Who Should I Start? Michael Mayer or Brenton Strange

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.

Monday, January 5, 11:00 PM

Across 12 games played in 2025, Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Brenton Strange hauled in 46 receptions for 540 yards and three touchdowns on 60 targets. The 25-year-old ended the regular season strong, recording 14 catches for 145 yards and two touchdowns on 18 targets over his last three contests. Strange may not offer tremendous production upside, but he has established himself as a low-risk tight end option for fantasy managers. Strange recorded at least 9.9 PPR fantasy points in seven out of the 12 games he was active for this season. The Jaguars will host the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the AFC playoffs on Sunday. Buffalo's pass defense has been one of the strongest in the NFL this season, allowing the fewest total passing yards (2,894) of any unit. Still, given his projectable role, Strange profiles as a solid TE1 option for fantasy managers in playoff leagues.