← Fantasy Football with Ian Hartitz
Fantasy Football with Ian Hartitz ·Oct 8, 2026 ·25 min

Week 5 Fantasy Football TE Ranks and Tiers: Isaiah Likely TE6, Tyler Higbee TE13, MORE

Evaluation and Summary

6.5/10

Ian Hartitz delivers a Week 5 tight end rankings and tier breakdown for fantasy football, organizing 30+ players into four tiers with supporting analysis. Tier 1 features the elite five: Trey McBride, Brock Bowers, George Kittle, Sam LaPorta, and Dalton Kincaid, with Hartitz examining how exceptional their early-season production has been—McBride's 69.2 PPR points through four weeks is the most by any tight end in at least five years, while Bowers' 24.1 per game is the best single-season average in NFL history (albeit on a small sample). Tier 2 covers "TE1s with a question mark" including Isaiah Likely (ranked TE6 with 36 targets), Tucker Kraft, Juwan Johnson, and others, paired with analysis of which defenses have been best and worst against tight ends (Lions and Chiefs stand out). Tier 3 focuses on streamers and flex-play options like Tyler Higbee (TE13, facing a Monday night shootout against Buffalo), Mike Gesicki (TE15 in a revenge game), and others, with a breakdown of the easiest and toughest tight end matchups through Week 10. Tier 4 rounds out the remaining options including Kyle Pitts, Cade Otton, and others. The episode is structured with clear chapters and strategic pauses for deeper questions about the position, moving beyond simple rankings to contextual analysis. The show notes indicate Hartitz provides specific target counts, defensive matchup data, and schedule strength analysis to justify his rankings. Two sponsor reads (Rotowire and Betr) are embedded in the description but appear standard for the show format.

Verdict: Solid, data-driven fantasy football content that delivers exactly what the title promises with useful tier structure and supporting analysis, though it lacks the personality or exclusive insight that would elevate it to must-listen status.

Sports rubric

  • Analysis depth 3/5 20%

    Ranks players with supporting context (target counts, historical comparisons, defensive matchups, schedule strength) but show notes suggest surface-level tier explanations rather than deep strategic breakdowns.

  • Insider knowledge 3/5 20%

    Hartitz demonstrates informed analysis using target data, defensive metrics, and schedule analysis, but no indication of exclusive reporting or direct player/team access.

  • Entertainment 3/5 15%

    Clear structure and strategic pauses suggest engaging pacing, but show notes provide no evidence of banter, humor, or personality-driven entertainment.

  • Substance 4/5 15%

    Dense with rankings, tier breakdowns, target data, defensive matchup analysis, and schedule strength through Week 10; minimal filler evident from chapter structure.

  • Delivers on its title 5/5 15%

    Title promises Week 5 TE ranks and tiers with specific player callouts; episode delivers exactly that with 30+ players organized into four tiers plus supporting analysis.

  • Value for time 4/5 15%

    25 minutes for comprehensive tier breakdown with multiple analytical layers (matchups, defenses, schedules) suggests efficient pacing, though show notes don't confirm if any tangents exist.

How we score Sports

Worth it if you play fantasy football and need Week 5 tight end rankings with matchup context and schedule analysis to inform your lineup decisions.

Content flags

  • Ad-heavy Two prominent sponsor reads (Rotowire and Betr) in show notes for a 25-minute episode suggests ad density typical of fantasy sports content.

Based on the episode description. AI-generated; it can be wrong.

Show notes

📈 Get 40% OFF Rotowire All-Access — promo code IAN40 👉 https://www.rotowire.com/all-access/ ⚡ Sign up for Betr and get $200 in No Sweat Entries 👉 https://engagebetr.onelink.me/auSX/HARTITZ New users only. Ts and Cs apply. TE rankings and TE tiers: Ian Hartitz ranks his top 30 tight ends for Week 5 of fantasy football and sorts them into four tiers. Isaiah Likely is the TE6 with 36 targets, nine more than Malik Nabers, Tyler Higbee is the TE13 with a full-time role and a Monday night shootout against the Bills, and Mike Gesicki is the TE15 in a revenge game that still feels a little trappy. After the first three tiers Ian stops for a bigger question about the position. TIER 1: THE BIG FIVE Trey McBride, Brock Bowers, George Kittle, Sam LaPorta, Dalton Kincaid. Key question: how special have these hot starts been? McBride's 69.2 PPR points are the most by a tight end through four weeks in at least five years, and Bowers' 24.1 per game is the best single-season mark in NFL history (small sample). TIER 2: TE1S WITH A QUESTION MARK Isaiah Likely, Tucker Kraft, Juwan Johnson, Kenyon Sadiq, Harold Fannin Jr., Tyler Warren, T.J. Hockenson. Key question: who have been the best and worst defenses against tight ends? Spoiler: it is the Lions, with the Chiefs not far behind. TIER 3: STREAMERS AND POTENTIAL FLEX PLAYS Tyler Higbee, Colston Loveland, Mike Gesicki, Jake Ferguson, Michael Mayer, Brenton Strange, AJ Barner, Greg Dulcich, Mark Andrews, Pat Freiermuth. Key question: who has the best and worst upcoming matchups? Through Week 10 the Steelers, Rams, 49ers, Jets and Vikings have the easiest TE schedules; the Raiders, Bills, Commanders, Jaguars and Colts the toughest. TIER 4: THE OTHER GUYS Kyle Pitts, Cade Otton, Oronde Gadsden II, Chig Okonkwo, Dalton Schultz, Hunter Henry, Darnell Washington, Zach Ertz. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:29 Tier 1: The big five 3:58 Key question: How special are these hot starts? 5:11 Tier 2: TE1s with a question mark 12:31 Key question: Best and worst defenses vs. TEs 13:21 Tier 3: Streamers and potential FLEX plays 20:59 Key question: Best and worst upcoming matchups 22:45 Tier 4: The other guys 25:06 Wrapping up #fantasyfootball #TErankings #NFL #ad Paid partnership with Betr. Betr: Must be 18+ (19+ in AL & CO; 21+ in AZ, MA, & VA) and physically located in a jurisdiction where Betr Picks operates. Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. T&Cs apply. For more details, please visit betr.app. Concerned about your play? Call the NCPG at 1-800-522-4700. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode page

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