Sit Michael Mayer in Week 3 if you have a real alternative — 5.2 projected points lands 1.8 under the TE starter line.
- Projection
- 5.2 pts
- TE rank
- #32
- Matchup
- at NO
Michael Mayer's fantasy role in Week 3
Michael Mayer goes into Week 3 of the 2026 season as a deep-league TE flyer for the LV. He is rostered in 27% of leagues and actually started in 12% of them, and we rank him TE32 on our own weekly board at 5.2 projected points.
Interest is cooling — roster rates slipped roughly 1% in the last week, so he is getting cheaper to acquire if you believe in the role.
No injury designation to work around right now, which keeps his projection honest.
Week 3 matchup breakdown
The matchup: at NO. Our Pepper Meter heat rating for this spot is 1 out of 5, which is how we grade the combination of role, projection and opponent difficulty.
Against a typical starting TE baseline of 7 points, his 5.2-point projection is 1.8 points short. That gap is the whole start/sit argument in one number.
How to play it
Sit Michael Mayer in Week 3 if you have a real alternative — 5.2 projected points lands 1.8 under the TE starter line.
If you are deciding between him and another TE, compare projections first, then lean on the Pepper Meter heat rating as the tiebreaker.
Sally's take
Peppers & Picks ranks Michael Mayer (LV TE), our TE32 this week for Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season at NO, projecting 5.2 projected points with a mild Pepper Meter rating. The at NO draw matters here — road snaps against NO shape how often he's asked to do something. Only 27% of leagues roster him, so this is cheap production before the price goes up. Nothing in the projection defends him — 26% below positional par is a bench line for me. Sally keeps him at Mild until the usage says otherwise.
Tina's take
Peppers & Picks ranks Michael Mayer (LV TE), our TE32 this week for Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season at NO, projecting 5.2 projected points with a mild Pepper Meter rating. The at NO draw matters here — road snaps against NO shape how often he's asked to do something. Only 27% of leagues roster him, so this is cheap production before the price goes up. Nothing in the projection defends him — 26% below positional par is a bench line for me. Tina keeps him at Mild until the usage says otherwise.