Who Should I Start? Baker Mayfield or Brock Bowers

Thursday, December 4, 5:37 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (shoulder) continues to manage an AC joint sprain in his left (non-throwing) shoulder that he suffered in Week 12, but he was upgraded to a full practice on Thursday after putting in a limited session on Wednesday. In the Week 13 win over the Arizona Cardinals, Mayfield went 18-for-28 passing for 194 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions while running for 27 yards. The 30-year-old veteran might be dealing with his left-shoulder injury the rest of the year, but he will be active for a Week 14 divisional contest this Sunday against the 2-10 New Orleans Saints. Don't be fooled by the Saints' record. Their defense is their strength, and they've allowed the third-fewest fantasy points per game to QBs the last three weeks. In the first meeting with New Orleans, Mayfield went 15-for-24 passing for 152 yards with no TDs or interceptions. He'll be in play as a low-end QB1 in fantasy this weekend, and he could be getting top receiver Mike Evans (collarbone) back from IR.

Sunday, November 30, 9:12 PM

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers was one of the lone bright spots from his team's 31-14 Week 13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, hauling in four catches for 63 yards and two touchdowns on four targets. The 22-year-old has now recorded 49 receptions for 573 yards and five scores on 68 targets across nine games this season. In the team's first game with Greg Olson calling plays instead of Chip Kelly, Raiders quarterback Geno Smith attempted just 23 passes, his fewest in a game since Week 7. The diminished pass volume is a big reason why Bowers saw just four targets, which is his second-fewest in any game this season. However, Las Vegas ran for just 31 yards against Los Angeles, so they may be forced to turn to the air more frequently in the coming weeks. As long as Bowers stays healthy, he profiles as a must-start tight end heading into his Week 14 matchup against the Denver Broncos.