Who Should I Start? Cade Otton or Michael Mayer


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
7.3 0.0 0.0 3.2 31.1 0.2

Cade Otton News

Cade Otton Returns to Tuesday's Practice

Tuesday, August 25, 10:44 AM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton (undisclosed) returned to the team's training camp practice on Tuesday, according to Rick Stroud of The Tampa Bay Times. Otton is back on the field after missing around a week with an undisclosed injury. It remains to be seen if the 27-year-old will suit up this Friday for the preseason finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but Otton should be fine for Week 1 of the 2026 regular season if he does not suffer a setback. The former fourth-rounder in 2022 from the University of Washington matched his career high with 59 receptions last year, but he went for just 572 yards and a career-low one touchdown in 16 starts in 2025 in his fourth year in the NFL. Even with veteran receiver Mike Evans gone, Otton will not necessarily be primed for a career year in 2026 in a new Buccaneers offense. At best, he will once again be a matchup-based TE2 streamer with limited weekly targets and a lack of red-zone prowess. RotoBaller has Otton ranked as the No. 24 fantasy TE. In single-TE leagues, there are plenty of more exciting options at the position to take a chance on.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
5.0 0.0 0.0 2.2 21.3 0.1

Michael Mayer News

Michael Mayer's Fantasy Outlook Dependent on Teammate's Health

Tuesday, August 25, 8:41 PM

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer is one of the more talented backups in the NFL, but his fantasy relevance has been put on hold as long as he remains in the No. 2 role. Mayer is currently the backup to superstar tight end Brock Bowers, which means that his only real path to fantasy production is an injury to Bowers. We did see that come into play last year, as Mayer totaled 18 catches, 196 yards, and one touchdown across four games without Bowers. That came with Geno Smith at quarterback, so all pass catchers should have a higher ceiling this year with Kirk Cousins or Fernando Mendoza. The quarterback upgrade still isn't enough for managers to justify drafting Mayer, but he's a name to watch on the waiver wire and a potential deep-league dynasty stash in case Bowers has to miss any time.


Cade Otton vs. Michael Mayer

Still trying to decide between Otton and Mayer? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Cade Otton is projected to score 7.3 points this week while Michael Mayer is projected to score 5.0 points.