Who Should I Start? Brock Bowers or Elijah Arroyo

Wednesday, December 24, 11:30 AM

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (knee) has been placed on Injured Reserve, ending his 2025 season, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Pelissero notes that Bowers has been battling a lingering knee injury since Week 1, and the 2-13 Raiders are now focused on making sure their star tight end is fully healthy for 2026. Across 12 games this season, the 23-year-old recorded 64 receptions for 680 yards and seven touchdowns on 86 targets. With Bowers sidelined, Raiders tight end Michael Mayer is likely in line for a spike in both playing time and target share. Across a two-game stretch in Weeks 6 and 7 with Bowers inactive, Mayer recorded six catches for 60 yards and a touchdown on nine targets. For fantasy managers now left scrambling to fill the tight end position, Mayer could be a solid streamer in Week 17 against the New York Giants.

Wednesday, January 7, 3:12 PM

Seattle Seahawks rookie tight end Elijah Arroyo (knee) has been designated for return to practice on Wednesday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Arroyo is now eligible to be activated from Injured Reserve at any time now that his 21-day practice window has been opened. The Seahawks secured the top seed in the NFC, so they are on bye for Wild-Card weekend, and Arroyo will have another full week to practice before the Seahawks decide if he's ready to return for the Divisional Round of the postseason. The 22-year-old second-rounder would merely play a depth role for Seattle's offense if he returns for their first playoff game, making him hard to trust in fantasy playoff leagues. In his first year in the NFL, Arroyo took a back seat to AJ Barner and caught 15 of his 26 targets for 179 yards and only one touchdown.