With the injury to Brock Bowers, fantasy football managers are left with a void on their roster. Let’s check out the extent of the injury and players you can target on your fantasy football waiver wire this week. And also be sure to check out all of our full fantasy football waiver wire advice for the week.
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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Injury Replacements
Fantasy Football Injury Outlook
Brock Bowers (knee) to miss ‘a game or two’
Brock Bowers underwent a minor meniscus trim operation on Tuesday and is set to be sidelined for ‘a game or two’ as a result.
Fantasy Impact
Bowers reportedly got ‘banged up’ during training camp last week, and the team made the decision to have him undergo a minor procedure to trim his meniscus. This is especially concerning considering that he missed much of last year due to a nagging knee injury, and the team already expects him to be sidelined for at least a game or two while he recovers from this one. This is an alarming situation that fantasy managers should keep close tabs on, as this injury could linger if there are any setbacks in his recovery. Michael Mayer will step in as the team’s top tight end in his absence, with Tre Tucker and Jalen Nailor both also likely to see an increase in opportunities in the star tight end’s absence.
Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Replacements to Target
Maybe it’s hard to see the appeal of a tight end who had only 11 catches last season and is on a roster laden with tight ends. But Terrance Ferguson averaged 21.0 yards per catch and 9.2 yards per target in 2025, and three of his catches went for touchdowns. Ferguson is big (6-foot-5, 252 pounds), fast for a tight end (he clocked a 4.63 at the combine) and athletic (39-inch vertical jump). Rams head coach Sean McVay is at the forefront of the NFL trend toward multiple-tight end sets. There’s buzz that Ferguson could effectively be the Rams’ third receiver this season behind Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. This is an upside play that could pay big dividends.
– Pat Fitzmaurice
Boring but productive, Dalton Schultz had a career-high 82 catches for 777 yards and three touchdowns last season. He finished TE13 in PPR fantasy scoring and would have finished TE9 had he scored two more touchdowns. With promising second-year receiver Jayden Higgins out for the season with a torn ACL, Schultz should once again be a prominent part of the Houston passing game.
– Pat Fitzmaurice
With Brock Bowers out for a few games and sidelined for Week 1, Michael Mayer will step into a bigger role. Last year, he was utilized sparingly with a 44.4% route share, but when he was on the field, he was productive. Last season, among 54 qualifying tight ends, Mayer was tenth in target per route run rate (23%), 23rd in yards per route run (1.57), and 19th in first downs per route run (0.086). Mayer could easily flirt with TE1 production in Week 1 against a defense that last season allowed the ninth-most yards per target and fantasy points per opportunity to tight ends
– Derek Brown
Injuries have kept Greg Dulcich from fully taking flight over his first four years in the league, but he flashed as a pass catcher as a rookie in Denver and with the Dolphins last season. With Miami seemingly thin at wide receiver, Dulcich could be one of the Dolphins’ top target-earners.
– Pat Fitzmaurice
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