News from the Las Vegas Raiders has fantasy football managers across the country fuming, especially those who made sure to draft close to the start of the NFL season.
Star tight end Brock Bowers underwent a meniscus trim on Tuesday in Dallas, and he’s now expected to miss "a game or two," according to ESPN.
This is a tremendous blow to the Raiders’ new-look offense under head coach Klint Kubiak, as Bowers, who dealt with lingering knee issues last season, was expected to be Kirk Cousins’ top target entering the new campaign.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE OUTKICK SPORTS COVERAGE
The report added that Bowers was banged up "a little in camp," and he had the injury diagnosed last week. Surgery was scheduled and Dr. Daniel Cooper operated on Bowers, who will now hope to return in Week 3, though the "game or two" timeline can always vary depending on the player.
While Bowers isn’t expected to miss significant time at the moment, an interesting part of the report is the fact the Raiders knew since last week, but it was never mentioned.
THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW–UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE. DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW!
Of course, teams don’t care how fantasy football lineups are impacted throughout the season. But for a league that has roughly 40 million Americans playing fantasy football annually, which relies heavily on disclosed injuries in terms of drafting and lineups being placed, Bowers’ injury is shocking those who own him as the 2026 season kicks off in Seattle on Wednesday night.
Bowers is also a top draft choice for many in fantasy football considering the volume he receives for the Raiders as well as his outstanding rookie campaign, where he totaled 1,194 yards on 112 receptions with five touchdowns.
Had fantasy managers known about Bowers’ injury, skepticism about taking him with such a high pick would’ve likely entered the minds of many.
To make matters worse, Kubiak was asked during a press conference just hours before news broke about Bowers' injury if he and Maxx Crosby, who dealt with injuries last season and wasn't used much during preseason contests, would be available on Sunday.
"We’re expecting to have all our guys ready for Sunday," Kubiak replied.
So, either Kubiak was blatantly lying about Bowers' condition, or he didn't know that one of his best players could be missing time after getting surgery on Tuesday in Dallas. Not the best way to start off the new year.
Bowers was unable to see his rookie-year production in 2025 due to his PCL sprain and bone bruiser that pestered him since Week 1’s victory over the New England Patriots. He missed several weeks, ultimately playing in 12 games (eight starts) before being placed on the season-ending injured reserve for the final two weeks of the year.
As NFL reporter Ari Meirov pointed out on X, a meniscus trim usually takes four-to-six weeks to recover from, but the Raiders appear optimistic Bowers will be back before then. A full meniscus repair is a season-ending injury — Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy missed his entire rookie campaign due to that exact injury.
In the meantime, fantasy managers could be quick to pick up Michael Mayer, the Raiders’ second tight end, off waivers if he’s available. Mayer was always going to work within this offense, as Bowers can be placed anywhere on the line of scrimmage due to his route-running abilities for a tight end.
Now, Cousins will need to rely on Mayer to pick up the slack against the Miami Dolphins, whom they host at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday.
SIGN UP FOR THE DAILY OUTKICK NEWSLETTER