Who Should I Start? Josh Oliver or Michael Mayer

Sunday, January 4, 3:00 PM

Minnesota Vikings tight end Josh Oliver (ankle) has been ruled out for the remainder of his team's Week 18 matchup against the Green Bay Packers after suffering an ankle injury. Oliver recorded two catches for 29 yards on two targets before exiting the game. The 28-year-old will finish the 2025 season with 15 catches for 160 yards and four touchdowns on 19 targets across 15 games played. Minnesota entered the game already without tight end T.J. Hockenson (shoulder), so the team is now working without its top two players at the position. Without Hockenson and Oliver, the Vikings will likely rely on tight ends Ben Yurosek and Ben Sims for the remainder of 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.