A sigh of relief as we should expect to see the Brock Bowers make his season debut this week. Brock Bowers has posted as a Top-3 scoring TE in fantasy points per game every year of his career per PlayerProfiler while posting an elite target share each season.
Bowers will implement himself as the true alpha of this Raiders passing game which has relied on spreading the ball around in his absence. Unfortunately, this means Michael Mayer and Jalen Nailor are not startable while Tre Tucker is FLEX viable in deeper league formats.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer continues to have...
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer keeps proving he ...
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer bounced back from...
Coming off a meniscus trim procedure last week, Brock Bowers returned to practice for the first time today in a limited capacity. The “doubtful” designation along with the limited practice suggests he is almost certainly not playing this week, but the Raider coaching staff seems optimistic he can be back in time for the week 3 contest against the Saints. Fantasy football managers will need to continue to watch his status in the coming days.
In Bowers’ absence, Michael Mayer will continue to operate as the team’s undisputed TE1. Against the Dolphins, Mayer was quarterback Kirk Cousins‘ favorite target, leading all pass catchers with seven targets. He also dominated tight end usage with an 81% snap share, and 22 routes run, completly eclipsing teammate Ian Thomas‘ 42% share and 2 routes run.
Michael Mayer won’t get the chance to test the 2027 free-agent market after all, securing a new deal that ranks fourth among tight ends in average annual value. Agreeing to an extension right before stepping in for an injured Brock Bowers is a surprising move, when a healthy season likely would have positioned him for a massive payday next offseason.
Perhaps Mayer values long-term security over the pressures of going elsewhere to compete for a TE1 role, or maybe he is truly happy being a Raider. After all, the organization did support him when he stepped away from football during the 2024 season for what was later reported as mental health reasons.
Mayer is now happy to remain in Las Vegas, and with Fernando Mendoza on a rookie contract for the next few years, he clearly felt comfortable committing Top-5 tight end money to a foundational depth piece. Mayer is PlayerProfiler’s TE10 for Week 1 fantasy football, and is currently the TE25 in dynasty leagues, although that will certainly change as we get more clarity on Bowers’ long term health.
Brock Bowers reportedly banged up his knee during training camp and had the injury diagnosed last week. He underwent a menicus trim procedure today and is expected to miss “a game or two.” The next man up on the depth chart would be fourth year tight end, Michael Mayer, who stepped into the primary tight end role last year, during Bowers’ injury riddled 2025 campaign.
Mayer came into the NFL with a strong prospect profile, featuring a 95th percentile College Dominator Rating, although he has failed to translate college dominance into consistent NFL production. In 2025 contests where he saw a snap share above 60%, Mayer averaged 5.5 targets, 3.6 receptions, 35 yards, and 0.14 touchdowns. Mayer is now a must-draft in all tight end premium fantasy football formats.
Brock Bowers suffered through a Week 1 PCL sprain and bone bruise, yet he still managed 14.7 Fantasy Points Per Game, ranking No. 2 at the position.
Now fully healthy, he returns to Klint Kubiak’s offense that helped him post an impressive 23.6-percent Target Share and 22.2-percent Target Rate despite his health-compromised 2025 season. Raiders team reporter Levi Edwards also reported, “it seems the Raiders’ coaching staff will give TE Brock Bowers every opportunity to replicate his historic rookie campaign.”
The talent profile is undeniable, making him a prime candidate to recapture the overall TE1 crown this year. At just 23-years old, Bowers is an absolute smash in the first round in all fantasy football formats based on position scarcity, especially dynasty leagues.
After trading away 2024’s fantasy football TE4 in Jonnu Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers, it left a void at the position. In a surprise move, the Dolphins traded for the then retired Darren Waller.
With plenty of trade buzz surfacing for players such as Cole Kmet, Michael Mayer, Isaiah Likely, and many more it came as a sudden surprise when Waller was acquired from the New York Giants. Since 2020, Darren Waller has seen a significant dive in production. In 2020, Waller was the TE2 in fantasy points per game with 17.4. Prior to retiring after the 2023 season, Waller only recorded 9.4 fantasy points per game.
On Underdog, Waller has surged from being wholly unranked to the late 16th round for a cumulative rise of 25 spots in the last week. There is little harm in adding Waller as a 3rd tight end in best ball builds as he goes late enough in drafts to where there still lies uncertainty for many surrounding him at cost. Drafters should have low expectations for Waller as he should only be a small part of a portfolio for those who draft in bulk.
Author: Jeremiah Retzlaff (@coachretzlaff1)
