Imagine galloping on your horse when you come across a little town in the middle of nowhere. The local tavern seems to be open, as the front door is creaking back and forth ever so slightly, but not another human can be seen with the naked eye, not even a shadow. A tumbleweed bounces softly off the dirt, then a gust of wind propels it through the air.
Welcome to the 2024 fantasy football tight end landscape.
According to FantasyPros ADP, here is how the top 10 at the position were drafted:
- Travis Kelce
- Sam LaPorta
- Mark Andrews
- Trey McBride
- Dalton Kincaid
- George Kittle
- Evan Engram
- Kyle Pitts
- Jake Ferguson
- David Njoku
Here are the top 10 tight ends after two weeks into the season:
- Isaiah Likely
- Brock Bowers
- George Kittle
- Trey McBride
- Hunter Henry
- Mike Gesicki
- Kyle Pitts
- Zach Ertz
- Pat Freiermuth
- Foster Moreau
Now, it’s early so many of these names will return to the depths of a certain entity that shall not be named, while some of the preseason darlings will make us fall in love again. That said, one name that intrigues is Brock Bowers, and not just because this writer happens to be a Raiders fan. No, he’s been straight balling out. Let’s dig in to see if he can maintain his spot in the top 10.
Bowers is 6-foot-3, 243 pounds and runs a 4.55 40-yard dash. He played three seasons in college at Georgia and won the John Mackey Award twice while helping the Bulldogs win two national championships. He was considered one of the best tight end prospects coming out of college and was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders with the 13th overall pick.
There was uncertainty as to his usage, though, because the Raiders selected Michael Mayer in the second round the prior season and many perceived the Raiders to be an inept offense this season.
Well, the Raiders are 1-1 and coming off a 26-23 win over the Baltimore Ravens. Gardner Minshew went 30-of-38 for 276 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Bowers caught all nine targets for 98 yards, The nine receptions tied Davante Adams for the team lead.
Bowers has run 53 routes in the 84 total snaps he’s played so far. Only six other tight ends have run more. The 17 targets, 15 receptions and 156 yards all lead the position. Among tight ends that have received at least 10 targets, the 88.2% catch rate is tops.
The main number, though, is the 32.1% target rate. Davante Adams has a 23.4% number and he is still the leader of the target pie. That said, Bowers is right behind him.
In addition, the expected pass rate for Las Vegas has been 64.6%. The actual pass rate has been 70.3%, 5.7% over expectations and the second-highest in the NFL.
Touchdowns will determine the ceiling for Bowers, but the floor looks to be extremely high, especially since the Raiders will likely be throwing a lot this season, either by design or because they are behind.
Outside of injury, Bowers finishing in the top 10 seems highly likely.
On DK Sportsbook, Bowers is +1500 to win Offensive Rookie of the Year, the fourth-lowest odds.
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