Who Should I Start? Darren Waller or Michael Mayer

Friday, January 2, 12:55 PM

Miami Dolphins tight end Darren Waller (groin) will be placed on Injured Reserve on Friday, according to Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN. Waller will miss the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday versus the division-rival New England Patriots. The 33-year-old veteran came out of retirement to play for the Dolphins in 2025 and will finish with 24 catches for 283 yards and six touchdowns in only nine games played. Waller got a late start to the season as he worked his way into playing shape and also missed time with a hamstring injury. He was not the same player he was earlier in his career with the Raiders, but Waller still had plenty of red-zone prowess in his return this year. It remains to be seen if he'll attempt to return in 2026 with Miami or another organization. Greg Dulcich should be the Dolphins' top pass-catching TE in Week 18.

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.