Who Should I Start? Darren Waller or Michael Mayer

Friday, October 24, 1:09 PM

Miami Dolphins tight end Darren Waller's pectoral injury is not season-ending, according to head coach Mike McDaniel. Waller suffered a pectoral injury in the Week 7 loss to the Cleveland Browns and was placed on Injured Reserve on Wednesday, but he should be able to make it back this season. However, the 33-year-old veteran will need to miss at least four games and will not be eligible to return for Miami until Week 13. In the meantime, the team will have to make due with a combination of Julian Hill (ankle), Tanner Conner, and Greg Dulcich at the position in an offense that already lost star receiver Tyreek Hill (knee) for the year. Fantasy managers should be avoiding Miami's TE situation until Waller can return. Waller, who came out of retirement after not playing at all in 2024, got a late start in 2025 due to another injury, but he scored four touchdowns in his first three games before getting injured in Week 7.

Monday, October 20, 11:29 AM

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer hauled in 1-of-2 targets for ten yards in Sunday's 31-0 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Raiders were handily out-matched against their division rivals, and have now scored a total of 26 points across the last three contests. Mayer was out there for nearly all of the team's snaps (94%), though they netted just 95 total yards of offense. Las Vegas will head into its bye week at 2-5, sitting at the bottom of the AFC West. However, they figure to get both wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (knee, toe) and tight end Brock Bowers (knee) back in the fold in Week 9, boosting the team's outlook. If that comes to fruition, Mayer should see his role shrink accordingly. If it doesn't, he'll be an intriguing streaming option against a susceptible Jaguars' pass defense.