Brock Bowers has emerged as one of the best tight ends in all of football in a short amount of time. The Georgia product tallied 112 receptions for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie, earning All-Pro Honors and coming in second in Rookie of the Year voting. Bowers looked to build off this coming into year two, but his availability is in question for the Monday night matchup with the Chargers due to a knee injury he suffered in Week 1.
Bowers did not practice today and, while he expressed his optimism for getting on the field, Pete Carroll did not hold the same level of confidence.
Bowers would leave some monstrous shoes to fill, and Michael Mayer stands first in line to try. The three-year veteran has notched 52 receptions for 498 yards and a pair of touchdowns in his career. This includes four receptions for 38 yards last week.
This matchup taking place on Monday night makes it especially difficult to make a call regarding Bowers’ outlook. Even while fighting through the knee issues, he tallied five receptions for 103 yards in Week 1. His 18.3 fantasy points based on DraftKings scoring led all tight ends last week. Mayer tallied 7.8 fantasy points of his own, which made him the 20th-ranked tight end in terms of fantasy football production last week.
The addition of Geno Smith at quarterback has changed the Raiders’ outlook in a major way, with all pass catchers benefiting. The bar was low compared to the production of Gardner Minshew, Aiden O’Connell, and Desmond Ridder last year, but Smith is a willing passer with a strong arm. Bowers sits atop the passing game priority list, and the tight end is heavily involved in the Raiders’ system.
Expect these principles to remain the same even if Bowers is to miss. While Mayer will not provide the same level of explosion, he has reliable hands and familiarity with the team. Based on how much of a crapshoot production at the tight end position has been across the board, Mayer should be in play from a streaming perspective and is a solid safety blanket to provide to your roster if you are a Bowers fantasy owner.
A 7.8 fantasy point outing in Mayer’s first game with Geno Smith is encouraging, and his role will be larger if Bowers is set to miss. Mayer was tied for third on the team in targets, even while sharing the field with Bowers in Week 1. The Raiders’ wide receiver unit is not the most threatening, and there is a need for tight-end production for the offense to function in full effect.
Stay tuned for injury news still to come, but Michael Mayer is worth a fantasy football addition and should be a starting option if Bowers is unable to go on Monday night.
