Who Should I Start? Dalton Schultz or Michael Mayer

Wednesday, January 21, 4:11 PM

Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio said on Wednesday that tight end Dalton Schultz (calf) is "going to be OK" after getting hurt in the Divisional Round loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday, according to Sam Warren of the Houston Chronicle. Caserio also added that tight end Cade Stover (knee) "avoided serious injury" and should be ready for the offseason program. Before getting hurt on Sunday, Schultz caught both of his targets for 47 yards and was on his way to a big game. Unfortunately, the 29-year-old never returned. He wrapped up his third season in Houston and eighth NFL season overall with a career-high 82 receptions on 106 targets for 777 yards and three touchdowns in 17 regular-season games. Schultz was the TE11 in half-PPR scoring, but for him to become a legitimate TE1 in fantasy, quarterback C.J. Stroud must improve as a passer.

Sunday, January 4, 7:54 AM

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer should continue to operate in a high-volume role during Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Raiders recently placed Brock Bowers (knee) on injured reserve, ending his season and putting Mayer into the starting role for the final two games of the year. Last weekend, he exploded as the top target in Geno Smith's offense, catching nine of 10 targets for 89 yards. In total, throughout the three games that Bowers has missed and Mayer has played this year, the latter tight end has 15 catches, 149 yards, and one touchdown. A quarterback change is expected in Week 18, though, as Kenny Pickett steps in for the injured Smith (ankle). Pickett struggled to the tune of 64 yards and one turnover in his lone start this year, but he should still be able to support a fantasy-relevant role for Mayer on Sunday. At worst, Mayer will operate as a security blanket in case Pickett struggles to throw the ball deep or needs to get the ball out quickly. As it stands, he ranks as the overall TE8 in RotoBaller's latest fantasy football rankings for Week 18.