After a record-setting rookie season in 2024, Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers started his sophomore campaign with a 100-yard game. However, a knee injury he suffered during that game would impact him all season.
After gutting it out for a few weeks, he missed three games before the bye week. Then, with nothing but the No. 1 overall pick to play for, Bowers was shut down by the team (with far less fanfare than Maxx Crosby) for the final two games of the year.
By fantasy points per game, Bowers was a top-10 tight end last season, regardless of scoring format. And he was operating at less than full strength, perhaps notably so, for most of the 48 quarters (and one overtime) he suited up for.
Fantasy analyst tells Las Vegas Raiders fans (and everyone else) what they already knew about Brock Bowers' 2025 season
ESPN fantasy analyst Tristan Cockcroft recently took a look at nine players who fell short of expectations in 2025, and analyzed if it was a "bad sign" or just a "bad season." Bowers was, of course, among those nine underacheivers from last season.
"A year after setting the rookie tight end record for fantasy points, Bowers battled knee issues that cost him five games and made him markedly inconsistent (37% of his production came in two games). While a Fernando Mendoza/Kirk Cousins quarterback partnership won't fuel bounce-back excitement, better health alone would restore Bowers' front-line status. His catch rate (73.6%), yards per route (1.84) and average depth of target (6.8 yards) were all in line with his rookie-year numbers (73.6%, 2.15 and 6.1). Make sure you're paying attention to his progress during the preseason, but ...
"Verdict: Bad season."
Whoever starts under center for the Raiders this season, Cousins or Mendoza, can only be better than what Bowers has experienced through two seasons. And if Aidan O'Connell ends up having to play, he at least knew where his bread was buttered in 2024.
O'Connell started and played every snap in four games that season. Bowers had at least seven catches and more than 70 yards in all four, with double-digit targets three times. The two clearly have a rapport, and this is the worst-case scenario that we're talking about.
Bowers' 2025 campaign was clearly a, hopefully never to be repeated, injury-driven disappointment. If we needed a refresher on that front, just ahead of when fantasy football draft season hits full-force, we have it now.
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