Raiders fans and fantasy football owners hoping to see Brock Bowers make his season debut on Sunday appear to be headed for disappointment. Las Vegas has not ruled their star right end out for their matchup against the Chargers just yet, but all signs point to him waiting one more week before he's ready to play after undergoing a minor knee procedure just before the start of the season.
The positive spin for the Raiders is that they won their opener without the services of their most dynamic pass catcher. When healthy, Bowers is one of the best tight ends in the game. He will absolutely be the most accomplished offensive weapon available to quarterback Kirk Cousins once he's cleared to return to action.
Is Brock Bowers playing today? Here's what the Raiders have said
The Raiders have officially deemed Bowers' status to be "doubtful" ahead of their late afternoon kick. On its own, that designation stacks the odds against Bowers being active this week. Further moves by the Las Vegas front office make it even more obvious that the team does not expect Bowers to be on the field this week.
More Saturday moves:
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 19, 2026
— The #Bengals elevated QB Josh Johnson, with Joe Burrow questionable (but expected to play).
— #Ravens WR Zay Flowers (hamstring) has been downgraded to out.
— The #Raiders elevated TE Chris Myarick, with Brock Bowers doubtful.
Mainly, the team's decision to elevate tight end Chris Myarick to the active roster signals their intent to play without Bowers for at least one more week. Myarick should slot in as the team's No. 3 tight end this week. That's an increasingly important position on any NFL roster given the rise of multiple tight end sets in the modern game.
Even if Bowers beats the odds and finds a way to play, the Raiders will be judicious with his snap count. They understand his long-term health is vital to their future. The last thing they need to do is rush Bowers back into action after his meniscus trim and further complicate the health of his knee.
Bowers' predicted absence should lead the Raiders to lean even more heavily on running back Ashton Jeanty than normal. Jeanty's fantasy owners might be the only group pleased to hear that Bowers is unlikely to play against the Chargers.
Raiders tight end depth chart if Brock Bowers is ruled out
Position | Player |
|---|---|
TE1 | Michael Mayer |
TE2 | Ian Thomas |
TE3 | Chris Myarick |
The silver (and black) lining for Raiders fans is that they do have some interesting tight end options on the roster behind Bowers. Michael Mayer projects to be the team's No. 1 option this week and he is a good two-way player who can help their offense in multiple ways.
Ian Thomas is also a quality blocker, though he came into the league with expectations that he could be a quality receiver as well. He never lived up to that pre-draft hype with the Panthers, but he's qualified to give Las Vegas a boost as their No. 2 tight end in short- and medium-yardage situations.
The aforementioned Myarick will largely be used as an auxiliary blocker. He is not a player Raider fans or fantasy owners should expect to emerge as a meaningful factor in thjeantye passing game this week.
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