Brock

Bowers

Of course he was. Daniels had one of the best rookie campaigns ever; leading the Commanders for the NFC Title and impressing with his poise in the pocket and ability to make plays with his legs outside of it. He should be in the MVP conversation in the coming years based on everything he showed as a rookie in 2024. Daniels received 49-of-50 first-place votes, with Brock Bowers receiving the other. Bo Nix finished a distant third.

Bowers entered Week 18 with the record for receptions by a rookie (at any position), lost it to Malik Nabers in the early window of games, and reclaimed in the second half of this game after being held without a reception through two quarters. Bowers easily set the records for catches and yards by a rookie tight end. He caught 112 passes for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns, falling six catches short of tying Zach Ertz for the single-season record in receptions by a tight end. Bowers had no problems earning targets with Davante Adams on the field early in the year and hit overdrive after the team sent him to New York. Even if the Raiders add more talent at receiver in the offseason, Bowers is the team’s unquestioned top target heading into 2025. He will rightfully be drafted as the TE1 overall in all formats next season.

In the process, Bowers broke Mike Ditka’s record for most receiving yards by a rookie TE which is a record that had stood for 63 years. He also broke Puka Nacua’s record for most receptions by a record and set the Raiders record for most receiving yards by a rookie. In short, Bowers has had a record-breaking season despite playing with Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell at quarterback. The future is incredibly bright for the 22-year-old.

After disappointing the previous week against the Falcons, Bowers got off to a hot start with a 32-yard connection on the first play of the game. The majority of his catches after were of the short variety after, but once again the volume was impressive for the 22-year-old rookie. He’s now over 100 receptions on the season, and he’s the rare rookie tight end to go over the thousand-yard mark. Bowers should be the prime focus of the offense again against the Saints.

The entire offense struggled for more than three quarters, with Jakobi Meyers eventually leading the team in receiving while notching all five of his receptions on the final two drives of the game. Help appears to be on the way for Bowers and the rest of the pass-catching corps after Aidan O’Connell nearly played against the Falcons after not practicing all week, making it likely he returns for a Week 16 showdown with the struggling Jaguars.

Bowers reeled in a one-handed snag for the highlight reel early in the day, but that would go down as one of the better moments for him in an otherwise quiet outing. He did, however, draw a pass interference call in the end zone for a fresh set of downs. Bowers was dragged to the ground by Bucs linebacker Vi Jones, preventing an otherwise easy touchdown grab. Aidan O’Connell cashed in with a one-yard score on the next play. The Bucs made it a point to bottle up Bowers and were mostly affective, DPI aside. Few teams have been able to do that this year and Bowers will get to test a weak Atlanta defense in Week 15. Despite the flop, Bowers remains near the top of the TE1 ranks heading into the fantasy playoffs.

He also rushed once for two yards. Bowers’ touchdown was slipped by Aidan O’Connell over some underneath defenders in zone. His most impressive play was a one-handed snag through a defensive pass interference call on Trent McDuffie, an extremely respectable Mossing even if there was a bit of a push-off. He’s now five behind Sam LaPorta for the most catches by a rookie tight end in NFL history with six games to play and is locked into a huge role in this offense. He’ll remain one of the few true TE1 overall threats against Tampa Bay in Week 14.

Denver’s elite secondary focused on taking Bowers away from Gardner Minshew a week after Bowers had 13 receptions for 126 yards and a touchdown against the Dolphins. Pat Surtain covered Bowers for some of the game, and the Broncos used a considerable amount of bracket coverage against the standout rookie tight end. Bowers and Jakobi Meyers combined for about half of the Raiders’ targets against the Broncos. Bowers will be a top-three fantasy option in Week 13 against the Chiefs. He had five grabs for 58 yards against KC in Week 5.

The Raiders kept things close through two quarters but started taking on water in the second half, forcing them to cut Gardner Minshew loose. For Minshew, that meant peppering Bowers with easy looks to keep the chains moving. In turn, Bowers did the bulk of his damage in the final two quarters. He had four grabs for 40 through 30 minutes of action and then lit the Dolphins up for nine catches, 86 yards, and a touchdown in the second half. Staring down a likely loss to the Broncos next week, we should expect a similar game script for the Raiders in Week 12. Bowers will remain a contender for the TE1 overall rank next week.

Bowers was mainly quiet throughout the game, with just 23 receiving yards until the fourth quarter. He eventually scored on a 22-yard pass from Desmond Ridder in garbage time, appeasing fantasy managers with his box score. Outside of the box score, he drew a key defensive pass interference to prolong a scoring drive in the first quarter. The Raiders will have low opportunity amidst a struggling offense and struggling quarterbacks. However, Bowers is a top-two pass-catching option on the team and his rookie record-setting pace makes him a high-end TE1 moving forward.