Brock Bowers (personal) practiced Monday

“Realistically, he can surpass his receptions total from his rookie year and perhaps close in on the league record of most receptions in a single season by a tight end, set by the Arizona Cardinals’ Trey McBride (126) last season. Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce’s record 1,416 receiving yards in 2020 is a daunting mark to top but not impossible for Bowers,” McFadden continues. The Raiders receiving corps is completely unsettled at this point — Jalen Nailor and Tre Tucker are here — and someone has to catch the ball in Vegas. Everyone got burned by Bowers last year so you probably won’t have to pay 2025’s prices, but you could very well net 2024’s results under new playcaller Klint Kubiak. Bowers is currently going off the board as the overall TE1, but he’s close to an ADP of 20 on most sites.

In his 2024 rookie season, Bowers caught 112-of-148 targets for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns. His targets, receptions and yardage totals all ranked in the top 10 among NFL pass catchers. Per Edwards, the Raiders’ offensive staff is “in the process of concocting multiple ways to get Bowers involved in their scheme, with versatility being his greatest weapon.” This is the kind of stuff we want to hear. Finding a true difference-making tight end is rare. Bowers is firmly in play as fantasy’s TE1 this season.

Bowers’ 2025 season was hampered by a PCL sprain and bone bruise that he suffered in Week 1, which eventually led to an injured reserve placement in Week 17. The 23-year-old tight end is now set to operate as coach Klint Kubiak’s No. 1 pass-catcher in what should be a far more fantasy-friendly offensive scheme. Kubiak endearingly referred to Bowers as “a football robot from heaven” last week. He’s a candidate to compete for the overall TE1 spot this season.

Are there robots in heaven? And why are they built to play football? Either way, it’s clear Kubiak thinks highly of his superstar tight end. He added that the team needs to get the most out of Bowers this year. It doesn’t take a detective to figure out Bowers will be the centerpiece of this team’s passing attack. The receiver room is led by Tre Tucker and Jalen Nailor. Both players are primarily deep threats who have never been the focal point of a pro offense. Even after a down 2025 season, Bowers is comfortably in the TE1 overall conversation in early fantasy drafts.

Mendoza is all but certain to land with the Raiders, who have the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. After displaying “elite accuracy and overall arm talent to throw to all levels of the field” during his final season at Indiana — leading the Hoosiers to the team’s first national title — Mendoza should be a good fir for Kubiak, fresh off turning Sam Darnold into a Super Bowl winning quarterback. “Mendoza brings a strong frame and in-pocket mobility with enough creativity to handle duress out of structure,” Yates said. “And his quick-processing skills point to a successful starting NFL QB.” Even if Mendoza struggles as a rookie, he will be a major upgrade for Brock Bowers and the rest of the Vegas pass catchers.

It comes out of nowhere but makes sense considering Bowers has dealt with a knee injury all season and the Raiders were long ago eliminated from postseason contention. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero said “the decision was made to get it taken care of now and focus on being 100% in 2026.” That could mean Bowers will undergo surgery in the offseason after playing through the knee ailment for four months. Bowers ends 2025 with 64 receptions for 680 yards and seven touchdowns on 84 targets over 12 games. All of his metrics remained similar to his outstanding rookie campaign in 2024. He’ll be an elite fantasy producer in 2026, hopefully with a different quarterback and coaching staff.

The Raiders managed to get Bowers a few underneath looks on early downs, but between Geno Smith’s deep accuracy being unreliable and Houston’s pass rush, Bowers-reliant managers should feel lucky that he found the end zone early in this one. He was bracketed between two Texans defenders on a third-and-goal in the end zone, so it took a great throw from Smith to find him. Start Bowers if you’ve got him in Week 17, though, on account of a teed-up matchup against one of the NFL’s worst defenses — the Giants — in a game that could determine the fate of the No. 1 overall pick.

Bowers’ 8.8 PPR points were frankly a miracle as Kenny Pickett produced 29 yards net passing in the Raiders’ second 31-0 loss of the season. He was the only Raider to make any positive box score contribution whatsoever in what was yet another new low in the Raiders’ catastrophic “Pete Carroll year.” As fantasy managers wait for the Raiders’ inevitable next coach and quarterback in 2026, Bowers is a volatile TE1 despite upside that should make him the weekly TE1 overall. You probably can’t bench him for the fantasy quarterfinals against the Texans, but that’s another potential shutout loss on the road for the league’s least competitive team.

Bowers continues to make the most of his frustratingly small workloads, frequently producing highlight reel plays. Bowers scored a touchdown on the Raiders’ first drive, lining up in the slot and running right past Broncos slot CB Ja’Quan McMillian, who was focused on RB Ashton Jeanty’s route out of the backfield. Broncos’ S Talanoa Hufanga opted not to pursue Bowers as he broke outside on a corner route, leaving Bowers wide open in the end zone. Raiders QB Geno Smith got the ball to him for the score. Bowers later made a juggling, one-handed catch on the play where Smith (right shoulder) was injured on the Raiders’ final play of the third quarter. Broncos LB Alex Singleton had Bowers’ left arm trapped, but the talented tight end was evidently unbothered, securing the pass with his right hand before trotting out of bounds. Bowers remains an elite TE1 in Week 15 against the Eagles.

The talented tight end helped bring the ball down to the Chargers’ five-yard line on the Raiders’ fourth drive by ripping off a 24-yard gain on a corner route via play action. Two plays later, QB Geno Smith found him wide open in the back of the end zone for his first touchdown of the day. His second punctuated an unbelievable red zone sequence on the Raiders’ ninth drive. Bowers somehow secured a one-handed catch by falling backward, to the left, with his left hand outstretched, saving the ball from hitting the ground by inches. Bowers remains an elite TE1 against the Broncos next week.