Ja'Tavion Sanders · Michael Mayer · 2026 week 9

Ja'Tavion Sanders or Michael Mayer?

Wondering who you should start this week — Ja'Tavion Sanders 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 MayerMichael Mayer projects 7.8 PPR points clear of Ja'Tavion Sanders in week 9, drawing SF — the 25th-ranked matchup for TEs. The numbers behind the call are below; overrule them with your eyes open.

Player	Wk 9	Proj (PPR)	Matchup	Form L3	Trade value	Status
Ja'Tavion Sanders	vs DEN	0.2	9th	–	–	healthy
Michael Mayer START	@ SF	8.0	25th · tough	11	161	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 7.8 points higher in PPR.
Ja'Tavion Sanders 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 — 161 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

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All numbers are the 2026 season, refreshed nightly.