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, November 6, 10:08 AM

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer lost his starting role in Week 9 with the return of Brock Bowers, but he remained involved in the offense. Despite operating as the TE2, Mayer caught three of seven targets for 26 yards in the 30-29 loss to Jacksonville. Notably, he still played 83% of the snaps as Las Vegas used 12 personnel (two-tight-end sets) on 58.3% of their plays, which is their highest rate this season. With Jakobi Meyers now in Jacksonville, the Raiders are likely to continue leaning on heavier formations, which should keep Mayer on the field. However, the matchup is difficult this week. Denver has allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to tight ends, but their strong pass rush could force Mayer into increased blocking duties rather than receiving work. Mayer should remain on fantasy benches in Week 10.