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University of Georgia tight end Brock Bowers was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders with the 13th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. It was a somewhat surprising landing spot for Bowers, considering the Raiders used a second-round pick on promising tight end Michael Mayer in the 2024 NFL Draft.
One of the best collegiate tight ends in history, Bowers has reportedly shined in training camp with the Raiders. Unfortunately, he suffered a foot injury in the team's first preseason game and has not practiced in recent weeks.
Will Brock Bowers be healthy before the season begins? Will Bowers play in Week 1? What is his 2024 fantasy football outlook?
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Will Brock Bowers Play In Week 1?
The 13th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, Brock Bowers is expected to make an immediate impact for a Las Vegas Raiders offense that is in need of playmakers.
After reportedly shining in training camp, Bowers reeled in two catches for 25 yards in Week 1 of the preseason. However, the former Georgia Bulldog picked up a foot injury that has forced him to miss practice for the last several weeks and cast some doubt on his availability for Week 1 of the 2024 regular season.
#Raiders HC Antonio Pierce on whether he expects Brock Bowers (foot) to play Week 1:
“Yeah, I feel really good about that, to be honest.”
Pierce has a 60% reliability rating on injury coachspeak (low sample size), but he’s been more reliable when expressing a high level of… pic.twitter.com/V7BpvK4T79
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) August 29, 2024
When Las Vegas head coach Antonio Pierce was asked about Bowers being ready for the season opener in an August 29th press conference, he responded by saying, “Yeah, I feel really good about that to be honest,” Pierce said of Bowers’s status. “Just again, I’m going to go back to protecting the young guy. Sometimes you get in the league, you have got to be smart, and sometimes you have got to protect them from themselves. So, that’s all it is.”
Brock Bowers 2024 Fantasy Outlook
Assuming Bowers is healthy and ready to go in Week 1, his path to fantasy dominance still isn't set in stone. While Bowers was one of the most productive tight ends in the history of college football, he's stepping into a difficult situation with the current Raiders offense.
Veteran journeyman Gardner Minshew was recently named the Week 1 starting quarterback for Las Vegas, which could be argued is a better situation for Raiders pass catchers than the alternative, second-year QB Aidan O'Connell.
Every preseason play for Brock Bowers.
More blocking than Fantasy drafters would probably prefer. Maybe the Raiders just wanted to test him out in that regard.
Zero snaps with Week 1 starting QB Gardner Minshew. pic.twitter.com/5klGMIrRm4
— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) August 26, 2024
In addition to the shaky outlook at QB, Bowers will be competing for targets with superstar WR1 Davante Adams, veteran receiver Jakobi Meyers, and second-year tight end Michael Mayer in what was a heavily run-leaning Raiders offense down the stretch last season.
The tight end position can be a notoriously tough one to transition to in the NFL. Expectations that Bowers could put forth a Sam LaPorta-like rookie campaign should certainly be tempered due to both his preseason injury and this Las Vegas offense's apparent limitations. He's a talented enough player to overcome these obstacles and be fantasy-relevant in 2024, though he should currently be viewed as a tier below the game's elite fantasy tight ends.
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