Who Should I Start? Tommy Tremble or Michael Mayer

Thursday, January 8, 1:20 PM

Carolina Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble will be the team's top pass-catching tight end going into the playoffs with Ja'Tavion Sanders (ankle) on Injured Reserve. With Sanders out in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tremble caught three of his four targets for 38 yards and just his second touchdown of the year. The 25-year-old was the team's third leading receiver in the loss to Tampa. In 17 regular-season games with Carolina in 2025, Tremble caught 27 of his 37 targets for 249 yards and two scores. He'll still be more of a dart throw as a TE streamer in fantasy football playoff leagues when the Panthers take on the visiting Los Angeles Rams on Wild-Card weekend this Saturday. The Rams defense has been in the middle of the pack in terms of fantasy points allowed to opposing TEs this year, and they've allowed the eighth-fewest total yards (775) to the position.

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.