Fantasy Football Player Notes

Widely considered one of the best TE prospects to enter the league in recent years, Brock Bowers went to the Raiders with the 13th overall pick of the NFL Draft. The 6-4, 230-pound Bowers had at least 56 catches and 714 receiving yards in all three of his seasons at the University of Georgia. He also scored 31 touchdowns in 40 collegiate games, including five rushing touchdowns. Bowers has good speed, terrific hands, and he's an absolute beast after the catch. He lacks prototypical TE size, but Bowers plays bigger than he measures. Although the Raiders have one of the shakier QB situations in the league and have a target-hog receiver in Davante Adams, Bowers should nevertheless become fantasy-relevant right away because of his extraordinary athleticism and pass-catching ability.

Michael Mayer had a somewhat disappointing rookie season for the Raiders, with 27 catches for 304 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games. He seemed like a candidate for a second-year breakout, but then the Raiders spent their first-round draft pick on mega-talented University of Georgia TE Brock Bowers, seemingly kneecapping Mayer's 2024 fantasy value. Mayer was wildly productive in college, with more than 800 receiving yards in his final two seasons at Notre Dame. Mayer averaged only 2.9 targets a game in 2023, and it's hard to imagine his weekly target counts significantly increasing when he has to share targets with Bowers and superstar WR Davante Adams.