Who Should I Start? Michael Mayer or Noah Gray

Sunday, December 8, 9:26 PM

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer brought in 7-of-9 targets for 68 yards in Sunday's 28-13 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The second-year TE easily set all-new season highs with his performance on Sunday, while his reception total and yardage output were good enough to lead the Raiders' offense in the defeat. Mayer was second on the team in targets only to wide receiver Jakobi Meyers. It's intriguing usage for the 23-year-old, as he out-produced rookie sensation Brock Bowers for the first time this season. Additionally, it's hard to predict this kind of usage moving forward, particularly with it looking like quarterback Desmond Ridder taking over after Aidan O'Connell (knee) was carted off in an air cast. For now, fantasy managers would be better off taking a wait-and-see approach with Mayer. He'll get the Atlanta Falcons next Sunday but likely won't be on the fantasy radar.

Saturday, January 4, 11:09 AM

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Noah Gray will face the Denver Broncos on the road in Week 18. Gray has run behind Travis Kelce all season but still produced fantasy-relevant weeks. With Kelce listed as doubtful for this week's contest, Gray should be prepared to handle the full workload this week. The 25-year-old will take on the Broncos, who rank 18th in fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends this season. Gray had a five-game stretch from Weeks 11 to 15 where he found the endzone five times, more than Kelce scored all season. Gray's ceiling will be capped with Patrick Mahomes set to miss this week's contest. Carson Wentz will be at the helm of the Chiefs offense, making Gray a lower-tier option. Gray is ranked TE15 in our RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings, making him a viable TE2 option this week. Fantasy managers can start Gray and hope he finds pay dirt.