Who Should I Start? Isaiah Likely or Michael Mayer

Saturday, December 13, 11:21 AM

Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely has seen an increased amount of work over the last two weeks. He finished as the TE9 in each of the last two weeks in half-PPR formats, and saw six targets in both games while catching nine of the possible 12. The last time he took on the Cincinnati Bengals' defense in Week 13, Likely finished with five catches for 95 yards and a fumble. The Bengals are far and away the weakest defense against opposing tight ends (ranked 32nd on the season and last four weeks), so Likely and Mark Andrews should both see plenty of opportunities. The biggest issue is the game script and if the Ravens' coaching staff actually wants to commit to the run, roll with Andrews more often, or keep finding Likely. With that being said, Likely projects as the TE12 on RotoBaller's rankings this week.

Thursday, December 11, 10:26 PM

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer (ankle) was a full participant in practice on Thursday. This was an upgrade for the backup tight end after he logged a limited practice session on Wednesday. Mayer is working his way back from a two-game absence, and it looks like he should suit up against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 15, barring any sort of setback. The 24-year-old is one of the better backup tight ends in the NFL, but he still doesn't handle enough volume in his role behind Brock Bowers to justify starting him in fantasy football. To make matters worse, Mayer will likely be catching passes from Kenny Pickett this week with Geno Smith (shoulder, back) not expected to play.