Who Should I Start? Michael Mayer or Eli Raridon

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Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.		 Rush.
Yds.		 Rush
TD		 Rec. Rec.
Yds.		 Rec
TD
5.0 0.0 0.0 2.2 21.3 0.1

Michael Mayer News

Michael Mayer Has Path to Fair Share of Targets with Raiders

Saturday, September 5, 11:45 AM

While all of the buzz is on Brock Bowers in Las Vegas -- and rightfully so -- don't count out Michael Mayer as a relevant deep-league fantasy tight end for the Raiders this season quite yet. Mayer is entering the final year of his contract in 2026 and has a lot to prove. Mayer is listed as the second tight end on the Raiders' depth chart, behind Bowers. While Bowers is likely to lead the team in targets, he will also get a lot of defensive attention. Las Vegas' wide receiver corps of Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor, and Jack Bech, among others, is largely underwhelming on paper, which should allow Mayer to have opportunities in the passing game with veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins at the helm. Despite this, Mayer is not necessarily somebody to roster just yet in standard redraft leagues. In fact, he is only rostered in 1% of Yahoo leagues right now. He is somebody to monitor on the waiver wire as he currently ranks as RotoBaller's No. 33 tight end in PPR/half-PPR leagues. If the WR room struggles early on, Mayer could carve out a role on a weekly basis.

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Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.		 Rush.
Yds.		 Rush
TD		 Rec. Rec.
Yds.		 Rec
TD
2.0 0.0 0.0 0.9 8.3 0.1

Eli Raridon News

Eli Raridon Still Rising in a More Crowded Tight End Room

Thursday, September 3, 11:12 AM

New England Patriots tight end Eli Raridon hasn't exactly been handed a clean path to fantasy relevance, but his summer still looks like a win. Hunter Henry signed a two-year extension in August after catching 60 passes for a career-high 768 yards and seven touchdowns last season, and New England added Cameron Latu off waivers this week. Raridon, though, remains No. 2 on the Patriots' current unofficial depth chart, ahead of Tanner Arkin and Latu. That's notable after the third-round rookie spent camp earning first-team work and praise from head coach Mike Vrabel for the progress he made as a blocker. Raridon caught only one pass for eight yards in preseason action, so this isn't a case built on exhibition numbers. It's more about where he finished the summer. The 6-foot-6, 245-pounder went from a developmental pick behind Henry to a rookie who looks capable of getting on the field right away. RotoBaller ranked him TE45 in its August 24 redraft outlook, which still makes him more of a deep-league target than a standard starter. The path is crowded, but Raridon's stock is still moving the right way.

Michael Mayer vs. Eli Raridon

Still trying to decide between Mayer and Raridon? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Michael Mayer is projected to score 5.0 points this week while Eli Raridon is projected to score 2.0 points.