Who Should I Start? Michael Mayer or Brock Bowers

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.

Wednesday, December 24, 11:30 AM

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (knee) has been placed on Injured Reserve, ending his 2025 season, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Pelissero notes that Bowers has been battling a lingering knee injury since Week 1, and the 2-13 Raiders are now focused on making sure their star tight end is fully healthy for 2026. Across 12 games this season, the 23-year-old recorded 64 receptions for 680 yards and seven touchdowns on 86 targets. With Bowers sidelined, Raiders tight end Michael Mayer is likely in line for a spike in both playing time and target share. Across a two-game stretch in Weeks 6 and 7 with Bowers inactive, Mayer recorded six catches for 60 yards and a touchdown on nine targets. For fantasy managers now left scrambling to fill the tight end position, Mayer could be a solid streamer in Week 17 against the New York Giants.