Who Should I Start? Michael Mayer or Luke Farrell

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.

Tuesday, November 11, 7:57 PM

San Francisco 49ers tight end Luke Farrell had two receptions for 15 yards and a touchdown on two targets in Sunday's 42-26 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. The score was Farrell's second of the season, the other coming back in Week 2's tilt against the Saints. His season-long production now stands at 10 receptions for 82 yards and two touchdowns. Farrell's role on San Francisco's offense is limited almost entirely to acting as an extra blocker. Through 10 games, he is averaging just 1.2 targets per game. With so few opportunities, he can safely be left on the waiver wire. He is unlikely to be as productive in Week 11, when the 49ers face the Arizona Cardinals.