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5 Best Trade Targets for Fantasy Managers Facing Major NFL Injury Decisions

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Bowers was the consensus No. 1 overall tight end this year, but he’s off to a brutal start to his sophomore season. A major reason for this downward trend has been the knee injury Bowers suffered in the Raiders’ opener.

Although Bowers didn’t miss any time due to the PCL sprain, the issue is clearly limiting his athleticism and playmaking abilities. After a strong 15.3-point Week 1 performance, the pass-catcher has generated a meager 38 yards in each of the last two games and failed to record a top-12 finish at his position in either.

At his best, Bowers is a matchup nightmare who can blow past slower linebackers and use his 6’4″, 235-pound frame to outmuscle smaller defensive backs. He paced the Raiders by a wide margin with 153 targets last year and smashed records by putting up an eye-popping 262.7 points as a rookie. He remains Vegas’ best pass-catcher, but he currently only ranks second on the team in targets and receptions, third in receiving yards and is still seeking his first touchdown of 2025.

Considering Bowers finished outside the top-10 just six times—and only twice outside the top-20—all of last season, it won’t be long before he’s back to putting up elite stat lines. The Raiders know they need him to make plays as well, evidenced by the pair of double-digit losses they have suffered over the last two weeks.

While there is recent history of the top fantasy tight end from the previous season experiencing drastic fall-offs (Sam LaPorta scored 64 fewer points in 2024 than he did the prior season, while Travis Kelce dipped even more dramatically from 316 points to 219 points between 2022-23), Bowers should buck the trend and get back on track.

Managers who are dealing with injuries to tight ends such as George Kittle or Colston Loveland should take advantage of managers fearing a similar regression from the Raiders star. Buy Bowers at his lowest point this week and capitalize when he turns things around in the coming weeks.

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