BrockBowers

News: 13 hours agoBowers (knee) remained a non-participant in Thursday's practice, Anthony Galaviz of The Fresno Bee reports.

Spin: Head coach Klint Kubiak has yet to officially rule Bowers out for Sunday's season opener versus the Dolphins, but the standout tight end is fully expected to be sidelined for Week 1 -- and likely, additional games beyond that -- after Adam Schefter of ESPN and Ian Rapoport of ESPN and NFL Network reported that Bowers underwent a meniscus trim procedure Tuesday. Though the previous report indicated that Bowers is expected to miss "a game or two," Schefter clarified Thursday in an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" that that timeline is coming from the tight end's camp and may be overly optimistic. For however long Bowers is sidelined, Michael Mayer is expected to take on an expanded role in the passing game as the Raiders' top tight end, and starting wideouts Tre Tucker and Jalen Nailor also will have clearer paths to elevated target counts.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Bowers entered 2025 with high expectations and appeared well on his way to another productive season with 103 yards in Week 1, but a late-game injury limited him for three weeks and led to five full missed games. Bowers remained productive when healthy, finishing second among tight ends in fantasy PPG. Incredibly, he tied for fifth in the NFL with 13 end zone targets despite all the missed action. Bowers, who posted a 112-1,194-5 receiving line as a rookie in 2024, will be the top target for No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza. The 23-year-old is well positioned for a highly productive season and should be on your radar in the second or third round.