Darren Waller · Michael Mayer · 2026 week 9

Darren Waller or Michael Mayer?

Wondering who you should start this week — Darren Waller or Michael Mayer? The start/sit call and the numbers behind it are below, plus who wins a straight-up trade. Rebuilt nightly.

Start Michael Mayer — barelyThis one is a coin flip — the projections are within 1.4 points. The matchup leans Michael Mayer (SF allow the 25th-most TE points), but you can defend either call.

Player	Wk 9	Proj (PPR)	Matchup	Form L3	Trade value	Status
Darren Waller	vs DEN	6.6	9th	6.9	–	healthy
Michael Mayer START	@ SF	8.0	25th · tough	11	76	healthy

TEs vs DEN recently: AJ Barner 1.6 pts (W6) · Trey McBride 17.1 pts (W7) · Noah Gray 7.5 pts (W8).

TEs vs SF recently: AJ Barner 2 pts (W5) · Chig Okonkwo 6.9 pts (W6) · Kyle Pitts Sr. 8.2 pts (W7).

🎓 The coach's read

Michael Mayer projects 1.4 points higher in PPR.
Darren Waller faces DEN, 9th most generous to TEs.
Michael Mayer faces SF, 25th most generous to TEs.

Who wins a straight-up trade?

Michael Mayer carries the higher trade value — 76 against 0. In a one-for-one, the side receiving Michael Mayer gets the most.

Open in Start/Sit (any scoring) Open in the Trade Analyzer

More TE decisions

Darren Waller or Cade Otton?Darren Waller or Mason Taylor?Darren Waller or AJ Barner?Michael Mayer or Terrance Ferguson?Michael Mayer or Pat Freiermuth?Michael Mayer or Chig Okonkwo?

All numbers are the 2026 season, refreshed nightly.