With fantasy drafts getting underway, managers are doing their homework on various NFL players and cramming for draft day. That means getting caught up on the latest injury news, including what happened to Las Vegas Raiders rookie tight end Brock Bowers. What’s the latest on Bowers’ health, and should you still draft him?
The Latest on Brock Bowers’ Health
Brock Bowers missed the Las Vegas’ final two preseason games due a foot injury. Fortunately, Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce seemed to downplay the severity.
“You gotta be smart. Sometimes you gotta protect them from themselves, so that’s all it is,” Pierce explained.
Pierce went on to say that he liked Bowers’ chances of suiting up Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers, which is all we really needed to hear. Of course, his role is a bit unclear…
Brock Bowers’ Fantasy Outlook
The Raiders showed a willingness to move Bowers around the formation this summer, which could result in a monster season. Yet, there’s also the question of what his target upside is in an offense that projects as more run-heavy than league average and has an alpha WR1 to feed 25-30% of the targets.
In dynasty, feel free to lock in Bowers and feel great about it. In redraft, I find myself going other directions.
Jake Ferguson is coming off of draft boards 15 picks earlier, and I think there’s a world in which he paces the position in scoring this season. If you wait another two rounds, Dalton Schultz is a completely viable option, and if you want to punt TE altogether, players like Luke Musgrave, Isaiah Likely, and the ever-volatile Taysom Hill (now TE eligible across all platforms) are worth a look.
Bowers is a high-pedigree player that the fantasy football industry wanted to land in a clean spot to produce immediately. This situation in Vegas is not that with question marks under center, a bona fide target earner, and draft capital already spent at the position.
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He’s currently going as a back-end TE1, with a current ADP of TE11. He’s being drafted as part of a large tier that essentially is one big game of chicken with managers who have waited to address the position.
Around the 100th overall pick, I’d much rather invest in the upside at the wide receiver position in Keon Coleman, Jameson Williams, or Brian Thomas Jr.
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