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Even in an injury-disrupted 2025, Bowers earned elite usage and flashed week-winning upside. He enters 2026 as the centerpiece of a thin Raiders passing game. Bowers is worth a look from late-Round 2 onward in 12-team drafts.
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Bowers racked up 64 catches, 680 yards, and 7 TDs in 12 games last season. His 4.9 catches per game ranked second among TEs; his 56.7 yards per game ranked third.
Bowers finished fourth in both PPR and half-PPR points per game, a little behind his expected TE2 finish. Notably, 24.8% of his PPR points came in one game vs. Jacksonville (12-127-3).
Overall, Bowers turned in four top-6 fantasy finishes, plus two weeks at TE7 and one at TE11. He ranked TE14 or worse in five games.
Bowers ranked second among TEs with a 21.7% target share and 6.9 targets per game.
That usage held up in the red zone, where Bowers saw a huge 42.5% target share. He also finished second in end-zone targets (12), despite missing five games.
Bowers’ efficiency probably wasn’t as strong as you’d expect, and the injury section helps explain why.
Among 49 TEs with 30+ targets, Bowers ranked:
He ranked just 20th out of 50 TEs in ESPN’s Open Score, a measure of how well a player creates separation.
The Raiders produced a poor environment for fantasy production.
Vegas QBs paired a fine 66.0% completion rate with only 6.5 yards per attempt (27th league-wide) and 169.5 yards per game (28th).
OC Chip Kelly -- who was fired after 11 games -- led a unit that ranked fourth in pass rate but 29th in situation-neutral pace, 32nd in scoring, and 32nd in total plays.
Don’t let the injury-disrupted season erase what Bowers did as a rookie.
In 2024, he posted rookie TE records for PPR points (262.7), catches (112), and receiving yards (1,194). The massive season came with a shaky QB situation that included nine starts from Gardner Minshew, seven from Aidan O’Connell, and one from Desmond Ridder.
Injuries crushed Bowers’ chance at repeating his 2024.
A knee issue popped up in Week 1, and Bowers played through it for the next four weeks before it was identified as a left PCL injury and a bone bruise.
“I want to be back to going full speed, being able to separate from guys,” Bowers said in early October. “I feel like I can’t really do that to the best of my abilities right now.”
Bowers returned for Week 9 and exploded for a 12-127-3 line vs. the Jags. He stayed on the field through Week 16, when the Raiders placed him on injured reserve with another knee issue. There’s no indication of a setback, with reporter Tom Pelissero saying the move was made to get Bowers “100% in 2026.”
Expect Bowers’ elite usage to continue, with Jalen Nailor, Tre Tucker, and Jack Bech forming a shaky WR group around him.
Nailor signed a three-year deal with $23 million in guarantees. That suggests the Raiders plan to start him, but he spent four seasons as the No. 3 or 4 WR in Minnesota behind Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Adam Thielen. Nailor set career highs last year with just 29 catches and 444 yards.
Tucker looks more like a role player than an every-down starter, even after a career-best 2025 (57-696-5). The 5’8, 192-pounder posted poor per-route efficiency and drew just 17.9% of Raiders targets despite Jakobi Meyers’ midseason departure, Bowers missing five games, and the rest of the WRs contributing little.
Bech brought promise as a Round 2 pick last year, but he managed only 20 catches in 16 games.
The Raiders also return former Round 2 TE Michael Mayer, whose 44.4% route rate could climb. New HC Klint Kubiak leaned into two-TE sets in Seattle last year, ranking eighth in the league at 30%. His 2024 Saints offense ranked sixth at 30.5%.
Mayer has a path to snaps when Bowers aligns off the line. But that’s more of a formation wrinkle than a real threat to Bowers, who should contend for the league lead in TE targets.
Kubiak said in March that “ideally,” he wouldn’t have to start top pick Fernando Mendoza right away. We’ll see how long that lasts.
Kirk Cousins could start into midseason and at least brings familiarity with Kubiak. They spent three seasons together in Minnesota, including a strong 2021 campaign with Kubiak calling plays. Cousins threw for 4,221 yards, 33 TDs, and just 7 INTs that year, topping league average in both completion rate (66.3%) and yards per attempt (7.5).
But Cousins has looked like a QB in decline since leaving Minnesota. He managed only 6.4 yards per attempt for last year’s Falcons, ranking 31st among 33 qualifiers in on-target throw rate.
We’re not downgrading Bowers because of Cousins. The TE has already shown he can produce at an elite level through bad QB play, and the team will surely shift to Mendoza if Cousins truly struggles.
Kubiak clearly thinks highly of Bowers after calling him a “football robot from heaven” in May.
“We gotta get the most out of Brock,” Kubiak continued. “Wherever he goes, he’s been successful: in college, in high school … whoever’s coached him … can’t say enough good things about him. Love his work ethic. He’s a standard bearer.”
Kubiak’s three stops as an OC have produced finishes of 30th (2025), 25th (2024), and 21st (2021) in pass rate over expected. That might be concerning for an average starting TE, but there’s no question Bowers will be featured in this passing game.
It starts with good health after Bowers’ injury-impacted 2025. The good news is he participated in OTAs, and there’s been no talk of managing his prior knee issue.
No matter who starts at QB, Bowers should finish first or second at the position in targets, giving him an elite ceiling. Our projections peg him for 8.0 targets per game, second among TEs behind Trey McBride.
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Brock Bowers Building Chemistry With His New QB
Brock Bowers Building Chemistry With His New QB
ESPN’s Ryan McFadden writes that “Brock Bowers' connection has looked strong” with QB Kirk Cousins. HC Klint Kubiak named Cousins his starter heading into training camp.
Healthy Brock Bowers Set Up for a Career Year in Klint Kubiak's Offense
Healthy Brock Bowers Set Up for a Career Year in Klint Kubiak's Offense
According to ESPN’s Ryan McFadden, Brock Bowers is fully healthy and set up for a potential career year. He impressed everyone from new QB Kirk Cousins to HC Klint Kubiak during OTAs, with his health and talent on full display. Cousins even compared Bowers to Jordan Reed in Washington, whom he called “arguably their best eligible player there.” Reed led the league in PPR points per game in 2015 (17.6).
Will Kirk Cousins Start Week 1 for the Raiders?
Will Kirk Cousins Start Week 1 for the Raiders?
QB Kirk Cousins agreed to a contract with the Las Vegas Raiders per his agent. With only QB Aidan O'Connell currently on the roster, the Raiders plan to draft QB Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick. But, HC Klint Kubiak expressed interest in signing a veteran QB to not force Mendoza into the lineup for Week 1. Kubiak coached Cousins for three seasons in Minnesota, so the fit should be easy into Kubiak's offense. Cousins appears to be the perfect fit to start the season and let Mendoza ease into the NFL. Cousins should be the favorite to start Week 1.
Klint Kubiak Expected as New Head Coach of the Raiders
Klint Kubiak Expected as New Head Coach of the Raiders
Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak intends to work on a deal to become the Raiders’ next head coach after the Super Bowl. Kubiak was the OC for the Saints before heading to the Seahawks. He will now inherit an offense with key young weapons in RB Ashton Jeanty, TE Brock Bowers, and likely QB Fernando Mendoza as the top pick of the 2026 NFL Draft.
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Raiders Fire Pete Carroll After One Season
The Las Vegas Raiders have fired HC Pete Carroll after on season as the head coach. The 2025 Raiders season was disastrous, with the team going 3-14. Tom Brady is expected to be a major factor in the search for a new head coach.
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