Fantasy Drafters Warned to Fade Unexpected Raiders Star

However, they did have one standout performer: rookie tight end Brock Bowers. In his first year, he emerged as TE1 in full-PPR, 17-week leagues. His performance last season has fans and analysts buzzing about his potential in what's expected to be a vastly improved Las Vegas offense in 2025.

With Geno Smith under center, Pete Carroll and Chip Kelly on the sidelines, and a better supporting cast to take defensive pressure off him, Bowers could see an even more productive year. However, there's a chance that the optimism surrounding the Raiders might be pushing his average draft position too high.

Has Brock Bowers become an overrated fantasy target?

With a fantastic rookie campaign under his belt and a vastly improved system and roster for the Las Vegas Raiders, there are high hopes that Brock Bowers can have another monster fantasy season in 2025. However, the depth of this new offense could serve to take away from his volume and production, too.

Pro Football Focus' Nathan Jahnke is concerned that Bowers is going too high in fantasy drafts this year. He expressed worry that the tight end's relatively small stature could cause him to be on the field less this season:

"Bowers is relatively small for a tight end at 230 pounds. Dalton Kincaid, Chigoziem Okonkwo and Juwan Johnson are also tight ends under 240 pounds, and all of them have had issues around playing time during their career. The fact that Bowers played so much was huge for his fantasy production."

"Mayer played 20 snaps with the Raiders starters during the preseason compared to 11 by Bowers. They primarily played in 11 personnel, outside of sharing the field for two goal-line snaps. The two split snaps on first downs, with Mayer taking all of the second downs, and Bowers taking most of the third downs. While we can expect the Raiders to use a lot more 12 personnel in the regular season, this usage is still concerning."

Ultimately, Jahnke still views Bowers as a top option at his position in fantasy, but feels that he'll fall short of expectations set by his ADP in the second round:

"I no longer believe you should be considering Bowers in the second round when you can pick McBride or Kittle in the third round. I still think it’s important to land a top-three tight end, given the landscape at the position relative to other positions. This has moved McBride and Kittle up to ensure that you land a top tight end. This is a relatively small change in projected performance, but such changes often lead to significant shifts in the rankings, as the gap between closely ranked players is typically small.

Time will tell whether Bowers' lowered usage in the preseason was simply to give other tight ends a more in-depth look in exhibitions. With the talent he has as a receiver, it'll be difficult to keep him off the field too often, even with the Raiders improving their depth of pass-catchers.

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