Who Should I Start? Cole Kmet or Michael Mayer

Sunday, August 17, 10:46 PM

Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet caught one pass for 29 yards in Sunday's 38-0 preseason win over the Buffalo Bills. On the second play of the game, Kmet caught a beautiful seam pass from quarterback Caleb Williams and took it for a big gain. Kmet played two drives with the first-team offense, splitting reps with 2025 first-round tight end Colston Loveland. Despite being listed as the starting tight end on the Bears' unofficial depth chart, Kmet is ranked 275th (TE38) on the current RotoBaller half-PPR rankings. With how Loveland has been performing, it's hard to imagine that Kmet has much fantasy value at the moment.

Thursday, August 7, 3:53 PM

ESPN's Ryan McFadden reports that Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer has been a standout in training camp. The Notre Dame product flashed during his rookie campaign, but the addition of Brock Bowers in 2024 was a detriment to Mayer's playing time. While Bowers and new quarterback Geno Smith have quickly gotten on the same page, Mayer has had an excellent camp of his own. The 24-year-old has been an offensive standout since OTAs, per McFadden, who also notes offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has "big plans" for him in 2025. There are undoubtedly targets up for grabs in the Raiders' offense, and Mayer may play a nice role for them. However, that translating to fantasy isn't a guarantee. Bowers and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers are worth rostering for now, but Mayer will have to impress in preseason action before he's worthy of fantasy managers' attention in drafts.