Who Should I Start? Michael Mayer or Ja'Tavion Sanders

Monday, September 15, 10:38 AM

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer could be worth adding ahead of his team's Week 2 Monday night matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, particularly for fantasy managers with Brock Bowers (knee) on their roster. Bowers is officially questionable to play on Monday after leaving Week 1 early due to a knee injury, although Raiders head coach Pete Carroll has said he expects his star tight end to suit up. Mayer logged four catches for 38 yards in Week 1 while sharing the field with Bowers for most of the game. If Bowers is unable to play in Week 2, Mayer could be in line for a significant target increase in a Raiders' offense that logged 34 pass attempts in its first game of the season.

Monday, September 15, 3:25 PM

Carolina Panthers tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders tied for second on the team with a career-high six catches on nine targets in Week 2. Thanks to trailing by as many as 24 points in the third quarter, Bryce Young was forced to throw the ball 55 times. Sanders made the most of his opportunities, catching six passes for 54 yards in the contest. The involvement in the passing game is an encouraging sign, but we'll have to pump the brakes until the Panthers show they can consistently get Sanders involved in the passing game in a closer contest. In Week 1, Sanders saw just three targets. The Panthers will host the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3, who are coming off a stellar defensive performance on Sunday night when they held the Minnesota Vikings to just 120 passing yards. Sanders should be kept on the waiver wire, but it would be a good idea to continue to monitor his stat line moving forward.