Brock Bowers Misses Practice, Causing Fantasy Football Chaos And Uncertainty Surrounding Michael Mayer

In what has surprised many, but shouldn't have surprised anyone, Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers was not spotted at practice today. After a promising week and reassurance from Raiders head coach Klint Kubiac, Bowers is now in danger of missing another game in Week 3.

Raiders TE Brock Bowers was not seen during the open portion of Friday’s Raiders practice, per @samwarren83 pic.twitter.com/EYTCQ7P0yz
— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) September 25, 2026

If you have been following us, you know that we have expected Bowers to come back in Week 4 at the earliest all along. Nevertheless, this does not necessarily mean Bowers will not play this week, but it certainly isn't a positive sign.

Fantasy Impact

TE Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders

The worst-case scenario would be if he's a game-time decision with the team playing in the late-afternoon games on Sunday. We would not advise relying on Bowers this week. If you do not have a reliable pivot option that you can swap in for him, then just go with another option.

Even if Bowers does start this week, we aren't confident that he'll play well. We saw him struggle last season after dealing with a knee injury. There is a real chance that even if he is active, Bowers will have his snap count limited.

Under know circumstance, should you be expecting to plug an elite TE1 into your lineup this week. Not only are their opponents, the New Orleans Saints, a tough matchup, allowing the 10th-fewest fantasy points to tight ends this season, but we have almost no confidence that Bowers is healthy enough to be a productive fantasy tight end.

TE Michael Mayer, Las Vegas Raiders

Mayer is the ideal pivot option for the Raiders this week. If Bowers is out and Mayer plays, Mayer should be a good enough option. Otherwise, you'll likely be stuck deciding who to stream between options like Cade Otton and Evan Engram.

The real issue will be if Bowers plays and you own both Bowers and Mayer. Then you are in a real pickle.

We would not want to start Mayer if Bowers is active, but they will likely just split the work and cannibalize each other. Hopefully, the Raiders announce early that they are giving Bowers another week or two to get fully healthy, and you can plug Mayer into your lineup with confidence.

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