MichaelMayer

News: 4 days agoMayer caught one of three targets for five yards in Sunday's 34-19 loss to the Dolphins.

Spin: Mayer suited up for the first time since Week 3 after being reinstated from the reserve/non-football illness list Saturday, posting a 52 percent offensive snap share. His return didn't have an impact on Brock Bowers, who continued his breakout rookie campaign with 13 receptions for 126 yards and a touchdown on 16 looks from Gardner Minshew. Expect Mayer to provide depth behind Bowers when Las Vegas hosts the Broncos in Week 12.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: The learning curve for tight ends at the NFL level can be lengthy, and Mayer's 2023 was representative of that. He began playing sparingly behind Austin Hooper, but over his final nine games, he played 82% of the Raiders' offensive snaps, averaged 21.8 routes, 3.9 targets and 6.9 fantasy points per game, before a toe issue cost him the season's final three weeks. That might have been a stepping stone to bigger things for Mayer, until the team added free agent Harrison Bryant, then drafted Brock Bowers 13th overall in April, greatly clouding the sophomore's 2024 outlook. On a skills basis, Mayer possesses plenty of upside, but he might need a change of scenery to claim the playing time needed to be fantasy-relevant.