Browns search desperately for pass-catching weapons. Barnidge may yet be a flash in the pan, but he’s done enough to earn TE2 consideration against the Baltimore Ravens.
