The tight end position is arguably more interesting than it’s ever been. We’ve seen a changing of the guard over the past few seasons, with the older, established stars at the position giving way to an emerging group of new faces.
Brock Bowers is at the top of that list. Bowers entered the league two years ago as a “can’t-miss” prospect, and he delivered an elite fantasy season as a rookie. He racked up 112 catches, 1,194 receiving yards, and five touchdowns, resulting in a TE1 finish in 0.5-PPR scoring. He was even more dominant after the team traded away Davante Adams, posting a 28% target share from Week 5 on.
After an injury-plagued sophomore campaign, Bowers appears poised for a massive bounce-back campaign in 2026–27. He’s the consensus TE1 in our expert rankings, but that comes at a premium. He’s coming off the board with an ADP of 20.4 on Underdog and 19.45 on DraftKings, so he’s going to cost you a pick in the middle of the second round.
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The big question: is he worth that price tag? Let’s make the case for and against Bowers before delivering our final verdict.
The Case For Bowers
The case for Bowers is pretty simple. He’s a supremely talented player who appears poised to become the “next great tight end.” He broke out as a true freshman at Georgia, racking up 56 catches, 882 yards, and 14 touchdowns at just 18 years old. He followed that up with two more dominant collegiate seasons before being selected 13th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Athletically, Bowers checks every box. He combines excellent size and speed, and Player Profiler lists his closest comparable as Travis Kelce. That’s pretty high praise, but it feels warranted for Bowers.
He also appears poised for massive volume in 2026–27. Bowers followed up his breakout rookie campaign with a 24% target share last season, despite clearly being limited at the beginning of the season. That seems like a baseline for him in his third season, and he could easily eclipse the 30% threshold with the level of target competition around him. The Raiders have one of the weakest receiving corps in the entire league, with Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor, and Jack Bechserving as their projected top three options. I don’t know about you, but I’m leaning on Bowers pretty heavily with those types of alternatives.
The Raiders should also have better quarterback play this season. Geno Smith was among the worst starters in the league in 2025–26, so Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza have to be better by default. Cousins, in particular, helped propel Kyle Pitts to the best numbers of his career down the stretch last season. Look at what he did for Pitts after taking over as the starting QB in Week 12:
- Pitts Weeks 1 through 11: 21% target share, 9.6 PPR points per game
- Pitts Weeks 12 through 18: 27% target share, 16.3 PPR points per game
While Cousins probably won’t hold the starting job for long in Las Vegas, his time at the helm could be fruitful for Bowers.
Updated on 7/30/26
The Case Against Bowers
The case against Bowers has less to do with him and more to do with everything else. Bowers will likely be really good if healthy, but that still doesn’t necessarily make him worth a mid-second-round pick.
The sheer depth at the position this season means you can get a really good tight end very cheap. In standard 12-team leagues, guys like Dallas Goedert, Dalton Kincaid, Juwan Johnson, and Orande Gadsden aren’t even being drafted as starters. That doesn’t even include the “upside” flyers like Chig Okonkwo, Kenyon Sadiq, and Greg Dulcich, who might not even be drafted.
Is it better to use a second-round pick on Bowers and a late-round selection on a RB or WR, or is that capital better spent on an early RB/WR and a late tight end? Tight end is certainly easier to fill, so you could make a case that Bowers in the second round is more of a luxury than a necessity. Sean Koerner has guys like Jeremiyah Love, Kyren Williams, and George Pickens below Bowers in his Best Ball Rankings, but you might have a stronger overall team if you start with one of those options.
Additionally, the Raiders’ offense could struggle to put points on the scoreboard. Bowers had just five touchdowns as a rookie, which ultimately kept his fantasy production in check. The team was dead last in both points and yards per game on offense last season, and while they figure to be improved this season, they’re still probably a below-average unit.
Ultimately, Bowers is going to need an elite season to justify this type of price tag, and he probably can’t accomplish that without double-digit touchdowns.
Final Verdict
This one is pretty tricky. On one hand, I really like Bowers the player, and I think the positives outweigh the negatives from a situation standpoint. The combination of Cousins and Mendoza should be good enough at QB, and the volume should overcome any sort of efficiency concerns.
On the other hand, the depth of the TE position makes it tough to justify taking any TE this early. You can pretty comfortably sit back and build the rest of your roster, and you’re going to be pretty happy with whatever TE you end up with late. Even if you’re the last manager to select a starting TE – and a few teams ahead of you take two – you’re still going to get a potential contributor.
Ultimately, the upside of Bowers is simply too tempting to pass up completely. For Best Ball, I’ve been happy to scoop him up whenever he slips past ADP, and I’ve even paired him with Trey McBride in a few situations. Both guys are good enough to be usable in the flex, and they give you a massive edge over the rest of your league at tight end.
I’m probably going to employ a similar strategy in redraft leagues. I will be happy to scoop up Bowers if he falls towards the back half of Round 2, but I simply can’t justify reaching for him. The depth at tight end is simply too good, and there are still some scenarios where Bowers fails to erupt.
Pictured: Brock Bowers
Photo Credit: Imagn
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