Michael Mayer Fantasy Stats

While all of the buzz is on Brock Bowers in Las Vegas -- and rightfully so -- don't count out Michael Mayer as a relevant deep-league fantasy tight end for the Raiders this season quite yet. Mayer is entering the final year of his contract in 2026 and has a lot to prove. Mayer is listed as the second tight end on the Raiders' depth chart, behind Bowers. While Bowers is likely to lead the team in targets, he will also get a lot of defensive attention. Las Vegas' wide receiver corps of Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor, and Jack Bech, among others, is largely underwhelming on paper, which should allow Mayer to have opportunities in the passing game with veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins at the helm. Despite this, Mayer is not necessarily somebody to roster just yet in standard redraft leagues. In fact, he is only rostered in 1% of Yahoo leagues right now. He is somebody to monitor on the waiver wire as he currently ranks as RotoBaller's No. 33 tight end in PPR/half-PPR leagues. If the WR room struggles early on, Mayer could carve out a role on a weekly basis.

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer is one of the more talented backups in the NFL, but his fantasy relevance has been put on hold as long as he remains in the No. 2 role. Mayer is currently the backup to superstar tight end Brock Bowers, which means that his only real path to fantasy production is an injury to Bowers. We did see that come into play last year, as Mayer totaled 18 catches, 196 yards, and one touchdown across four games without Bowers. That came with Geno Smith at quarterback, so all pass catchers should have a higher ceiling this year with Kirk Cousins or Fernando Mendoza. The quarterback upgrade still isn't enough for managers to justify drafting Mayer, but he's a name to watch on the waiver wire and a potential deep-league dynasty stash in case Bowers has to miss any time.

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer had a fast start to the preseason despite the 27-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Quarterback Kirk Cousins ended the first drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Mayer, who ended up with two receptions for 19 yards and that touchdown. With Raiders' TE1 Brock Bowers playing a single snap to start the game, Mayer had the opportunity to score. If Bowers were to miss any time this year, Mayer might have the best opportunity of his career to find success in what should be the best passing offense he has been a part of since entering the NFL. As RotoBaller's TE32 overall, Mayer likely won't be a major factor in redraft leagues but could prove to be an upside stash in dynasty leagues with this being the final year of his contract in Las Vegas.

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer (nose) returned to training camp practice on Thursday, according to Sam Warren of The Athletic. Mayer missed a few practices after busting his nose during practice on Monday. The 25-year-old will return to working as the No. 2 tight end in Vegas behind Brock Bowers. The former second-rounder in 2023 from Notre Dame has yet to really make an impact for fantasy managers in his first three seasons in the NFL, and that will likely continue as long as Bowers stays healthy. Bowers dealt with a knee injury last year, which allowed Mayer to have career highs in catches (35), targets (50), and receiving yards (328) while scoring just once in 13 games played. The Raiders figure to use more two-tight-end sets in 2026 under new head coach Klint Kubiak, but that's unlikely to be enough to make Mayer a weekly starting option, even in two-TE fantasy leagues. Mayer opens his fourth NFL season ranked as RotoBaller's No. 35 fantasy TE. If Bowers misses time with an injury again, Mayer would become a priority waiver-wire addition.

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer (nose) left training camp practice early on Monday due to a busted nose, according to Ryan McFadden of ESPN. Head coach Klint Kubiak said Mayer should be fine. Mayer will most likely miss a day or two before returning to the practice field this summer. The 25-year-old's fantasy ceiling is limited as long as Brock Bowers stays healthy in 2026. Bowers dealt with injuries in his second year in 2025, but Mayer only had 35 receptions for 328 yards and one touchdown on 50 targets in 13 games played (12 starts). The Raiders could use more two-tight-end sets under Kubiak this year, and they should be in better hands at the QB position with veteran Kirk Cousins and rookie Fernando Mendoza, but that alone won't make the former second-rounder from Notre Dame viable in single-TE fantasy leagues. Right now, Mayer is ranked at RotoBaller as the No. 35 overall fantasy TE as he heads into his third year in the league.

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer put together a career year last season. Across 13 games, Mayer hauled in 35 receptions for 328 receiving yards and one touchdown. Both the receptions and yardage are career highs for the 25-year-old. His overall ceiling is going to be limited because Brock Bowers is ahead of him on the depth chart. The good news for Mayer is that new head coach Klint Kubiak deploys a two-tight-end set at the same time. The assumption is that more time on the field will lead to more involvement in the offense for Mayer. He's not someone who needs to be rostered in 12-team formats to start the season. However, he'll be a popular waiver wire candidate if Bowers ever goes down.

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers should be the focal point of new head coach Klint Kubiak's offense in 2026, but Kubiak's deployment of two tight ends on the field at the same time could help Michael Mayer's production as the top TE backup, according to Sam Warren of The Athletic. Beyond Bowers and Mayer, Ian Thomas and Carter Runyan could battle for the TE3 job in training camp this summer. Mayer, who was taken in the second round (35th overall) in 2023 out of Notre Dame, caught a career-high 35 passes on 50 targets for 328 yards and only one touchdown in 13 games (12 starts) for the Raiders in 2025 in his third year in the league. He was on the TE streaming radar with Bowers missing some time with injuries last year, but in the end, Mayer's numbers left a lot to be desired. His ceiling will obviously be capped because of Bowers' presence, but he could threaten for even more production if Kubiak involves him more as a pass-catcher alongside Bowers. Mayer should go undrafted in standard 12-team leagues, but if Bowers misses more time with an injury in 2026, he'll be a priority waiver-wire pickup at the position.

A second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders' Michael Mayer showed promising flashes as a rookie, finishing the year as the team's most productive tight end. Any hopes of a true fantasy breakout were dashed, however, when the Raiders spent the 13th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft on generational prospect Brock Bowers, who has since proven worthy of the often overused label through his first two seasons in the league. In years past, there might have been very little fantasy value in a team's second tight end, but with the league trending toward more multi-tight end usage, and new head coach Klint Kubiak partly responsible for helping to lead that charge, Mayer remains an important dynasty hold. Potentially capable of providing the occasional standalone bye week or injury fill-in, Mayer's highest value remains as a handcuff to Bowers, now in a Kubiak system that saw AJ Barner finish as the TE9 or better six different times in 2025. With only one year remaining on his rookie contract, Mayer could hit free agency in 2027 at the age of 25, and with several paths in play to finding a more substantial role, RotoBaller's dynasty TE43 remains a worthy end-of-bench stash in all but the shallowest of leagues.

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer has been a solid backup to Brock Bowers, but The Athletic's Sam Warren writes that "there have been hints that more opportunities could be coming" for Mayer in 2026 under new head coach Klint Kubiak. The team's new head coach has an "affinity for bigger formations," which means the Raiders could feature more two-tight-end sets this year, and Mayer could be more of a pass-catching threat. The 24-year-old former second-rounder (35th overall) in 2023 out of Notre Dame was a TE1 streaming option when Bowers missed time with injury last year, and he finished with career highs in catches (35), targets (50), and receiving yards (328) in 13 games (12 starts) while scoring one time. Vegas added receiver Jalen Nailor in the offseason, but nobody in their WR room has a ton of experience, and veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins could lean on both Bowers and Mayer early on in 2026. In redraft leagues, Mayer will be a low-upside, low-end TE2, at best. And in dynasty formats, RotoBaller has him ranked as the No. 43 TE.

The 35th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Las Vegas Raiders right end Michael Mayer flashed some upside by hauling in 27 receptions for 304 yards and two touchdowns on 40 targets as a rookie. However, Las Vegas drafted superstar tight end Brock Bowers in the first round in 2024, blocking Mayer from the Raiders' lead receiving tight end role. Even in a season in which Bowers missed five games due to injury in 2025, Mayer still finished the year with just 35 catches for 328 yards and one touchdown on 50 targets. The 24-year-old is now entering the final year of his rookie deal with Las Vegas and has yet to establish himself as a tight end who is worthy of a significant role in his team's passing game. In the deepest of dynasty leagues, Mayer could be worth buying low on in case he winds up on a different team in 2027. Still, his dynasty value has never been lower than it is entering 2026.