Brock Bowers vs Justin Jefferson
2026 draft comparison · half-PPR
Updated Jul 10, 2026
Should you draft Brock Bowers or Justin Jefferson?
Last season — 2025, per game
Full game log & past seasons
| WK | OPP | FPTS | RANK | TGT | REC | YD | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | NE | 12.8 | TE2 | 8 | 5 | 103 | 0 |
2 | LAC | 6.3 | TE16 | 8 | 5 | 38 | 0 |
3 | WAS | 7.8 | TE14 | 5 | 4 | 38 | 0 |
4 | CHI | 7.1 | TE19 | 6 | 5 | 46 | 0 |
5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
9 | JAX | 37.3 | TE1 | 13 | 12 | 127 | 3 |
10 | DEN | 3.2 | TE29 | 3 | 1 | 31 | 0 |
11 | DAL | 10.7 | TE6 | 12 | 7 | 72 | 0 |
12 | CLE | 8.5 | TE10 | 9 | 6 | 55 | 0 |
13 | LAC | 20.3 | TE1 | 4 | 4 | 63 | 2 |
14 | DEN | 12.6 | TE5 | 5 | 4 | 46 | 1 |
15 | PHI | 5.8 | TE21 | 8 | 6 | 28 | 0 |
16 | HOU | 11.8 | TE12 | 5 | 5 | 33 | 1 |
| WK | OPP | FPTS | RANK | TGT | REC | YD | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | CHI | 12.8 | WR20 | 7 | 4 | 44 | 1 |
2 | ATL | 9.6 | WR38 | 6 | 3 | 81 | 0 |
3 | CIN | 10.0 | WR33 | 7 | 5 | 75 | 0 |
4 | PIT | 17.6 | WR9 | 11 | 10 | 126 | 0 |
5 | CLE | 15.8 | WR11 | 11 | 7 | 123 | 0 |
6 | BYE | — | — | — | — | — | — |
7 | PHI | 10.4 | WR26 | 10 | 5 | 79 | 0 |
8 | LAC | 10.9 | WR26 | 11 | 7 | 74 | 0 |
9 | DET | 13.7 | WR18 | 9 | 6 | 47 | 1 |
10 | BAL | 5.7 | WR44 | 12 | 4 | 37 | 0 |
11 | CHI | 8.6 | WR27 | 9 | 5 | 61 | 0 |
12 | GB | 6.8 | WR39 | 6 | 4 | 48 | 0 |
13 | SEA | 1.4 | WR95 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
14 | WAS | 2.1 | WR81 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 0 |
15 | DAL | 3.2 | WR77 | 8 | 2 | 22 | 0 |
16 | NYG | 11.5 | WR26 | 8 | 6 | 85 | 0 |
17 | DET | 5.0 | WR52 | 5 | 4 | 30 | 0 |
18 | GB | 14.4 | WR10 | 11 | 8 | 101 | 0 |
Latest takes
“Even with last year's injury, Bowers has averaged 64.6 receiving yards per game to open his career. That is fourth all-time at the position through two seasons and the most since Kellen Winslow Sr. in 1979 and 1980.”
Rich Hribar· Jul 8“Bowers caught 64 passes for 680 yards and 7 touchdowns in his second season. Over that span, Bowers accounted for 24.5% of the team's targets (TE4), 27.4% of the air yards (TE2), and was on the field for a league-high 93.1% of the dropbacks.”
Rich Hribar· Jul 8“Bowers has had to produce despite some of the worst quarterback play in the NFL during the first two seasons of his career. The Raiders appear to be in a much better position offensively this season, however. Whether it's veteran Kirk Cousins or Fernando Mendoza under center, the quarterback room projects to be an upgrade. On top of that, the hiring of Klint Kubiak as head coach should bring more volume to the superstar tight end.”
Kurt Blakeway· Jul 7
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“Bowers came into the NFL as one of the most highly regarded TE prospects of all time and had 112 catches for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns on 153 targets as a rookie while playing with QBs Gardner Minshew, Aidan O'Connell and Desmond Ridder. Injuries kept Bowers from big things in 2025, but he should have a monster 2026 season as the top target earner in what should be an improved Raiders offense.”
Pat Fitzmaurice· Jul 6“Brock Bowers lead the way as the top candidates to finish above 200 fantasy points (half-PPR). With the league shifting towards TE-heavy offensive sets, we could see snaps across the position skyrocket.”
FantasyPros Staff· Jul 2“Managers consistently overpay for superstars early (the curse of Brock Bowers in 2025). A star player like Bowers is going to cost a lot early in the season, especially if you are playing with inexperienced or uninformed chopped players.”
Colt Williams· Jul 1“The passing game will also get a lift from a healthier Brock Bowers. The team's top pass-catching weapon suffered a PCL injury and a bone bruise in his knee in Week 1 and played through the injury for three weeks before shutting it down until Week 9.”
Josh Shepardson· Jul 1“Bowers, meanwhile, is onto his third quarterback in three years and will be hoping that Fernando Mendoza adjusts quickly to the NFL.”
Tom Strachan· Jun 30“I've had the best results getting my starting RBs from this stage, a solid, back-end top 12 WR, and Brock Bowers if he's going for somewhere near the mid $30s.”
Evan Hoovler· Jun 29“Bowers was plagued by injuries last season. He played through a couple of lingering injuries at the start of the season, and ultimately ended his season after 12 games.”
Ellis Johnson· Jun 29“Everyone is expecting the Raiders' rookie QB to pepper Bowers as he gets his feet wet. Expect to pay a premium for the top-ranked TE, this year.”
Evan Hoovler· Jun 25“Bowers is worth a look in the back half of the second round or early in the third round of 12-team fantasy drafts.”
FantasyPros Staff· Jun 25“Pat Fitzmaurice compared Bowers' potential fantasy edge to the advantage Travis Kelce provided during his peak seasons. Even as a rookie, Bowers posted elite receiving numbers and finished among the league leaders in targets, receptions, and receiving yards across all pass catchers.”
FantasyPros Staff· Jun 24“Brock Bowers, Raiders (24) was the highest rated Tight End in the NFL Top 100 for 2025.”
Sharp Football Staff· Jun 21“I am taking the post-injury discount on Brock Bowers after he missed five games in 2025. Despite missing those games, he actually scored more touchdowns (seven) than he did in his phenomenal rookie season.”
Jason Kamlowsky· Jun 14
“The only reason I have Justin Jefferson behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Amon-Ra St. Brown is the quarterback situation in Minnesota. Kyler Murray should be an upgrade, but Minnesota has one of the worst quarterback rooms since Jefferson entered the league.”
Kurt Blakeway· Jul 7“It doesn't take a rocket scientist to determine what was holding Justin Jefferson back last season. While Kyler Murray is a flawed quarterback, he has proven an ability to generate big fantasy seasons for his wide receivers and should be a big improvement upon what J.J. McCarthy showed last season.”
Chad Workman· Jun 29“Jefferson is coming off career lows in receiving yards (1,084), receptions (68) and receiving touchdowns (two) in a season he played all games. This wasn't Jefferson's fault, however. Among wide receivers with 50+ targets, Jefferson ranked 58th in catchable target rate (71%).”
Tom Strachan· Jun 29
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“Jefferson averaged 2.43 yards per route run with Wentz on the field last season, averaging nearly 100 yards per game. Using the tool, we can see that Jefferson finished 1.5 fantasy points above his expected total from Week 3 to Week 8, when Wentz was at quarterback for the Vikings.”
Sharp Football Staff· Jun 25“Justin Jefferson was one of the biggest fantasy disappointments in 2025. Still, his usage last season suggests he will be right back in the WR1 conversation if Minnesota gets better quarterback play this season. Jefferson was the WR8 in expected fantasy points last year, but he scored 31.3 fewer points than expected.”
Sharp Football Staff· Jun 25“Justin Jefferson continues to operate as one of the league's best, posting six 1,000-yard seasons to start his NFL career.”
Sharp Football Staff· Jun 24“Jefferson's price tag is a bit steep, and he has more bust potential than anyone else in the first round, though his upside is worth mixing into best ball portfolios.”
Josh Shepardson· Jun 23“Justin Jefferson was the WR34 in half-PPR points per game (9.4) in the 2025 season when Minnesota's trio of J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer couldn't get the job done.”
Josh Shepardson· Jun 23“Justin Jefferson had fewer receiving yards in 2025 (1,048) than he did in 2023, when he only played 10 games (1,074). Jefferson also had a career-low 12.5 yards per reception and a career-low two receiving touchdowns.”
Tom Strachan· Jun 19“Justin Jefferson finally escaped quarterback misery. Catching passes from JJ McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer felt like an elaborate social experiment designed to test Jefferson's patience.”
Jon Machado· May 16“Justin Jefferson could have his way with the Lions' secondary, which was particularly vulnerable to the pass and waited until Round 5 before adding a cornerback.”
Tom Strachan· May 15“Jefferson no longer feels completely 'quarterback proof.' That does not mean fantasy managers should avoid him. It simply means there is now slightly more risk compared to the top receivers being drafted ahead of him.”
FantasyPros Staff· May 9“Jefferson remains one of the NFL's most efficient receivers and still profiles as a first-round fantasy pick. The concern centers almost entirely around quarterback play and offensive consistency.”
FantasyPros Staff· May 9“Top cap hit: Justin Jefferson, $21,218,850 (7.04 percent)”
Logan Ulrich· Jul 5“Jefferson is attached to one of the league's most expensive receiver deals.”
Adam La Rose· Jul 5
So who do you have — Bowers or Jefferson?
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