Who Should I Start? Michael Mayer or Ben Sinnott

Tuesday, September 16, 12:45 PM

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer was a savvy waiver-wire pickup heading into Week 2 because star tight end Brock Bowers was questionable to play on Monday night against the Los Angeles Chargers due to a knee injury he picked up in the Week 1 win over the New England Patriots. However, Bowers was inactive in Monday's 20-9 loss and caught five of his eight targets for 38 yards. Meanwhile, Mayer once again took a back seat to Bowers in a Raiders offense that failed to find the end zone all night. The 24-year-old hauled in both of his targets for just nine yards against a stingy and stick Chargers D. The Raiders will continue to use Mayer alongside Bowers, but he's a distant No. 2 in Chip Kelly's offense and should only be rostered in TE-premium leagues. Mayer will not be a realistic fantasy starter going into Week 3 against the Washington Commanders.

Wednesday, September 17, 1:02 AM

Washington Commanders tight end Ben Sinnott looks primed for more playing time in Week 3 against the Raiders with John Bates (groin) unlikely to play, according to head coach Dan Quinn. Bates is Washington's primary blocking tight end and is pivotal to what they do in the run game. Sinnott played only three snaps in the Thursday night loss against Green Bay, but did catch one ball for seven yards. Sinnott has played some in three tight end sets as a move blocker and isn't quite a direct replacement for Bates. Bates is an incredibly stout point of attack blocker for a tight end and is roughly 15 pounds heavier than Sinnott. The 2024 second-round pick is an elite athlete with some intriguing upside as a receiver, but has mostly been used as a move blocker with Washington. We will learn a good bit about how the coaching staff views Sinnott after this week's game.