Fantasy Football Week 5 Tight End Who Should I Start? Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert, and More
Comparing Zach Ertz to three players that he has been matched up with often on the FantasySP Who Should I Start? tool.
Zach Ertz looked cooked a few years ago, but he had a revival last season and has continued showing that he fits well in this Washington offense. Jayden Daniels missed the past two weeks, but he returns here, and that's making fantasy owners look harder at Ertz, who has showed up all over our FantasySP start/sit tool
Let's look at Ertz and three tight ends he has been compared to often on the start/sit tool: Mark Andrews, Dallas Goedert, and Dalton Kincaid. Most stats are from NFL.com.
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Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders @ Los Angeles Chargers
Ertz surely welcomes the return of his starting quarterback: he combined for nine catches, 90 yards, and two touchdowns in two games with Daniels and just five catches, 59 yards, and no scores without the top QB.
It's a bad matchup to come back to, though, as the Chargers have allowed the second-fewest yards per pass attempt and 11th-fewest fantasy points to tight ends. LA has been a little more susceptible to the run than the pass, so Washington might do most of their damage on the ground, leaving Ertz with fewer chances at big plays.
With a middling player and a poor matchup, I'm not looking to start Ertz in any format. Daniels' return is nice, but the outlook here isn't good enough to make Ertz enticing unless you're absolutely desperate.
Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans
Andrews had a rough start to the season, catching just two balls for seven yards in the first two games combined. He then had a breakout in Week 3, taking six receptions for 91 yards and two touchdowns. Last week, Andrews showed great volume, catching seven of eight targets, but he gained just 30 yards on those plays.
While he's a star at his best, Andrews goes through slower stretches in fantasy football with this Ravens team, and we've seen it early in 2025. Another problem in this contest: Lamar Jackson is out with a hamstring injury, so Andrews will be catching passes from Cooper Rush.
The Texans present a tough matchup also. Houston has been very good on defense for a few years, and this season, they are allowing the fifth-fewest yards per pass attempt and the seventh-fewest fantasy points to tight ends. I'm not excited about trying any pass catcher against the Texans.
His QB is out, he has struggled to start the season, and the matchup is bad. I don't like the sound of that situation, and I'm looking to keep Andrews on the bench if possible (though not every fantasy owner will be able to do that).
Advice: Start Zach Ertz over Mark Andrews because at least he has his starting quarterback.
Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles vs. Denver Broncos
Goedert missed Week 2, but he has otherwise averaged four receptions, 38 yards, and one touchdown in the three games he did play. It's not fantastic volume, but any player who is averaging a touchdown per game is going to be on the fantasy radar.
He won't keep that rate up, though, and Goedert has become more of a middling tight end who is a good play in the right matchups but often falls short against better teams. While his fantasy floor is low, the ceiling is never bad in this Philadelphia offense.
Denver is the main issue here, as they present a tough matchup. The Broncos have allowed the 11th-fewest yards per pass attempt and the sixth-fewest fantasy points to tight ends. That per-attempt number is just 6.4 versus the usual league average near 7.0, so Denver has had a solid defense early in the season.
This is a case of an OK player in an offense that often focuses on the run who now has a really tough matchup against one of the best defenses in football. I feel better with Goedert on the bench today.
Advice: Start Zach Ertz over Dallas Goedert, but it's very 50/50, as both players have tough matchups. I like Washington's passing game a little more than Philadelphia's.
Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills vs. New England Patriots
Kincaid has looked better at the start of 2025 than he has at any other time as a pro. That shouldn't necessarily be a surprise for the third-year player, but an average of 3.5 catches and 44.8 yards with three total touchdowns stands out at a weaker fantasy position like tight end.
That performance has Kincaid at TE2 in standard scoring and TE6 in PPR. Like Goedert, the touchdowns will slow down, and Kincaid will have to show that he can be involved enough to sustain as a fantasy player when he's not getting into the end zone; I'm not sure he's done that yet.
The matchup is a really nice one. The other three guys listed here today all play tough opponents, but Kincaid gets the one reprieve of the group in New England. The Patriots have given up the fourth-most yards per pass attempt and the 10th-most fantasy points to tight ends.
While the touchdowns will regress, Kincaid still looks like he has a place in this offense. It's not enough to make him a high-level fantasy player, but Kincaid can at least fill the spot in your lineup and is worthy of consideration every week depending on the matchup, which is strong here.
Advice: Start Dalton Kincaid over Zach Ertz because of his friendly matchup in Week 5.
