Brock Bowers Fantasy Football Outlook as a Raider: Buy the ADP Dip
The frenzy of mock drafts across the NFL landscape for Brock Bowers included a handful of teams, but few, if any, included the Las Vegas Raiders. The uber-athletic TE fell out of the top 10 and was drafted by Vegas at pick No. 13 as the best player available, despite a clear need for a QB.
Bowers will be part of a rebuild for the Raiders as a highly versatile pass-catcher while they still search for their franchise signal caller.
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Brock Bowers as a Prospect
It’s been a minute since we’ve seen such a clear TE1 in a draft class. Bowers was an absolute rock star while at Georgia, leading his offense in receptions, yards, and touchdowns in each of his three seasons —all as a TE. Last year he posted a team-leading 56-714-6 line in just 10 contests as he was sidelined due to an ankle injury that involved TightRope surgery.
He won the Mackey Award as the best TE in the nation during his final two years at Georgia, earning unanimous All-America honors in 2023 and First Team All-America in 2022.
Bowers’ impact on UGA during his time in Athens, particularly following his return from surgery, was massive. Head Coach Kirby Smart had this to say when asked about his influence and if he’d be recovered in time for the Orange Bowl:
"His legacy is, he's a tremendous athlete, great toughness, I've never seen a kid come back from that injury like that. He kind of changed the culture and the work ethic around our offense. The way he has practiced is incredible, he's been a machine. The standard he set there will impact our roster for a long time."
Here’s a look at Bowers’ production during his three-year stint at UGA, with 2021 being his true freshman season.
| Season | Games | Receptions | Yards | Avg Yd/Rec | TDs | Rushing Yards | Rushing TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 15 | 56 | 882 | 15.8 | 13 | 56 | 1 |
| 2022 | 15 | 63 | 942 | 15.0 | 7 | 109 | 3 |
| 2023 | 10 | 56 | 714 | 12.8 | 6 | 28 | 1 |
His ability to produce is not in question, but the landing spot in Las Vegas has some worried about fantasy output, particularly in Year 1.
How Brock Bowers Fits with the Raiders
Las Vegas is a team that’s rebuilding and moving on from the Josh McDaniels era. They have their coach in Antonio Pierce, who gets the most from his guys. Davante Adams is still their top pass-catching option, but with Josh Jacobs, Hunter Renfrow, and Austin Hooper all no longer in the black and silver, there are 133 targets available from 2023 (23.9%), with 13.2% of those inside the 10-yard line.
Bowers has the skill set to step in and be a centerpiece in the passing offense along with Adams, and he’s a threat to take it to the house every single time he touches the ball. The Raiders may choose to use him in a number of ways, as he can excel in the slot and outside. Las Vegas did draft Michael Mayer last year in the second round, but he lacked fantasy relevancy with Hooper in the mix, and his larger frame will likely designate him to blocking status over rookie Bowers.
The Raiders hired former Bears OC Luke Getsy as their new OC which is likely favorable for Bowers, as he moved Chicago TE Cole Kmet all over the formation in 2023, translating to a TE8 finish in half-PPR points per contest.
In an offense in transition with just one veteran star, Bowers has a chance to see some solid volume in his first year in the NFL, and as we say in the fantasy football world, volume is king.
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Projecting the Raiders Offensive Pieces for Fantasy Purposes
Las Vegas did not address the QB position in the 2024 NFL Draft, but they made selections to help either Gardner Minshew or Aidan O’Connell stay clean by drafting C/G Jackson Powers-Johnson and T DJ Glaze with their second and third picks, respectively. Bowers coming in as an immediate short-area target helps both of these QBS, as they had lower aDOTs in 2023 (7 yards or under). While neither will be relevant for redraft leagues, whichever wins the starting gig should be considered a best ball QB3 with the potential to put up QB2 numbers in spike weeks.
Adams will remain the target leader for the Raiders and shouldn’t be impacted by the arrival of Bowers. Those short targets for the TE mentioned above will help open up the offense for the 31-year-old WR to slash defenses downfield, per usual. Due to QB uncertainty, Adams has fallen to WR11 in early Underdog drafts at pick 2.07 and is also the WR11 in 4for4’s early ranks.
Many think this landing spot is bad for Bowers and while we won’t get the Sam LaPorta rookie TE1 season we were hoping for paired with an elite QB, he should still put up some nice fantasy numbers in Year 1. The volume will be there and Bowers’ athleticism and talent are bound to shine through. The former Bulldog was leaving Underdog boards as the TE9 in the seventh round pre-NFL Draft. Let’s hope drafters fade him a bit as a Raider and he falls into fantasy TE2 territory. I’m buying any dip and think a top -10 season is well within the realm of possibility due to his upside alone.
Bottom Line
- Brock Bowers is a Day 1 starter for the Raiders. GM Tom Telesco was excited about the pick saying “you get a chance to add just another dimension to the offense, whether it's a tight end, hybrid receiver, whatever it is, you need more playmakers on that side of the ball."
- He’ll likely be second in targets behind Davante Adams, with 133 available from last year in a likely more pass-happy offense without Josh Jacobs.
- Bowers was priced as the TE9 in early Underdog leagues before becoming a Raider which will likely fall due to a perceived unfavorable landing spot. A top-10 TE finish is well within his range based on volume opportunity and on-field talent upside.
- Adams is also affordable, given the Vegas quarterback situation, and his WR11 ADP in the second round shouldn't be affected by the addition of Bowers.
- Michael Mayer is being drafted as the TE18 on Underdog, which should slide after he received TE company in rookie Bowers. He’s 4for4’s TE24 and is not in the redraft conversation heading into 2024.
