Who Should I Start? Baker Mayfield or Brock Bowers


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
21.9 18.3 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0

Baker Mayfield News

Baker Mayfield Played Through MCL, PCL Injuries Last Year

Monday, July 13, 11:43 AM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (knee) admitted on the second season of Netflix's "Quarterback" that he sprained his MCL and PCL and suffered a bone bruise in his knee in Week 2 last year against the Houston Texans. Mayfield played with the injuries all year and then aggravated the bone bruise in Week 7 versus the Detroit Lions. This helps makes some sense of why the 31-year-old struggled so badly in the second half, ultimately finishing with 3,693 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in 17 games. Mayfield was in the MVP conversation through the first portion of 2025, leading Tampa to a 6-2 record before collapsing in the second half and failing to make the postseason. The 31-year-old also suffered a tendon injury in his bicep in Week 3 and an AC joint sprain in his right shoulder against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 12. Injuries definitely appeared to hamper Mayfield last year, which could make him a bounce-back candidate in 2026 in a new offensive system under coordinator Zac Robinson. Still, fantasy managers are better off targeting the veteran signal-caller as a midrange QB2 as he heads into his ninth year in the NFL.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
14.0 0.4 0.0 5.5 60.7 0.4

Brock Bowers News

Brock Bowers "Fully Healthy" Ahead of Training Camp

Sunday, July 12, 10:04 AM

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (knee) is "fully healthy" ahead of training camp at the end of July, according to Ryan McFadden of ESPN. Bowers' athletic and pass-catching prowess left veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins "in a state of shock" during the offseason program. The 23-year-old led all TEs in receiving yards (1,194) and set the Raiders record for most catches in a single season (112) as a rookie in 2024, but he finished with just 84 catches, 630 yards, and seven touchdowns in Year 2 due to a knee injury. Now that he's back to full health, the former 13th overall pick from the University of Georgia could finish as the TE1 overall in fantasy again in new head coach Klint Kubiak's offense in 2026. Kubiak has shown the ability to scheme the ball to his best pass-catchers, and Bowers is the Raiders' best pass-catcher. Despite playing through a PCL injury and a bone bruise in his left knee in 2025, Bowers had a 74.4% catch rate, averaged 10.6 yards per catch, and was named to his second Pro Bowl. Heading into Year 3, Bowers is ranked as RotoBaller's top fantasy TE for a reason, and he's not going to come at a discount in fantasy drafts despite his injury-plagued 2025 campaign.


Baker Mayfield vs. Brock Bowers

Still trying to decide between Mayfield and Bowers? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Baker Mayfield is projected to score 21.9 points this week while Brock Bowers is projected to score 14.0 points.