The Las Vegas Raiders once again have a question mark at tight end, with Brock Bowers going into the Week 3 game against the New Orleans Saints listed as questionable.
Bowers had a meniscus trim ahead of the opener that has kept him out of the first two games of this season.
The former No. 13 overall pick showed some progress in his recovery last week with a limited practice on Friday, and he followed that up with a pair of limited sessions on Wednesday and Thursday this week before sitting out on Friday, leading to the questionable tag.
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While that lack of Friday participation would normally be a concern for his status, head coach Klint Kubiak stated that was the plan for the young tight end.
As we turn the page to Sunday, here’s what we know about Bowers’ chances of suiting up against New Orleans.
Is Brock Bowers playing today?
UPDATE: As expected, Bowers is active for Week 3 and will make his 2026 debut.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Bowers is expected to play in Week 3.
“Raiders TE Brock Bowers (questionable, knee) is expected to play Sunday vs New Orleans barring a surprise, per source,” Fowler wrote.
As Fowler also noted, the Raiders did not elevate a tight end from the practice squad as they had done in the previous two weeks, so that was our first sign Bowers would suit up.
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Brock Bowers fantasy advice
After he was an elite fantasy football tight end during his rookie campaign in 2024, Bowers was once again one of the league’s best in 2025.
Granted, he missed five games, but Bowers still ranked as TE4 overall in fantasy points per game over the 12 contests he did suit up for last season, according to Fantasy Pros.
And that showing came despite being in one of the NFL’s worst offenses and catching passes from a quarterback in Geno Smith who led the league in interceptions.
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The fact of the matter is, until he proves otherwise, Bowers is a must-start player in fantasy football.
As for fellow tight end Michael Mayer, who had an opportunity at fantasy relevance while Bowers was out but failed to capitalize, he’s no longer a consideration as a starter.
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