Now entering his third season out of the University of Tennessee, Mychal Rivera’s story has played out in the same manner it has for many tight ends. He had a quiet rookie season and then showed considerable progress in year two. Rivera caught 58 passes for 534 yards and four touchdowns in 2014 while providing pockets of fantasy productivity. Can Rivera take an even bigger leap in 2015?
Fantasy Upside
During a stretch of three games in 2014, Rivera caught 21 passes for 185 yards and three touchdowns. Two of those touchdowns were against Seattle, making the total even more impressive. Rivera also totaled seven receptions for 109 yards and a score later on in the season against San Francisco. Oakland drafted Clive Walford out of Miami to challenge Rivera for playing time, but Walford has missed an extensive number of practices and appears to be no immediate threat to Rivera. The Raiders, who would celebrate a mediocre season after three bad ones, will usually be the team on the scoreboard with fewer points, leading to more passing later in games.
Fantasy Downside
We know what Rivera can do when everything clicks, but more often than not, his stat lines resembles those of players you would find on the waiver wire. And the Raiders have welcomed a potential centerpiece to town in Amari Cooper. The first round pick is poised to dominate targets for a team expected to rely considerably more on the run. They have also added former 49er WR Michael Crabtree and he will also get plenty of looks from Derek Carr if healthy. Walford will eventually get into the mix as the season progresses and Rivera may end up spending the majority of his time as a blocker.
Bottom Line
More blocking and a secondary role in a run-first offense means Rivera is no more than a low-end TE2 who might be a compelling dart throw once in a while.
