Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers' second NFL season was set to go down as a disappointment anyway, and now it's over a little early. According to multiple reports, the Las Vegas Raiders are placing their star tight end on IR due to the knee injury that he has dealt with all season.
Bowers suffered that knee injury in Week 1, and after clearly being limited in the following three games, he missed the next three contests. He returned after the Raiders' bye with a huge game in Week 9 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, then came a dud in Week 10 against the Denver Broncos.
His fantasy managers have been starting him no matter what, but that autopilot mode and the lack of a Week 9-style outing obscure what he's been doing lately. He has scored or topped 50 yards in five of his last six games, and over that span, he was the TE4, regardless of scoring format.
Now, Bowers' fantasy managers who have something at stake in Week 17 (or Week 18) have to make a quick pivot. Many probably haven't been carrying a second tight, so that means going to the waiver wire. With that, here are five waiver wire options to replace Bowers.
5 fantasy football waiver wire TEs to replace Brock Bowers in Week 17
5. Chig Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans
Okonkwo hasn't been the most impressive fantasy tight end, with double-digit full PPR points just three times all season. But he is on an upward trend after scoring his first touchdown of the season in Week 16, and he has 14 targets over the last two games.
Week 17 brings a decidedly middle-of-the-road, and perhaps bad, matchup for Okonkwo. But the New Orleans Saints also allowed 8.4 full PPR points to New York Jets tight end Stone Smartt in Week 16, and the Titans' tight end has a clear raw talent advantage.
Streaming Okonkwo in Week 17 is not for the faint of heart. You'd be hoping for a chunk play or two, or perhaps a touchdown. But on the tight end waiver wire streets, a case can be made for some upside.
ESPN Ownership: 5.4%
Yahoo! Ownership: 16%
4. Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans
Over his last 10 games, Schultz has either topped 50 yards or scored seven times, and on two occasions, both. Two of the exceptions came against two of the top six teams against tight ends this season: the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Week 17 brings a tough-looking matchup for Schultz, as the Los Angeles Chargers allow the seventh-fewest fantasy points to tight ends this season. But they also faced the fourth-fewest tight end targets in the league, and one has topped 60 yards against them in three of their last four games.
Schultz stretches beyond the general availability threshold to be a waiver wire add, and he has popped up on the early injury reports this week. The game against the Chargers in Week 17 is also on Saturday, so be aware of that. But if Schultz plays, this Chargers matchup is not as bad as it seems.
ESPN Ownership: 59%
Yahoo! Ownership: 55%
3. Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
Johnson has been somewhat up-and-down this season, and Week 16 against the New York Jets qualified as an up, with eight catches for 89 yards. Saints quarterback Tyler Shough has had a fairly narrow target tree, with 25 targets split between Chris Olave (16) and Johnson (9).
At a glance, Week 17 against the Tennessee Titans looks like a mediocre matchup for Johnson. But before a lackluster quarterback-driven dud from Travis Kelce in Week 16, three straight tight ends scored a touchdown against them.
In fact, the latter two, Harold Fannin Jr. and George Kittle, had eight catches and at least 88 yards to go with their touchdown. Johnson is available in enough leagues to be worthy of attention from now Bowers-less fantasy managers
ESPN Ownership: 57%
Yahoo! Ownership: 70%
Fantasy managers who want to live more dangerously or just find a lack of viable options on the waiver wire to replace Bowers could consider Saints tight end Taysom Hill and hope he can do something like what he did in Week 16: 78 yards from scrimmage and a passing touchdown.
RELATED: Raiders may be preparing a not-so-jolly holiday surprise for Geno Smith
2. Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars
In five games since coming back from injury, Strange has topped 14 full PPR points three times. On a per-game basis, that 14-point average would be TE5 for the full season.
In the Jaguars' first matchup against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 14, Strange had just 27 yards on three catches. But his targets were tied for second on the team in a 36-19 win, and it's fair to assume the Week 17 matchup will be a little more competitive with Philip Rivers under center for Indianapolis.
The Colts have also been one of the more generous teams to opposing tight ends this season, so things are lining up nicely for Strange on Sunday. The gap in his ESPN and Yahoo! rostered rates is notable, but he's also rostered in just 30.1 percent of NFL.com leagues.
ESPN Ownership: 29.9%
Yahoo! Ownership: 66%
1. Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears
Since his breakthrough game in Week 9, Loveland has topped 60 yards just once. But he does have double-digit full PPR points in three of his last five games while averaging 11.8 yards per catch over that full seven-game span.
If the Bears end up without wide receivers Rome Odunze and Luther Burden again in Week 17 against the San Francisco 49ers, Loveland would be in line for a big role. The 49ers are in the bottom half of the league in fantasy points allowed to tight ends this season.
It's worth monitoring the status of Odunze and Burden, since one or both being out would raise Loveland's ceiling in what's already a fine matchup. But regardless, a finish as a top 10-12 tight end for the week in Week 17 is in play for the Bears' rookie.
ESPN Ownership: 45.2%
Yahoo! Ownership: 44%