Who Should I Start? Brock Bowers or Elijah Arroyo

Monday, October 20, 3:00 PM

Las Vegas Raiders All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers (knee) has missed the last three games as he recovers from the bone bruise and PCL injury he sustained in the season opener, but according to head coach Pete Carroll, he's expected to return to the field following the team's Week 8 bye. The Raiders are coming off one of the worst offensive performances in recent history, managing fewer than 100 total yards in a 31-0 shellacking from the Kansas City Chiefs, so for multiple reasons, the bye week comes at a good time. Bowers caught five of eight targets for 103 yards in Week 1, but was clearly limited in his next three outings, lacking his trademark explosiveness as he played with a knee brace. Rather than risk further injury, the team made the decision to shut him down until he's fully healthy, and he is now in line to play in Week 9 against the Jaguars. While he may need to work himself back into game shape, he should still be inserted right back into starting lineups, as the upside he offers at the position is practically unmatched across the league.

Tuesday, October 21, 9:21 PM

Seattle Seahawks rookie tight end Elijah Arroyo recorded four catches for 42 yards on five targets in his team's Week 7 win over the Houston Texans. That marked just the second time Arroyo has eclipsed 40 receiving yards in a game this season. Overall, he's recorded 11 catches for 140 yards on 17 targets across the first seven games of his NFL career. Arroyo appears to be firmly behind AJ Barner on the Seahawks' tight end depth chart, as his snap counts have been closer to Seattle TE3 Eric Saubert's than Barner's. As long as that continues, Arroyo is unlikely to be a consistently fantasy-relevant player.