After a record-setting rookie season, Las Vegas Raiders star Brock Bowers was the first tight end off the board in pretty much every fantasy football draft this year. The idea that he's the top option in a much-improved passing game was also incredibly enticing.
The potential for the Raiders to have a bad defense was also there, which would bring pass-heavy game scripts on a regular basis. This would only bolster his value as a fantasy football player and make managers covet his talents in early rounds of the draft.
Bowers topped 100 yards in Week 1, fueled by multiple big plays, but he also suffered a knee injury during that game. He has played in the last two contests, with his typical snap shares, but he has clearly been limited by his injury on his way to a total of just nine catches for 76 yards.
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Even though it's only Week 4, if Bowers continues to underachieve, it will soon become a legitimate concern. Alex Kay of Bleacher Report even has Bowers on his list of five players who are prime buy-low trade targets for fantasy managers who are trying to navigate injury issues.
"Although Bowers didn't miss any time due to the PCL sprain, the issue is clearly limiting his athleticism and playmaking abilities," Kay wrote. "After a strong 15.3-point Week 1 performance, the pass-catcher has generated a meager 38 yards in each of the last two games and failed to record a top-12 finish at his position in either."
While this is a fair criticism of Bowers' production, Kay also acknowledged that the Raiders' star is still among the best in the league.
"At his best, Bowers is a matchup nightmare who can blow past slower linebackers and use his 6'4", 235-pound frame to outmuscle smaller defensive backs," Kay wrote. "He paced the Raiders by a wide margin with 153 targets last year and smashed records by putting up an eye-popping 262.7 points as a rookie. He remains Vegas' best pass-catcher, but he currently only ranks second on the team in targets and receptions, third in receiving yards and is still seeking his first touchdown of 2025."
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Kay was careful to mention how the reigning top-scoring fantasy tight end has struggled to repeat the next year, but he thinks Bowers should buck the trend.
"Managers who are dealing with injuries to tight ends such as George Kittle or Colston Loveland should take advantage of managers fearing a similar regression from the Raiders star," Kay wrote. "Buy Bowers at his lowest point this week and capitalize when he turns things around in the coming weeks."
Despite his underachievement in the last two games, Bowers is still a top-10 fantasy tight end for the season entering Week 4. But he is absolutely at a low point right now, and as his knee gets better, so should his production.
Bowers' fantasy managers should not do anything rash like trade him for pennies on the dollar right now. But on the flipside, non-Bowers managers would do well to consider making a viable trade offer to the Bowers manager in their league.