Who Should I Start? Josh Oliver or Michael Mayer

Tuesday, June 10, 1:52 PM

The Minnesota Vikings signed tight end Josh Oliver to a three-year, $23.25 million contract extension on Tuesday with a maximum value of $27.5 million, according to Athletes First's Andrew Kessler. The deal includes $11.9 million in new guarantees and $19.5 million in total guarantees. With T.J. Hockenson missing time due to injury in 2024, Oliver had 22 receptions on 28 targets for a career-high 258 yards and three touchdowns in 15 regular-season games (12 starts), but it still wasn't enough to move the fantasy needle. The 28-year-old former third-rounder (69th overall) by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2019 NFL draft out of San Jose State excels as a run-blocker and will primarily be used in that role again in 2025. And now that Hockenson will be ready for the start of this season, we'd expect Oliver to be less involved as a pass-catcher.

Monday, September 15, 10:38 AM

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer could be worth adding ahead of his team's Week 2 Monday night matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, particularly for fantasy managers with Brock Bowers (knee) on their roster. Bowers is officially questionable to play on Monday after leaving Week 1 early due to a knee injury, although Raiders head coach Pete Carroll has said he expects his star tight end to suit up. Mayer logged four catches for 38 yards in Week 1 while sharing the field with Bowers for most of the game. If Bowers is unable to play in Week 2, Mayer could be in line for a significant target increase in a Raiders' offense that logged 34 pass attempts in its first game of the season.