Raiders To Feature Two-Tight End Sets With Brock Bowers, Michael Mayer
The Athletic's Vic Tafur writes that it's the Las Vegas Raiders' plan to use more two-tight end sets this year involving rookie first-rounder Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer, who was a second-round selection in 2023. In addition, the Raiders will line up Bowers out wide and behind the quarterback at times to give the defense unique looks. It's not that the Raiders suddenly don't like Mayer now after drafting Bowers in the first round, but they just thought they couldn't pass up on Bowers' explosiveness and even turned down a team trying to trade up for him. While Mayer will still have a role in the offense in his second NFL season, he's going to take a back seat to Bowers in 2024 and will go undrafted in standard 12-team fantasy leagues this fall. Bowers, meanwhile has the potential for a Sam LaPorta-like season in his rookie campaign.
Raiders Could Have Dangerous Combo In Michael Mayer-Brock Bowers
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer, who is heading into his second year in the NFL, is excited to work with rookie tight end Brock Bowers, who the Raiders selected in the first round this year. Bowers fell to the Raiders at No. 13 overall. "He's fast. He's got great hands. He can block. He can do it all. I feel like we can both do it all," Mayer said. Mayer wasn't all that involved in the Raiders' offense in his rookie campaign, catching just 27 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games played. Given Bowers' pedigree, Mayer figures to be the No. 2 TE in 2024, even in 12 personnel, which the Raiders ran just 14.2% of the time last year. Unless Bowers misses time due to an injury in his first year in the league, Mayer is going to have a hard time standing out for fantasy managers.
Las Vegas Raiders rookie tight end Michael Mayer (toe) missed all three practices this week and has officially been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos. The 22-year-old's rookie season comes to an end with three consecutive absences. It was a somewhat underwhelming year for Mayer, who totaled just 27 catches, 304 yards, and a pair of touchdowns. Austin Hooper will step up as the Raiders' top tight end but isn't on the fantasy radar.
Las Vegas Raiders rookie tight end Michael Mayer (toe) missed a second straight day of practice this week on Thursday. Mayer is dealing with a toe injury that has kept him sidelined the last two games. The fact that the 22-year-old second-rounder has yet to practice this week makes him unlikely to play in a meaningless Week 18 regular season finale against the Denver Broncos. If Mayer doesn't play this weekend, he'll wrap up his first year in the NFL with just 27 receptions for 304 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games played. Austin Hooper was on the field for over 80 percent of the offensive snaps in last week's loss to the Indianapolis Colts, but it only led to three catches for 28 yards. If Mayer misses another game, Hooper will merely be a low-cost dart throw at the tight end position in DFS.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer (toe) missed practice on Wednesday as his team gears up to face off against the Denver Broncos in Week 18. Mayer has missed the past two games with his toe injury and could be in line to sit out of the regular-season finale with a missed practice to begin the week. The rookie tight end will have to get onto the practice field at least in a limited capacity by Friday if he wants to suit up in Week 18. If Mayer doesn't wind up playing, veteran Austin Hooper would operate as the Raiders' No. 1 TE.
Las Vegas Raiders rookie tight end Michael Mayer (toe) did not practice this week and has officially been ruled out for Sunday's game versus the Indianapolis Colts. It will be the rookie's second consecutive absence. He has delivered modest production in his first NFL campaign, catching 27 passes for 304 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Austin Hooper should operate as the Raiders' top tight end but isn't on the fantasy radar going forward, especially after totaling just two receptions and 13 yards on Christmas Day versus the Kansas City Chiefs.
Las Vegas Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce said that rookie tight end Michael Mayer (toe) is more than likely to be out for the Week 17 contest versus the Indianapolis Colts this Sunday. Not only did Mayer miss the Christmas Day win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday, but the 22-year-old first-year player was unable to practice on Wednesday or Thursday and is set to miss his second straight game this weekend. The rookie will try to rest his toe so that he can return for the Week 18 regular season finale against the division-rival Denver Broncos. With Mayer out, Austin Hooper should once again serve as the top pass-catching tight end for the Raiders against the Colts, but it's unlikely to lead to much production for fantasy managers looking for a sleeper.
Las Vegas Raiders rookie tight end Michael Mayer (toe) missed practice for the second straight day on Thursday and is now trending toward missing his second straight game this weekend against the Indianapolis Colts. Mayer could still have a chance to play this Sunday, but he'll need to be at least limited in Friday's practice. Even if the 22-year-old ends up playing in Week 17, fantasy managers should have better options to plug in at the tight end position in championship matchups. Mayer has caught only 27 passes on 40 targets for 304 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games in his first year in the NFL. If he's forced to miss a second straight game, Austin Hooper would have an expanded role for the second straight week. It didn't amount to much in the Christmas Day win over the Kansas City Chiefs, though, as he caught just two passes for 13 yards.
Las Vegas Raiders tight ends Michael Mayer (toe) and Jesper Horsted (hamstring) were both unable to practice with the rest of the team on Wednesday during their walkthrough. Neither Mayer nor Horsted were active for Monday's Christmas Day upset of the division-rival Kansas City Chiefs. With both tight ends out, Austin Hooper didn't exactly benefit all that much, catching two passes for 13 yards despite playing nearly 90 percent of the offensive snaps. The 22-year-old Mayer is going need to get back to practice if he wants to play this Sunday versus the Indianapolis Colts. He did find a way into the end zone for the second time in his rookie season back in Week 15, but Mayer has only 27 receptions for 304 yards on 40 targets in his first 14 NFL games and won't be a reliable fantasy option at the TE position in championship matchups if he returns to play this weekend.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer (toe) has been ruled out for the Week 16 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. Mayer popped up on the injury report on Thursday and will ultimately be held out. The Raiders don't want to push anything, but hopefully Mayer can return next week. In his absence, Austin Hooper should be nearly the every-down tight end during this game. Despite that, he won't be a great streaming option considering he's done basically nothing all season long. Fantasy managers should be able to find a better streaming option this weekend.
