Brock Bowers: Everything you need to know

The Raiders placed Bowers (knee) on injured reserve Wednesday. Bowers kicked off his second pro campaign by suffering a knee injury Week 1, and while he eventually sat out Weeks 5-7, he surpassed 100 receiving yards only one more time through Week 16. Now that his season is officially over, he'll finish it with a 64-680-7 line on 86 targets in 12 contests. Bowers will yield TE reps to Michael Mayer, Ian Thomas and Carter Runyon for the final two games.

The Raiders plan to place Bowers (knee) on IR ahead of Sunday's game against the Giants, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. Bowers has been managing a knee injury since Week 1, and with the Raiders out of playoff contention, the team has evidently decided to shut down the star TE, with an eye toward him being 100 percent ahead of the 2026 season. With Bowers' placement on IR in line to occur at some point Wednesday per Pelissero, Michael Mayer is slated to lead Las Vegas' TE corps in Weeks 17 and 18, with Ian Thomas and Carter Runyon also in the mix.

Bowers had five receptions on as many targets for 33 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 23-21 loss to the Texans. Geno Smith (shoulder/back) returned from a one-game absence and reignited his tight end's hot streak dating back to Week 13. The veteran signal-caller found Bowers in the end zone in the second quarter for the fourth touchdown in the duo's last three active games. The 22-year-old Bowers is well off the pace from the 1,194 receiving yards he racked up in 2024 as a rookie, but his improved nose for the end zone (seven trips) as a sophomore has helped offset the dip in volume. Bowers can be viewed as a premier tight end in fantasy for next Sunday's tilt against the Giants.