Week 7 Waiver Wire Tight End Target | Now is the Time to Add Raiders’ Michael Mayer
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer has some lofty expectations among fantasy owners after he was drafted early in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Through the first month of the season, Mayer hardly made an impact, but the past couple weeks, he’s started to show some promise.
Now is the time to add the rookie tight end. We’ll discuss his improving play, his upcoming schedule and then what you might need to do in order to add him to your squad.
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Mayer’s Improving Play
Mayer wasn’t a big part of the Raiders’ passing game in the early going of the season. He wasn’t even on the field all that much.
Mayer played 29 offensive snaps in week 1, but wasn’t targeted. He caught one pass for 2 yards in week 2, when he played 16 snaps. In week 3, Mayer caught a two-point conversion pass, but failed to haul in his lone target across 34 snaps. The rookie had a career-high 37 snaps in week 4, but again wasn’t targeted.
His fortunes started to change in week 5, when he caught two passes for 39 yards on three targets against the Green Bay Packers. He played a new career-high 42 snaps in that game. Mayer then set another career high in snaps with 57 in week 6 against the New England Patriots, catching five of his six targets for 75 yards.
Mayer’s increasing snaps and usage are obviously good signs, but an even better one is that the more the team has utilized Mayer, the better the team results have been. That means even more playing time and targets are likely upcoming for Mayer.
Mayer’s Fantasy Outlook
Mayer is still listed as the No. 2 tight end for Las Vegas, but his production over listed starter Austin Hooper tells you everything you need to know about what’s coming in the future.
Hooper has just eight catches on nine targets for 81 yards this season. He played a season-high 55 snaps in week 3, but has seen his snaps drop each week since.
It’s possible Hooper remains the starter, but the snaps and production are going to heavily favor Mayer going forward.
I don’t think it’s ideal that Jimmy Garoppolo is dealing with an injury, even though he isn’t the greatest quarterback option. With backup Brian Hoyer, Mayer only caught one pass on two targets for 8 yards. That could mean a little less production if Garoppolo misses extended time, but the fact that Mayer had the second-most targets on the team in week 6, even more than star wideout Davante Adams, is what still makes him a great waiver wire addition this week.
The tight end position is lacking too many great playmakers again, so an outing like Mayer produced in week 6 makes him one of the better fantasy options at the position going forward.
There’s some favorable matchups ahead for Mayer, as the Raiders take on the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, New York Giants and New York Jets over the next month. The Jets’ defense is the worst in the league against opposing tight ends, allowing 17 fantasy points a contest. The Lions also allow 17 points, while the Bears allow 14. Only the Giants’ defense is above average in that month's stretch, and they allow nine points a contest.
What You Might Do to Acquire Mayer
According to our charts, Mayer is owned in just 2% of fantasy leagues, so there’s a pretty good chance he’s available in redraft leagues, and even some dynasty ones. Mayer is a no-brainer add in dynasty and deeper redraft leagues, but he’s also a must add in standard redraft leagues now.
Even though he won’t be a top option for Las Vegas on offense, he’s going to have opportunities to produce each week, and I like the team to keep getting him more involved.
Looking at some of the top waiver wire options, Mayer should be pretty high on your priority list, and maybe even at the No. 1 spot if you’re set at the running back and wide receiver positions. If you are just looking for help at the TE spot, then Mayer should definitely be atop your priority list. He’s a strong long-term fantasy option this season, as he’s not filling in for an injured player and should continue to play more snaps and get more usage.
Seeing as he’s coming off a big performance and at a position lacking too much talent, I can see Mayer’s free agent auction budget being among the top marks of the week. Depending on the state of your team, I’d be OK spending 5-10% of my remaining budget on him. If you are a strong team and feel like you are one player away, then I’d be comfortable spending upward of 15% of my budget.
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