Who Should I Start? Tyler Conklin or Michael Mayer

Friday, March 21, 10:24 PM

Former New York Jets tight end Tyler Conklin reached an agreement on an undisclosed one-year deal on Friday with the Los Angeles Chargers, according to his agent, Mike McCartney. Conklin heads to the AFC West after spending the last three years with the Jets, where he had 170 catches on 246 targets for 1,622 yards and seven touchdowns in 50 games (43 starts). While the 29-year-old did have a career-high four touchdowns in 16 games (15 starts) last year, he had just 51 catches and 449 yards (his lowest total since 2020) on 72 targets. The former fifth-round selection (157th overall) by the Minnesota Vikings in 2018 out of Central Michigan has the opportunity to be the Chargers' top pass-catching tight end in 2025, but he'll also be sharing playing time with Will Dissly. Dissly had a very similar 50-481-2 line to Conklin a year ago in L.A. Expect Conklin to be a touchdown-dependent TE2 in fantasy in his new home.

Thursday, August 7, 3:53 PM

ESPN's Ryan McFadden reports that Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer has been a standout in training camp. The Notre Dame product flashed during his rookie campaign, but the addition of Brock Bowers in 2024 was a detriment to Mayer's playing time. While Bowers and new quarterback Geno Smith have quickly gotten on the same page, Mayer has had an excellent camp of his own. The 24-year-old has been an offensive standout since OTAs, per McFadden, who also notes offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has "big plans" for him in 2025. There are undoubtedly targets up for grabs in the Raiders' offense, and Mayer may play a nice role for them. However, that translating to fantasy isn't a guarantee. Bowers and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers are worth rostering for now, but Mayer will have to impress in preseason action before he's worthy of fantasy managers' attention in drafts.