Raiders' Brock Bowers: Underwhelming numbers in loss
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Bowers brought in three of five targets for 49 yards in the Raiders' 28-13 loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday. He also rushed once for three yards.
Bowers came into the game with a pair of 100-yard tallies in the previous three contests and was facing a defense that had been vulnerable to tight ends all season. However, Bowers was largely contained by the Buccaneers, with fellow tight end Michael Mayer doing the majority of the damage at the position with a 7-68 line on nine targets. Bowers did turn in a 25-yard catch, and his final reception of the day, a 12-yard grab with 27 seconds remaining, vaulted him into the record books for most receptions by a rookie tight end (87). Bowers next takes aim at the vulnerable Falcons defense in a Week 15 home matchup Monday night, Dec. 16.
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Raiders' Brock Bowers: Top DFS Play
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It would be difficult to price Brock Bowers too high for cash games. He just scored 30 Fantasy points against the Chiefs. He's tied for the lead league in receptions. Not just for tight ends, amongst all players. And he's facing a Tampa Bay defense that has been one of the worst pass defenses in the league. Save money somewhere else. Pay up for Bowers.
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Raiders' Brock Bowers: Dominant performance in loss
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Bowers secured 10 of 14 targets for 140 yards and a touchdown in the Raiders' 19-17 loss to the Chiefs on Friday. He also rushed once for two yards.
Bowers led the Raiders across the board in receptions, receiving yards and targets, with the middle total also serving as a new career high. The performance served as Bowers' second 100-yard game and third with double-digit receptions, and the rookie first-round pick added his fourth touchdown catch of the campaign on a 33-yard grab late in the third quarter. Bowers also made a clutch 25-yard reception on Las Vegas' final drive, and he carries an immense fantasy ceiling in all formats heading into a Week 14 road matchup against the Buccaneers on Sunday, Dec. 8.
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Raiders' Brock Bowers: Quiet in Sunday's loss
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Bowers caught four of 10 targets for 38 yards in Sunday's 29-19 loss to the Broncos.
While the rookie tight end saw double-digit targets for the second straight game and the fifth time this season, Bowers wasn't able to do much with the volume, posting his lowest yardage total since Week 4. Bowers' role in the Raiders' passing game is secure, but it's not clear who will be throwing him the ball in Week 13 against Kansas City -- Gardner Minshew (collarbone) was lost for the season Sunday, and Aidan O'Connell (thumb) may not be ready to come off IR.
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Raiders' Brock Bowers: Top DFS Play
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The best tight end in Fantasy Football, George Kittle, is on bye this week. The second best is rookie tight end Brock Bowers and he has a good matchup against a mediocre Bengals defense. Bowers had three straight games with double-digit targets before Spags locked him up. I would expect he jumps right back on the high volume train versus the Bengals.
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Raiders' Brock Bowers: Double-digit targets again
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Bowers recorded nine receptions on 10 targets for 71 yards in Sunday's 32-13 loss to the Steelers.
With both Davante Adams (hamstring) and Jakobi Meyers (ankle) sidelined, Bowers was able to serve as the Raiders' top pass catcher for the second consecutive week. Aidan O'Connell was hesitant to push the ball down the field, leaving Bowers to do the majority of his damage after the catch. While his stat line is impressive enough, he also served as the lead blocker on Alexander Mattison's touchdown run in the first quarter and had a one-handed catch wiped away by a penalty. Even once Meyers and potentially Adams return to the offense, Bowers has shown enough to maintain a significant role.
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Raiders' Brock Bowers: First pro touchdown
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Bowers recorded eight receptions on 12 targets for 97 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 34-18 loss to the Broncos.
Bowers was a bright spot in an otherwise dismal game for the Raiders, and he began his day with an impressive 57-yard touchdown during which he leaped over a defender and then broke free for the long score. He was otherwise used primarily in short areas of the field, though his 12 targets were a season high. Quarterback play will likely be a problem for at least the rest of 2024, but Bowers could take over as the top pass-catching option in the absence of Davante Adams.
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Raiders' Brock Bowers: Limited production in Week 3
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Bowers recorded three receptions on four targets for 41 yards in Sunday's 36-22 loss to the Panthers.
The Raiders struggled to get their offense moving consistently, which perhaps explains Bowers' surprising lack of involvement. He wasn't targeted until seven minutes were remaining in the second quarter, though he did still manage to record an impressive 21-yard catch and run for his longest gain of the day. Bowers has already shown the ability to excel as a pro, as this was his worst performance of the season, though his results will likely remain inconsistent due to the Raiders' offense.
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Raiders' Brock Bowers: Highly productive in upset win
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Bowers brought in all nine targets for 98 yards in the Raiders' 26-23 win over the Ravens on Sunday.
Bowers tied Davante Adams for the team lead in receptions while checking in second to his teammate in receiving yards and targets. The athletic tight end also had the Raiders' second-longest reception of the day -- 27 yards -- and he recorded his final three grabs on a key game-tying drive midway through the fourth quarter. Bowers has already drawn 17 targets from Gardner Minshew over his first two NFL games and parlayed 15 of them into catches, validating the fantasy buzz that surrounded him throughout the summer.
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Raiders' Brock Bowers: Bright spot in loss
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Bowers recorded six receptions on eight targets for 58 yards in Sunday's 22-10 loss to the Chargers.
Despite recently overcoming a foot injury, Bowers led the Raiders in both targets and receptions in his pro debut. His longest catch of the day came in the middle of the second quarter as he worked over the middle of the field on a play-action pass. He was otherwise targeted primarily underneath by Gardner Minshew, but it's clear that Bowers will play a key role in the Raiders' offense in his rookie campaign.
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Raiders' Brock Bowers: Good to go for opener
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Bowers (foot) doesn't carry an injury designation for Sunday's season opener against the Chargers.
After logging limited sessions Wednesday and Thursday, Bowers was listed as a full participant Friday, paving the way for the 2024 first-rounder to make his NFL regular-season debut this weekend. As the coming campaign approaches, he's in line to be a key target in a Las Vegas passing offense that also features WRs Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers and fellow TE Michael Mayer, a 2023 second-rounder. Though the continued presence of Mayer is of note, Bowers should still provide fantasy utility as a rookie, with the Raiders likely to frequently employ two-TE sets.
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Raiders' Brock Bowers: Still limited Thursday
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Bowers (foot) remained limited in Thursday's practice.
Coach Antonio Pierce has stressed Bowers will be ready to go for Sunday's Week 1 opener against the Chargers despite the limited practice reps. The Raiders are expected to use both Bowers and second-year TE Michael Mayer in tandem this season, with Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers handling the wideout reps in an offense that likely won't use a ton of three-receiver looks.
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Raiders' Brock Bowers: Limited practice Wednesday
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Bowers (foot) was a limited participant at practice Wednesday.
Per Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com, head coach Antonio Pierce noted before practice that Bowers would be "ready to go," and despite his listed limitations Wednesday, the rookie tight end is trending toward being available for Sunday's season opener against the Chargers. Bowers now has two more chances to log a full practice session prior to the announcement of his team's final injury report ahead of the Week 1 game.
Coach Antonio Pierce noted Thursday that he feels very good about Bowers (foot) being on the field for the Raiders' season opener, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.
Per Bonsignore, the Raiders are simply exercising prudence with the rookie tight end, who has been managing foot soreness of late. Added context regarding Bowers' status should arrive no later than next week's initial practice/injury report, but at this stage it appears as though Bowers will be available for the team's Week 1 contest against the Chargers on Sunday, Sept. 8.
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Raiders' Brock Bowers: Remains absent Wednesday
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Bowers (foot) is not participating in Wednesday's practice, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports.
Bowers hasn't practiced since missing the Raiders' Aug. 18 preseason matchup against the Cowboys due to what was labeled foot soreness. Head coach Antonio Pierce said last week that Bowers' absence is precautionary, per Tashan Reed of The Athletic, but the rookie tight end's status nonetheless needs to be monitored. Bowers has a bit less than two weeks to ramp up his activity level ahead of Las Vegas' regular-season opener against the Chargers on Sept. 8.
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Raiders' Brock Bowers: Misses practice
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Bowers (foot) didn't practice Tuesday, Vic Tafur of The Athletic reports.
Bowers was held out of Saturday's 27-12 preseason loss to Dallas with foot soreness and is still working through the issue. The Raiders named Gardner Minshew as their Week 1 starting quarterback Sunday, answering one of the big questions about their offense heading into the season. One of the other questions is how snaps at tight end will be divided between Bowers and Michael Mayer, especially in clear passing situations when the Raiders will want three receivers and only one tight end on the field.
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Raiders' Brock Bowers: Las Vegas bound
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The Raiders selected Bowers in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 13th overall.
Despite investing a high second-round pick in tight end Michael Mayer in 2023, the Raiders couldn't pass up on Bowers in the first round. Bowers is the highest-drafted tight end since Kyle Pitts in 2021 and has an impressive prospect profile. Athletic enough to run from the slot and split defenders down the seam but physical enough to play in-line and block, Bowers is the complete package. He led Georgia in receiving in all three of his seasons in Athens and left school with the second-most touchdown catches (26) in program history. A hamstring injury prevented Bowers from testing at the combine and his measurements (6-3, 243) are not that of a prototypical tight end. However, the film and standout production paint Bowers as a weapon in the passing game and that will be his primary function in the Raider offense. Given Bowers' skill set and high draft capital, he projects to be the primary tight end over Mayer right away.
