Rookie tight end Brock Bowers is the latest young player at the position to receive incredible hype, but a preseason injury has slowed the excitement a little. He is still being selected as a starting tight end, but should fantasy football managers be showing restraint when it comes to the Las Vegas Raiders‘ rookie?
Let’s examine the latest injury update on Bowers and his fantasy football outlook for the 2024 NFL season.
What Is the Latest on Brock Bowers’ Injury?
Bowers did not play in either of the Raiders’ final two preseason games. Although Antonio Pierce held all starters out of the third game, Bowers was supposed to play in Week 2. Unfortunately, a foot injury caused the team to hold him out.
The good news is that the injury does not sound serious. Pierce said they were being cautious with the talented rookie, and he fully expects Bowers to be on the field on opening day. Fantasy managers should continue drafting Bowers as a back-end TE1.
Bowers’ Fantasy Outlook for the 2024 Season
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.
MORE: PFN’s Consensus 2024 Fantasy Football Rankings
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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