Add The California Post on Google The NFL season is set to begin on Wednesday night, and fantasy football owners are already in panic mode.
On Wednesday afternoon, it was announced that the Las Vegas Raiders will be without Pro Bowl tight end Brock Bowers, who is expected to miss at least one to two weeks due to a left knee meniscus trim he had on Tuesday night.
While the Raiders expect Bowers to be out for a short amount of time, it could still be alarming for fantasy owners, as he could end up missing more time or could see a decrease in playing time. His injury occurred in the same knee that sidelined him last season due to a PCL/bone bruise.
Bowers was likely taken between the third and fourth rounds in most fantasy football leagues, as he’s ranked as tight end No. 2 off the board. His injuries hampered his season last year, logging just 64 receptions for 680 yards and seven touchdowns, scoring 174.2 points in most PPR leagues.
Despite the checkered season, he still finished among the top-scoring tight ends in fantasy football. Knowing what he accomplished in his rookie season the year prior, the sky was supposed to be the limit this season.
With owners looking for a plan B after the news of his injury, there are a few options they could explore.
The obvious choice behind Bowers is to pivot towards the Raiders’ backup tight end, Michael Mayer.
The con of picking up Mayer is his reputation for being a blocking tight end, which isn’t the news fantasy owners are looking for. But in a revamped Raiders offense that is adopting the Seattle Seahawks scheme under a new direction with the arrival of head coach Klint Kubiak, there is reason for optimism.
The Raiders tight end position will likely be utilized like how the Seahawks used tight end AJ Barner last season. He posted an average of 8.7 points per game in fantasy football PPR leagues.
This type of production isn’t anything that will blow you out of the water, but it is something that may keep you alfoat.
Another route owners could look to is immediately picking up T.J. Hockenson, who finished last season scoring 7.5 points in most PPR leagues.
The knock against Hockenson was due to the Vikings’ inconsistency at the quarterback position, as they had J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz, Desmond Ridder, and Brett Rypien all take snaps under center.
The inconsistency under center played a vital part in Hockenson’s lack of production. Just ask Justin Jefferson, who went from being selected in the top five every season to falling out of the top 10, after having a season where he finished as wide receiver 20, scoring 201.5 points in most PPR leagues.
With the Vikings acquiring Kyler Murray and naming him their starting quarterback, they should see an increase in production.
Jake Ferguson of the Dallas Cowboys is another name fantasy owners could look to acquire for an early-season trade.
In most leagues, Ferguson should be picked up by now, but is listed as a backup option.
In year two of Brian Schottenheimer being the Cowboys’ head coach, Ferguson is poised for a breakout year, as he is entering his fifth season in the NFL.
Ferguson benefits from teams having to scheme up against Cee Dee Lamb and George Pickens, which should give him plenty of opportunities to get the ball in an offense that ranked as one of the top ones in football last season.
Last season, Ferguson averaged 188.1 points in PPR leagues, with an average of 10.95 per game, in a season where he had 600 receiving yards and finished second on the team with touchdowns [eight], behind Pickens, who had nine.
You could likely acquire him for a bench-stash running back.
