This is another one where I’m going to try to dig deep for you guys. Taylor Mays has been cut from roster after roster over the past year, losing his spot with the Cincinnati Bengals and not being able to make the Detroit Lions or Minnesota Vikings. In fact, as of two days ago, he was sitting on his couch waiting for a phone call to come back to the league. When Oakland Raiders veteran Charles Woodson got injured, they were the team that made that call.
Mays is very much a boom/bust proposition for fantasy owners in Week 2, but given the fact that he has massive coverage deficiencies (the reason he was cut), and veteran free safety Larry Asante figures to step into the lineup deep, I have every reason to believe the Raiders will employ Mays as a tackle-box weapon. If he’s stationed near the line of scrimmage, that will give him a solid tackle base for this week, and give you a strong fantasy score.
Mays is available in 100.0% of ESPN IDP leagues, and we projected Woodson for around 6.5 tackles and one pass defensed prior to the injury, and a total score of 7.79 balanced fantasy points in Week 2. This should be considered Mays’ ceiling for this week’s action.