Who Should I Start? Michael Mayer or Jeremy Ruckert

Friday, June 13, 6:15 PM

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer is expected to get more involved in the offense this upcoming season. Mayer looked nonexistent with Brock Bowers ahead of him on the depth chart last season. He finished the season with 21 receptions and 156 receiving yards in 11 games. After failing to trade Mayer, the Raiders have decided to get the former second-round pick more involved in the offense. Mayer has reportedly looked good in camp and has built a solid relationship with new head coach Pete Carroll. It's worth noting that Bowers is going to remain the unquestioned No. 1 tight end and primary passing option. Mayer showed good potential during his time in college, so hopefully the Raiders are able to find a way to get him involved.

Monday, June 9, 12:26 PM

The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt writes that New York Jets tight end Jeremy Ruckert has shown progress as a pass-catcher this offseason. Ruckert was teammates with new quarterback Justin Fields in college at Ohio State, so he's been seeing a heavy workload during organized team activities. Still, Ruckert has plenty to prove coming off three disappointing seasons to start his NFL career, including regressing as a run-blocker last year. "I think he can help us in the passing game, he'll be a really good blocker," had coach Aaron Glenn said. "There's some technical things he can improve on." The 24-year-old former third-rounder (101st overall) in 2022 is still searching for his first NFL touchdown and has caught just 35 of 52 targets for 264 yards in his three seasons. With the Jets taking Mason Taylor in the second round of this year's draft, Ruckert's path to fantasy value is even more of an uphill battle.