Week 5 Top 10 Fantasy Tight Ends: Isaiah Likely Leads the Sunday Edition

Isaiah Likely is the Week 5 tight end leader through the completed Sunday games, while Brock Bowers confirmed that his weekly volume remains elite. This Sunday edition excludes Buffalo and Los Angeles Rams players because their Monday night game has not been played. Managers should treat the scoring totals as a completed game snapshot and revisit the ranking after Monday.

Scoring is labeled three ways. Standard equals receiving and rushing yards divided by ten plus six points per touchdown. Half PPR adds one half point per reception. Full PPR adds one point per reception. The source cutoff is October 12, 2026 at 5:06 AM Central. CBS supplied receptions, yards, targets and touchdowns. The official NFL schedule supplied Week 5 game status and Week 6 opponents. Public route and snap totals were not available in the verified table at this cutoff, so they are not guessed.

1. Isaiah Likely, New York Giants

Likely caught 11 of 13 targets for 94 yards and two touchdowns. That produced 21.4 standard points, 26.9 half PPR points and 32.4 full PPR points. Thirteen targets and 11 catches are the stronger signal than the two scores because they show a featured receiving workload. He draws New Orleans in Week 6. Action: add where available and start him. Sustainability risk: touchdown pace will fall, and one explosive game does not prove this target share will hold. The case changes if his routes or targets fall sharply next week.

2. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders

Bowers turned 10 targets into eight catches, 110 yards and one touchdown. His totals were 17.0 standard, 21.0 half PPR and 25.0 full PPR. He followed a Week 4 line of six catches, 86 yards and a score on 11 targets, so the volume is a continuation rather than a one week spike. Buffalo is next. Action: start and hold. The counterargument is that game script helped create passing volume in a lopsided loss. His role would only be downgraded by a meaningful route or target decline.

3. Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers

Freiermuth caught five of seven targets for 44 yards and two touchdowns, then added one rushing yard. He scored 16.5 standard, 19.0 half PPR and 21.5 full PPR. Seven targets create a usable floor, but two touchdowns did most of the fantasy work. Tampa Bay is next. Action: start as a low end TE1 while the red zone role is hot. The strongest counterargument is immediate score regression. A drop below five targets would move him back toward matchup dependent status.

4. Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts

Warren caught seven of nine targets for 83 yards and added a one yard rushing touchdown. His totals were 14.4 standard, 17.9 half PPR and 21.4 full PPR. The designed rushing score matters because it shows Indianapolis is finding more than one way to use him near the goal line. Tennessee is next. Action: start. The risk is that the rushing package is not weekly volume. Even without another carry, nine targets and 83 receiving yards support the ranking.

5. Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions

LaPorta caught all five targets for 88 yards and a touchdown. He scored 14.8 standard, 17.3 half PPR and 19.8 full PPR. In Week 4 he had eight catches for 84 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets, so the current production is supported by consecutive strong games even though Sunday volume was lighter. Detroit is on bye in Week 6. Action: hold and plan a replacement. The risk is obvious: five targets leave little margin when efficiency or touchdowns fade.

6. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals

McBride caught nine of 10 targets for 66 yards and one touchdown. That was 12.6 standard, 17.1 half PPR and 21.6 full PPR. The double digit target count and nine receptions are sustainable usage even though Arizona played from behind. He faces the Rams in Week 6. Action: start and hold. The counterargument is that negative game script lifted short targets. His fantasy floor remains strong unless his participation or target share falls.

7. Teagan Quitoriano, Arizona Cardinals

Quitoriano caught both targets for 15 yards and two touchdowns. He scored 13.5 standard, 14.5 half PPR and 15.5 full PPR. This is the clearest touchdown driven line in the top ten. Two targets do not create a bankable weekly role, even with demonstrated goal line utility. The Rams are next. Action: monitor rather than chase. The case changes only if his routes and targets rise materially. The strongest counterargument to fading him is that his size can preserve a specialized red zone role.

8. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

Pitts caught five of six targets for 42 yards and a touchdown. He produced 10.2 standard, 12.7 half PPR and 15.2 full PPR. Six targets are useful but not dominant. Chicago visits in Week 6, which keeps Pitts in the startable range. Action: hold and start in most leagues. The counterargument is that one touchdown hides a modest yardage day. A return to eight or more targets would strengthen the rest of season case.

9. Hunter Henry, New England Patriots

Henry caught three of four targets for 44 yards and a touchdown. He scored 10.4 standard, 11.9 half PPR and 13.4 full PPR. New England scored 45 points, so managers should not assume this scoring environment repeats. The Jets are next. Action: use him as a matchup streamer, not an automatic start. The strongest counterargument is that his established red zone role can survive lower team totals. More than five targets next week would improve the outlook.

10. Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars

Strange caught seven of eight targets for 68 yards without a touchdown. He scored 6.8 standard, 10.3 half PPR and 13.8 full PPR. His target and catch totals are more repeatable than a touchdown spike, and Jacksonville gets Houston in London in Week 6. Action: add in deeper leagues and hold in full PPR formats. The counterargument is that Jacksonville has several established targets. His case weakens if routes remain stable but targets fall below five.

Football Nation conclusion

Prioritize opportunity over Week 5 touchdowns. Likely and Bowers earned their spots through double digit targets. Warren, LaPorta and McBride combined strong receiving roles with scoring value. Quitoriano is the cautionary example because two catches produced two touchdowns. Monday night can still add a Bills or Rams tight end to the final leaderboard, so this is the Sunday edition, not the final Week 5 table.

Sources and cutoff

CBS live NFL statistical leaders, checked October 12, 2026 at 5:06 AM Central: https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/stats/leaders/live/

Official NFL Week 5 and Week 6 schedules, checked October 12, 2026 at 5:06 AM Central: https://www.nfl.com/schedules/2026/by-week/week-5 and https://www.nfl.com/schedules/2026/by-week/week-6