Who Should I Start? Brock Bowers or AJ Barner

Monday, August 25, 11:35 PM

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Caroll told SiriusXM's Pat Kirwan that tight end Brock Bowers "is pretty much better than anybody we've had before." The veteran coach went on to emphasize that Bowers plays the game very naturally and that everything seems to come easily for him on the football field. He also highlighted that Bowers graciously moves to where the ball is thrown, making it look like every pass is delivered on target, and that the second-year tight end possesses a rare blend of body control and explosiveness. While training camp is a common time for coaches to sing the praises of their players, some examples of coachspeak are embellished more than others. In this case, we can put full trust behind what Carroll said, largely due to the fact that we watched Bowers dominate as a rookie last season. The Georgia product caught an absurd 112 passes for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns en route to ranking as the overall TE1 in fantasy football. He remains the early favorite to lead the tight end position in fantasy points in 2025, earning him an ADP of 19.1. His opportunity share should only increase after Carroll essentially called him one of the greatest players he's ever coached.

Sunday, August 10, 4:12 PM

Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner has looked "very promising" in training camp practices and is "currently the No. 1 tight end," according to Michael-Shawn Duggar of The Athletic. A fourth-round pick out of Michigan in the 2024 draft, Barner recorded 30 catches for 245 yards and four touchdowns in 17 games (six starts) as a rookie. Seattle released veteran tight end Noah Fant last month, which could be an indication of the confidence the organization has in Barner. However, the Seahawks also used a second-round pick in the 2025 draft at the position when they selected Elijah Arroyo, so Barner will still have in-house competition for targets and playing time.