Who Should I Start? Michael Mayer or Elijah Arroyo

Sunday, October 19, 9:17 AM

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer is expected to remain the team's starter in Week 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Star tight end Brock Bowers (knee) will likely miss his third consecutive game, leaving Mayer in line to operate at the top of the depth chart. It will be the second consecutive start for the 24-year-old, who was excellent last Sunday with five catches, 50 yards, and a touchdown. The Chiefs have allowed the sixth-fewest fantasy points to tight ends in 2025, but an anticipated negative game script and a lack of many other options in the passing game will likely compel Geno Smith to throw to his primary tight end early and often. Mayer should be viewed as a mid-to-low TE1 this week.

Saturday, October 4, 9:16 AM

Seattle Seahawks tight end Elijah Arroyo has seen his snap share increase in each of the first four weeks of the 2025 NFL season, and he could continue to get even more involved in Week 5 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The rookie is coming off the best week of his young career, in which he caught two of four targets for 44 yards on a 55 percent snap share. With that said, he's still the No. 2 tight end in Seattle behind AJ Barner, who has two touchdowns this season and has played at least 85 percent of the snaps in three of four games. Nevertheless, even with Barner present, Arroyo has shown that he can carve out a modest role for himself -- and perhaps start to generate some low-end fantasy appeal in deeper leagues, too. This could be a decent week for Arroyo as the Buccaneers' defense is merely near the middle of the league, allowing the 16th-most fantasy points to tight ends in 2025.