What projects to be a rough season for the Las Vegas Raiders record-wise, got off to a rough start before Week 1 even began, as it was revealed that Brock Bowers will miss "a game or two," per ESPN's Adam Schefter. Not only is this a devastating blow to the Raiders, who will be tougher to watch without their superstar tight end, but this is also a heartbreaking outcome for fantasy managers who used an early pick on Bowers, expecting to get premium value at a position lacking many elite options.
Raiders All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers underwent a meniscus trim Tuesday in Dallas with Dr. Daniel Cooper and now is expected to miss “a game or two”, league sources told @rapsheet and me. Bowers got banged up “a little in camp” and the injury was diagnosed last week and surgery… pic.twitter.com/42ANGHbYSC
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 9, 2026
While the injury looks to be short-term, every week counts in fantasy football. With that in mind, here's a look at what the Raiders' offense can look like without Bowers and how managers should be reacting to this injury.
Raiders have a seamless in-house replacement for Brock Bowers
With Bowers out, Michael Mayer is expected to take over as the team's TE1, and he's a solid streamer option for the Raiders' Week 1 matchup against the Miami Dolphins. Mayer hasn't lit up the stat sheet in any of his three NFL seasons, but it's worth noting that he was a second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and that the Raiders' quarterback situation has been lackluster for quite some time. Mayer is talented and hasn't had the privilege of being a TE1 or having solid quarterback play much at all.
Just last season, in a Week 16 game that Bowers missed due to injury, Mayer caught nine of his 10 targets for 89 yards against the New York Giants. I wouldn't expect that kind of production, but even in the following week, Mayer had three receptions on five targets for 47 yards. That isn't great by any means, but for a streamer with Aidan O'Connell and Kenny Pickett as the quarterbacks on the Raiders' roster, that isn't a bad outing either. As lackluster an option as Kirk Cousins might be, he's an upgrade over both of those guys.
It's easy to overlook this because he was technically the Raiders' backup tight end, but Mayer ranked fourth on the team in targets even with Bowers appearing in 12 games. The Raiders included him in their game plan when Bowers was healthy, and he was featured when Bowers wasn't. Nothing suggests that'll be any different this time around. If you didn't draft a backup tight end and are scrambling for a starter, you can do worse than Mayer.
Tre Tucker could sneakily benefit from Brock Bowers' injury
The first person most managers will turn to is Mayer, and understandably so, but Tre Tucker might be the pass-catcher to benefit most from this injury. Is Tucker a true WR1? Of course not, but he is probably considered the WR1 on the Raiders, and that matters more with Bowers out. Tucker led the team with 92 targets last season, and while Bowers' injury woes obviously had a lot to do with that, it goes to show that he was their most-trusted pass-catcher not named Bowers. Again, that matters.
Tucker's best game of 2025 actually came with Bowers in the lineup, as he caught eight of his nine targets for 145 yards and three touchdowns in a Week 3 loss in Washington, but Tucker was consistently leaned on in games Bowers missed.
Week | Targets | Receptions | Yards |
|---|---|---|---|
5 (at IND) | 6 | 4 | 62 |
6 (vs. TEN) | 5 | 5 | 70 |
7 (at KC) | 6 | 5 | 33 |
16 (vs. NYG) | 6 | 5 | 49 |
17 (vs. KC) | 6 | 2 | 30 |
Sure, Tucker didn't find his way into the end zone in any of these games and didn't light up the stat sheet by any means, but there's a consistent theme here. He was consistently given five or six targets per game. Having putrid quarterback play made it tough for that to matter much, but if Tucker can record five-ish receptions and find his way into the end zone just once, wouldn't that be a good FLEX stream? Do any of JuJu Brents, Chris Johnson or Jason Marshall Jr. scare you? Those are the Dolphins' cornerbacks.
I wouldn't expect a huge game from Tucker, but if you're looking for guaranteed volume, there's no reason to believe, based on the data, that he won't be fed the ball. Being fed the ball creates opportunity to put up points, and that's all fantasy managers are looking for.
Ashton Jeanty fantasy managers are sitting pretty
If healthy, Ashton Jeanty was primed for a huge year anyway for the Raiders. I mean, not only is the pass-catching talent beyond Bowers lackluster, but the Raiders used a top-10 pick on him in the 2025 NFL Draft, and beefed up their offensive line this offseason by signing Tyler Linderbaum. If he's on the field, he's going to be featured.
That's amplified without Bowers. Now, it's worth noting that Jeanty is dealing with a low ankle sprain, so that could limit his workload, but he's expected to play, and if he's on the field, it'll be hard for the Raiders to run a play that doesn't involve him.
Jeanty can contribute on the ground and in the air, and facing a lackluster Dolphins defense, he should put up tons of points in the season opener.
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