Is Michael Mayer A Good Fantasy Football Pickup for Week 7? Waiver Wire Outlook

After a few weeks of flying under the radar, Las Vegas Raiders rookie TE Michael Mayer has appeared to establish a role for himself in his offense.

He’s coming off of the two most productive weeks of his young career, in Week 5 when he reeled in two of his three targets for 39 yards, and most recently in Week 6 when he reeled in five catches for 75 yards in a win against the New England Patriots.

Has Mayer become a viable fantasy option in a position that has become so scarce? Should you pick him up in fantasy leagues after his most recent showing?

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Who Is Michael Mayer?

Mayer was the 35th overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft coming out of Notre Dame, where in his final season he caught 67 passes for 809 yards and nine total touchdowns.

With his elite blocking and pass-catching abilities, Mayer was deemed one of the best overall tight-end prospects in recent memory.

Is Michael Mayer the Raiders starting TE?

Going into the season, it was Raiders TE Austin Hooper who was getting most of the starter snaps in the offense. After being a healthy scratch in Week 1, Mayer only saw two targets in his first two games as a rookie.

In these past two weeks, Mayer appears to have edged out Hooper as the starting tight end. In Week 5, Mayer played 66% of snaps compared to Hooper's 56% and widened the gap even more in Week 6 when he played 87% of snaps to Hooper’s 34%.

Should I Pickup Michael Mayer Off The Waiver Wire in Fantasy Football?

Fantasy managers should look to add Mayer in all formats, especially in TE premium ones. After a few weeks of being a non-factor in the passing game, Mayer is establishing himself as a legitimate target for QB Jimmy Garappolo.

Garappolo has long been someone who targets the TE position routinely, most recently in the 2022 season when his starting TE George Kittle held a 19.8% target share, the sixth most of all tight ends.

A good sentiment for the rookie Mayer, and fantasy managers can expect some upside picking him up as he continues to carve out his role in this offense as a starter.

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