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When is Brock Bowers coming back? Will Brock Bowers play again this season? Read about Brock Bowers's return date and injury updates for 2026.
The biggest surprise of the early fantasy season happened before games kicked off in Week 1, when it was announced that Brock Bowers had undergone a knee procedure that would sideline him for the Raiders’ first game.
For fantasy managers, it was an unfortunate déjà vu of the 2025 season, when Bowers suffered a knee injury in Week 1 that lingered and ultimately cost him five games.
What is Brock Bowers’ injury? How long will it keep him off the field? Let’s dive in.
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Brock Bowers Injury Update for Fantasy Football
One of the most surprising developments before Week 1 came when the Las Vegas Raiders announced that veteran tight end Brock Bowers had undergone a meniscus trim on the Tuesday before games started. Head coach Klint Kubiak made it clear that the team thought that Bowers’ absence would be short-term and did not place on him on the injured reserve.
The move sent managers who spent a second-round pick on Bowers scrambling to the waiver wire to find a replacement. Bowers missed the first game of the season but is listed as day-to-day heading into Week 2. Kubiak reiterated to reporters that “… if he’s (Bowers) ready to play, he’s gonna play.”
After undergoing a meniscus trim Tuesday, the Raiders believe there’s a realistic chance Brock Bowers will miss only one game and return for Week 2 at the Los Angeles Chargers, per sources. Team will see how he’s feeling this week, but a potential return next week is within the… pic.twitter.com/YYADYQ7AN1
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 13, 2026
Unfortunately, that doesn’t offer much clarity for fantasy managers scrambling to find a replacement for the player they drafted as their TE1.
Brock Bowers Fantasy Football Outlook
The reports surrounding Bowers throughout the summer were glowing. At one point, head coach Klint Kubiak referred to Bowers as “a football robot from heaven”, praising his work ethic and play-making ability on the field.
Bowers took the real and fantasy football worlds by storm as a rookie, catching 112 passes for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns on an abysmal Raiders’ offense. However, this is now two seasons in a row where an early-season knee issue has caused him to miss time and cost fantasy managers a premium draft pick.
The third-year tight end could return to the field as soon as Week 2, but there is also a risk that the team is pushing him back into action due to the lack of pass-catching talent on the roster. The good news for fantasy managers is that even if Bowers returns to the field early, he will command targets even if he’s not 100%.
At this point, fantasy managers who drafted Bowers would be wise to keep a second tight end on their roster or play the streaming game until Bowers is healthy. Once he’s cleared to play, he can be in your starting lineup, though there is some risk of him coming back too soon and being used as a part-time player. That could come as soon as Week 2 or Week 3 based on current reporting.
Who Should I Start Tool
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Week 2 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players: Michael Mayer, Brock Bowers. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 2.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, player news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 2 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 2 (2026)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 2 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 2 for Michael Mayer, Brock Bowers:
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