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.

Tuesday, December 30, 11:15 PM

Seattle Seahawks rookie tight end Elijah Arroyo (knee) remains on Injured Reserve with a knee injury and will miss at least one more week for a game this Saturday night against the division-rival San Francisco 49ers that will decide the No. 1 seed for the NFC playoffs. The 22-year-old second-rounder out of Miami suffered a knee injury back in Week 14 and won't be eligible to play until the postseason. If the Seahawks beat the Niners in Week 18, Arroyo will have an extra week to heal up before the team's first playoff game in the Divisional Round. As long as AJ Barner remains healthy the rest of the way, it's unlikely that Arroyo will return from his knee injury to be a key contributor in Seattle's offense as they look to make a lengthy playoff run. Arroyo has only had over two catches once in 2025 and has not gone over 44 yards in his 13 games. He has just 15 catches for 179 yards and a TD to begin his NFL career.