Should I start Eli Raridon or Michael Mayer in Week 8?
Updated Nov 2, 10:51 PM ET. Week 9 answers post Tuesday.
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Week 8 verdict
Start Eli Raridon over Michael Mayer
Wrong: 1.5 to 10.3
- Market projected
- 6.8
- pre-game
- MIA D vs TE
- 21.1
- 3rd most to TEs (2026)
- Target share
- 21%
- Week 8
- Scored
- 1.5
- PPR pts
- Market projected
- 6.5
- pre-game
- NYJ D vs TE
- 10.4
- 6th fewest to TEs (2026)
- Target share
- 24%
- Week 8
- Scored
- 10.3
- PPR pts
Week 8 result: the call to start Eli Raridon over Michael Mayer was wrong. Raridon scored 1.5 PPR points to 10.3 for Mayer. Projected 6.8 to 6.5 before kickoff.
Should I drop Eli Raridon for Michael Mayer?
Yes, on the rest of the season. Michael Mayer projects 59 market-implied PPR points from Week 9 through Week 17 (7.4 a game over 8 games), Eli Raridon 35 (4.4 a game over 8 games).
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Your next move
More fantasy football tools and rankings, all built from the same board.
Neither man carries a season projection right now, so this is their usage this season and their last full season's numbers, side by side.
TE22 · NE · bye 11
2026 vs anytime td line 2-5
- Market-based projection
- 6.8 pts a game Wk 8 price
- Overall rank
- 152
TE24 · LV · bye 13
2026 vs anytime td line 1-7
- Market-based projection
- 6.5 pts a game Wk 8 price
- Overall rank
- 159
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The gap
- Board size330 draftable players
Draft data is not current for these two, so the figures that depend on it are left out. The call above comes from each player's usage.
Where the draft room stands
Live drafts hold no current pick on Eli Raridon, and the board ranks him 152nd overall on the rest of his evidence.
Live drafts hold no current pick on Michael Mayer, and the board ranks him 159th overall on the rest of his evidence.
The market-based projections
No season market is posted for Eli Raridon, so the only market valuing him on this page is the draft room.
No season market is posted for Michael Mayer, so the only market valuing him on this page is the draft room.
Neither carries a posted market, so this page rests on the draft room and on what the two have already done.
This season through Week 8
Through Week 8, Eli Raridon has been on the field for 51 percent of NE snaps, drawn 10 percent of the targets and had 10 percent of the red zone chances.
He has taken 2 of the offence's 50 third down targets, had 2 of its 8 chances inside the five and seen 1 of its 30 two minute targets.
His 20 targets have averaged 7.2 air yards.
In Week 6 against NYJ he caught 1 of 3 targets for 11 yards and did not score.
In Week 7 against CHI he caught 3 of 4 targets for 56 yards and scored 1 touchdown.
In Week 8 against MIA he caught 1 of 4 targets for 5 yards and did not score.
Through Week 8, Michael Mayer has been on the field for 81 percent of LV snaps, drawn 15 percent of the targets and had 3 percent of the red zone chances.
He has taken 7 of the offence's 77 third down targets, had 2 of its 25 chances inside the five and seen 9 of its 43 two minute targets.
His 43 targets have averaged 5.1 air yards.
In Week 6 against BUF he caught 7 of 9 targets for 95 yards and did not score.
In Week 7 against LAR he caught 3 of 3 targets for 32 yards and did not score.
In Week 8 against NYJ he caught 5 of 6 targets for 53 yards and did not score.
Their 2025 seasons
Eli Raridon is a rookie, so there is no NFL season behind him to price him against.
In 2025 Michael Mayer played 13 games and scored 73.8 PPR points, 5.7 a game, finishing TE38.
He caught 35 of 50 targets for 328 yards and 1 touchdown, with 6 red zone targets.
That came to 3.8 targets a game, a 70 percent catch rate and 9.4 yards a catch.
He was on the field for 57 percent of the snaps in the games he played.
Head to head
This season Michael Mayer holds the bigger snap share, 81 percent against 51 percent.
This season Michael Mayer holds the bigger target share, 15 percent against 10 percent.
Byes and availability
Eli Raridon is off in Week 11 and Michael Mayer in Week 13, so either can cover the other's bye.
Drop or keep
Should I drop Eli Raridon for Michael Mayer?
Yes, on the rest of the season. Michael Mayer projects 59 market-implied PPR points from Week 9 through Week 17 (7.4 a game over 8 games), Eli Raridon 35 (4.4 a game over 8 games).
Should I drop Michael Mayer for Eli Raridon?
No. Keep Michael Mayer: he projects 59 market-implied PPR points from Week 9 through Week 17 (7.4 a game over 8 games), Eli Raridon 35 (4.4 a game over 8 games).
Both players in full
Week 8 on the board
- Is Eli Raridon playing Week 8?
- Is Michael Mayer playing Week 8?
- Patriots depth chart
- Raiders depth chart
- Week 8 TE rankings
- Week 8 fantasy rankings
- Week 8 start or sit
- Week 9 waiver wire
- Week 9 trade value chart
- Trade deadline buy low, sell high
- Fantasy football rankings
- Start 'em sit 'em Week 8
- Waiver wire pickups
- Fantasy sleepers
- Rest of season rankings
- Week 8 kicker rankings
- Week 8 defense rankings
