Who Should I Start? Michael Mayer or Luke Schoonmaker

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, September 2, 12:41 AM

Dallas Cowboys tight end Luke Schoonmaker (concussion) was not listed on the team's injury report Monday, which indicates that he has cleared concussion protocol and will play in Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Schoonmaker was sidelined for nearly two weeks while recovering, and now, he's back just in time for the season opener. The 26-year-old was productive while backing up Jake Ferguson last season, as he caught 27 passes for 241 yards and one touchdown through 17 games (six starts). Schoonmaker should be left on waivers for now, but he would instantly become a high-end TE2 if Ferguson were to miss any games.