Following a 3-14 finish in 2025, the Las Vegas Raiders started the 2026 campaign with a 27-13 win over the Miami Dolphins. However, the Raiders were shorthanded, missing star TE Brock Bowers.
During training camp, Bowers suffered a knee injury and underwent a meniscus trim on September 8. After the procedure, Bowers missed Week 1's win, and many are speculating about when he could return to the gridiron.
Below, we’ll dive into the latest Brock Bowers injury update and outline its potential impact on Raiders fantasy football picks and projections for PrizePicks.
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Brock Bowers Injury Update: Is Bowers Playing vs. Chargers?
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Raiders are listing Bowers as doubtful for Sunday’s game against the Chargers. However, the Raiders TE is practicing Friday afternoon after missing the previous two days.
Earlier this week, Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak had described Bowers’ status as day-to-day. Additionally, according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, Bowers’ knee injury wasn’t believed to be “overly serious,” and a Week 2 return was a possibility.
While Bowers may be a long shot to play in Week 2, returning to the practice field is a step in the right direction.
In 2025, Bowers hauled in a team-high 64 passes for 680 yards and 7 TDs in 12 games. As a rookie in 2024, Bowers broke Mike Ditka’s rookie record for the most receiving yards in a single season (1,194).
Raiders Fantasy Football Outlook If Bowers Misses Week 2
It’s no secret that Bowers is one of the Raiders’ top offensive playmakers, and his presence was missed in Week 1. Fantasy managers were likely also displeased, as Bowers was selected 22nd overall in full-point PPR leagues, according to FantasyPros.
Despite Week 1's win, the Raiders’ passing attack wasn’t exactly electric with QB Kirk Cousins at the helm. After all, RB Ashton Jeanty paced the Raiders with 6 receptions for 45 yards and 2 TDs against the Dolphins.
As for traditional pass catchers, backup TE Michael Mayer drew a fair amount of attention from the veteran signal caller. Mayer hauled in 6 passes for 32 yards on a team-best 7 targets vs. the Dolphins. His 7 targets were the sixth-most among NFL TEs in the season opener.
Mayer could be heavily involved once again in Week 2 if Bowers doesn’t suit up. The Chargers allowed Arizona Cardinals TE Trey McBride to catch 9 passes for 95 yards in Week 1.
According to SumerSports, Mayer got 12.89% of the targets and caught 70.0% of them last season, despite sharing the field with Bowers. In Week 1, the former second-round pick had a 24.14% target share (fourth among TEs), which actually topped Bowers’ 23.63% rate from the 2025 campaign.
Mayer tallied a career-high in receptions (35), receiving yards (328), and targets (50) in 2025.
The Raiders are 6.5-point underdogs against the Chargers on Sunday, via PrizePicks, returning a 3.22x payout if they win outright. Their outlook would substantially improve if Bowers is active on Sunday.
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The Raiders began the 2026 season with a Week 1 win against the Dolphins, but did so without one of their top weapons. As Week 2 approaches, Bowers has been tabbed doubtful as he hopes to make his season debut vs. the Chargers on Sunday.
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