Ja'Marr Chase
vs Brock Bowers

“The underlying story is a game of contrasting approaches: Cincinnati leaned on a clean, mistake-free connection between Burrow and his two clear top targets (Chase and Higgins combined for 19 of Burrow’s 31 attempts with Chase scoring both touchdowns). Burrow himself turned in a mistake-free day (0 INT, 105.2 rating) despite 5 sacks. Burrow went 20-of-31 for 207 yards and 2 touchdowns.”

“Early in the game, Chase made a highlight-reel touchdown catch, pinpointing the ball over his shoulder, then spinning around to catch it next to the pylon and tap his feet in the process. Social media rightfully went insane, oogling over the play. Chase added another touchdown reception later in the third quarter, and he led Cincinnati with seven receptions.”

“Cincy’s offensive line held up well, too, and Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase will have better days ahead, make no mistake about that. 9 — Chicago Bears (1-0, UP 3) Last week: W 59-37 vs. Carolina Panthers I don’t care what the defense looked like — put up 59 points in an NFL game and I’ll talk about you glowingly.”

“Even with that accounted for, Chase is averaging 19.9 PPG in his last 49 regular-season games. Relax, Chase will be fine. If his manager in your league is panicking, this may be your only chance to buy (somewhat) low.”

“Ja’Marr Chase is projected as the WR1 this week, with the WR1 value score at both DFS sites. In 34 games with Burrow playing at least 20 snaps since 2024, Chase has tallied 7.2 receptions per game, 91.7 receiving yards per game, 26 receiving touchdowns, 22.15 DraftKings points per game, 20.12 expected DraftKings points per game, 17.48 FanDuel points per game and 16.48 expected FanDuel points per game.”

“Mike takes the layup with Chase at the 1.03. If you are not getting one of the top RBs in Jahmyr Gibbs or Bijan Robinson, how can you go wrong with a player who has finished as WR1 and WR4 the last two seasons? Chase should be operating as the top target for a fully healthy Joe Burrow, at least to start the season, and that has always been a recipe for success.”

“To start, I went with Ja’Marr Chase. The Bengals have (at least on paper) one of the easiest schedules in the NFL this season, and Chase should have a target share of 30% or higher.”

“Chase is the WR1 in my rankings. Last year, he finished as the WR4, averaging 19.6 PPR fantasy points per game despite missing one contest with an injury and playing without Joe Burrow for half the season.”

“For two consecutive years, Chase has led the league in targets with 175 and 185, respectively. Chase also has two years with 1400 or more receiving yards, and his consistency is worth paying for.”

“IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Brock Bowers – 13 targets, 10 rec It did not take long for Bowers to remind the fantasy football world how dominant he can be when healthy. The 13 targets to him in his season debut accounted for a 43.3% target share. It was the tenth time in 30 career games that he has earned double-digit targets.”

“TE Quick Hitters Brock Bowers | TE, Las Vegas Raiders (QUESTIONABLE) – Bowers is officially questionable after getting in two limited practices to start the week and then not practicing Friday. The Raiders indicated that Bowers’ Friday absence was planned and not a setback. If Bowers is active, he has to be in your starting lineup.”

“The Raiders are 2-0 despite not having TE Brock Bowers available, which is amazing considering how thin their skill group is viewed as. Unfortunately, I have serious doubts about how sustainable all of this is. The teams the Raiders have played so far have combined to go 0-4 with a scoring differential of -60.”

“Coach Klint Kubiak confirmed Bowers will sit after a meniscus procedure, leaving Mayer as the clear TE1 for Kirk Cousins. When Mayer has been featured, he has produced at a starter's volume. He logged a 78.4% route participation rate, a 23.7% target share, a 26% target rate per route, 4.5 receptions per game, 49.0 receiving yards per game, 2.25 yards per route run, and 1 receiving touchdown without Bowers last year.”

“With an anemic wide receiver corps in Las Vegas, Bowers should be awash in targets this season. New head coach Klint Kubiak has been tasked with repairing the Raiders’ offense, and his track record suggests he can right the ship. No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza provides hope, while the Raiders also have tight end-friendly quarterback Kirk Cousins .”

“Round 3 Jason (3.01) – Brock Bowers (TE, LV) Mike (3.05) – Chris Olave (WR, NO) Andy (3.09) – D’Andre Swift (RB, CHI) Of course, Brock Bowers is really only a third-round pick in this mock draft in name only, as Jason waited to take him at the 3.01.”

“Widely considered one of the best TE prospects to ever enter the league, Bowers had 112 catches for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns on 153 targets as a rookie. With better health in 2026, he has a chance to match or exceed his rookie numbers. The Raiders are talent-starved at wide receiver, so Bowers is poised to be their alpha pass catcher.”

“There are great expectations for Brock Bowers in his third NFL season following an injury-plagued Year 2. Bowers had five catches for 103 yards in the Raiders’ 2025 season opener against the Patriots, but he sustained a PCL injury and bone bruise to his left knee in that game, was clearly hampered over his next three games (with under 50 receiving yards in each) and was shut down for three games.”

“Brock Bowers (TE – LV) & Trey McBride (TE – ARI) Whether you prefer Brock Bowers or Trey McBride doesn’t really matter. Neither should be drafted this high. Last season, McBride averaged 18.6 PPR points per game, and Bowers averaged 15.5 in 2024, the better season of his two years in the NFL.”