The tight end position matters greatly in fantasy football. They are not as flashy as their blazing fast, route-running counterparts at wide receiver. They do not get the same volume of touches as fantasy-relevant running backs. That can sometimes lead to them being overlooked or treated as an afterthought. Do not make that mistake.

Tight end is the shallowest position of them all. Finding production there every week can be incredibly challenging, especially for those that did not draft or since manage to land one of the top handful of options.

Success can be found at the position by carefully playing the waiver wire week-to-week. The goal here is to help fantasy managers do just that by finding low-rostered (under 75 percent) tight ends sitting in the best situations for the particular week.

• Fantasy Football Week 5 Waiver Wire FAAB Advice: Players to Target, Stash & Drop
• Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Quarterback Streamers
• Let’s Stream Defenses: Week 5

Tight End Waiver Wire Options (Week 5)

Mo Alie-Cox (IND) at Denver Broncos

After three weeks of basically nothing, Alie-Cox erupted for 85 yards and two scores on six receptions this past Sunday against the Titans. That was good enough for the second most fantasy points of any TE during the week and shows that the ceiling for the towering 29-year-old is quite high every week.

Alie-Cox is not one to count on for consistency, as he has shown in past seasons. Michael Pittman Jr. is the unquestioned top target in the Colts’ passing game, and Jonathan Taylor is one of the few true workhorse backs in the league. Still, Matt Ryan has a long track record of keeping tight ends fantasy relevant. With Taylor (ankle) a question mark on a short week, other weapons in the offense could see additional opportunities.

Ryan has a trio of options at the position that have each made big plays already this season, but Alie-Cox is seeing well over half the snaps on offense, topping out at 70 percent in Week 4. The Broncos currently rank 20th in fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends. That’s not as bad as the Titans, but this is still a fairly favorable matchup for Alie-Cox on Thursday night.

Logan Thomas (WAS) vs. Tennessee Titans

Speaking of the Titans, Thomas gets to go to work against them this Sunday. While it would be completely unreasonable to expect him to match the output of Alie-Cox from Week 4, Thomas has some upside against a defense that has given up the second most points to the position so far this year.

Thomas disappeared against the Eagles a couple of weeks ago. He rebounded a bit in Week 4, catching five of his six targets. The veteran only gained 19 yards on those grabs, but it marked the third time he has had at least five balls thrown his way this season. That trend should continue.

Thomas scored his only touchdown to this point back during Week 2 in Detroit. He has a decent shot to add another this Sunday, as the Titans are one of three teams to surrender four or more scores to opposing tight ends. Thomas should be plenty involved as the Commanders look to get their passing attack back a track following a couple of tough battles.

Will Dissly (SEA) at New Orleans Saints

This season, only four tight ends have found the end zone three times. It’s not surprising to see Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews atop TE leaderboards. Hockenson certainly has the potential. Dissly is the stunner here.

Dissly is averaging only three targets per game, topping out at four this past Sunday. That has not stopped him from hitting paydirt in three of four games. Geno Smith clearly has Dissly on his radar in red-zone situations. In fact, the two have been on the same page overall this year, as Dissly has come up with all 12 of his targets to this point.

The lack of volume for Dissly gives him a shaky floor in terms of fantasy potential. He is solely a touchdown-dependent play against a solid Saints secondary that ranks 10th in fantasy points allowed to the tight-end position. Dissly is certainly a deep dive right now, but for those that take the plunge, he has a very attractive matchup with the Cardinals (27th vs. TE) on tap for Week 6.

Nate Miller is a featured writer at FantasyPros and an 8-year veteran of the fantasy sports industry. For more from Nate, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @Miller_RotoDad.