Fantasy football, Week 5: Tight end waiver wire rankings

Week 4 of the 2017 regular season is just about coming to a close with the Monday Night Football game remaining. Most fantasy football leagues will run their waiver wires late Tuesday or early Wednesday, but we are here to help you get a jump on the best options to consider.

We will be ranking the top five players likely to be available in your league at each of the four major positions. Some weeks there might not be five good options available, but we’ll scour for the best we can find. Additionally, throughout the week, we will update each of these articles as ownership percentages change and news arrives. The following ownership percentages come via CBS Sportsline entering Week 4.

The tight end fantasy buzz before this game was about Brate, who caught his first touchdown last week and seemed poised for a repeat with the Bucs again facing a tough secondary. And Brate delivered as promised with another touchdown, catching four of six targets for 80 yards. That’s the kind of performance that will make him attractive to the other half of CBS owners who didn’t own him before Sunday. But now we have a true Tampa 2. Howard had his first career breakout game with four targets (three over his first two games), turning them into a 2-63-1 line. Both should have value going forward. If one isn’t available in your league, get the other.

Watson continues to find ways to contribute as a fantasy option, catching five passes (on six targets) for 43 yards. Last week, Watson found the end zone. He’s averaging 12 CBS points over the past three weeks. It’s not sexy, not spectacular, but it’s ideal for a bye-week fill-in role.

That’s two straight weeks with a solid performance for ASJ, and with Josh McCown at quarterback, these 4-45 type games are going to keep coming, with some touchdowns inevitably working their way into the mix. McCown has always loved involving his tight ends and Seferian-Jenkins has always had the talent. This marriage is worth monitoring.

No one expects Dickson to replace Greg Olsen’s production yard-for-yard and score-for-score. But Dickson is showing he can be a reliable piece of the offense with three catches for 62 yards against the Patriots, and if Sunday was Cam Newton’s awakening, then Dickson has a chance to be a factor going forward.

Well, now we know who’s going to step up in Tyler Eifert’s absence. After previewing his skills last week with three catches for 28 yards, Kroft seals his place on the waiver wire with six catches on seven targets for 68 yards and two touchdowns. It’s basically the A.J. Green and Kroft show for this passing offense, and it’s showing some real life under offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, so get Kroft while you can.