Brock Bowers’ Raiders tenure is centered on a tight-end rotation with Michael Mayer, a hallmark of Chip Kelly’s offenses. Two preseason games showed both on the field with starters in lengthy 12/13 personnel looks, but early game usage suggested Mayer handled more inline and early-down work while Bowers shined on pass plays and third downs. The data hint Bowers won’t hit a full-time 85% snap rate, and Mayer’s presence could cap his targets. The takeaway for fantasy managers: expect around 60% routes for Bowers this year, not an 80–90% lock, and prioritize top-tier tight ends who can survive a rotation.

Rest-of-season projections shift as Mayer’s blocked vs. receiving roles split, especially with 12 personnel as the Raiders lean into two-tight-end sets. After Mayer’s mid-season absence, Bowers surged to lead the league in TE fantasy points, but early usage data and coaching personnel changes temper that ceiling. With Geno Smith’s accuracy and Ashton Jeanty adding run-game depth, Las Vegas signals a more varied offense where Bowers remains elite but not invincible. This nudges rankings: McBride and Kittle gain edge in a crowded TE field, while Bowers sits near the top but outside the guaranteed TE1 tier in some formats.

Ashton Jeanty lands No. 6 to the Raiders and vaults into the Offensive Rookie of the Year conversation, the fantasy world shifts to a backfield that could anchor Las Vegas’ attack in 2025. Jeanty’s Boise State numbers—7.0 yards per carry and 30 TDs in his junior year—are cited as blueprint material for a rapid, high-efficiency rookie impact. The betting boards place him ahead of Cam Ward, signaling a clear fantasy carry trajectory if the Raiders commit to a heavy early workload. The piece also spots Cam Ward, Omarion Hampton, and Jaxson Dart as intriguing counterpoints in a stacked rookie-class landscape, highlighting how quarterback and backfield splits could reshape OROY odds and weekly lineup decisions. The overall takeaway: Jeanty is the marquee name, but Ward’s Week 1 starting role and Hampton’s Chargers workload loom large for fantasy forecasts as the season nears.

Ward’s No. 1-overall pedigree draws attention from camp notes and preseason showings, pushing him into the conversation as a high-floor, opportunity-driven play. Hampton lands in a backfield with immediate upside, while Dart and a handful of high-upside rookies add late-round intrigue. The oddsboard leans toward Jeanty and Ward as the top two, a dynamic that underscores the season-long chess match fantasy managers will play—balancing early-round risk, projected touches, and game-script volatility as September approaches.

ESPN’s 12-team fantasy mock draft (PPR) muscles through the final week of NFL preaseason with a flurry of bold calls, most notably Stephania Bell grabbing Las Vegas rookie Ashton Jeanty at No. 5 overall in a bid to reverse-engineer late-round upside. The board still anchors on Barkley, McCaffrey, Jefferson and Chase, but several rooks and pass-catchers push into the mix as immediate-week 1 favorites or high-upside darts. The exercise also stacks top targets like McCaffrey, Lamb and Nabers behind strong offenses, while a handful of veteranRBs and WRs who carry multi-team appeal pepper the later rounds. The draft leans into big-play potential, with contending teams like the Raiders, Bengals, Vikings, and Lions placing emphasis on dynamic backfields and pass-catching corps. In sum, this mock underscores the ongoing value of combining established stars with risers who could deliver spike weeks in Week 1 and beyond, while also highlighting the risk-reward calculus of rookie and mid-round targets in a 12-team, PPR setting.

Across the table, the lesson for fantasy managers is clear: anticipate role clarity early and roster versatility late. A few players—Nacua, Achane, Gibbs, London and Nabers—emerge as potential league-winners if opportunities align, while others carry day-one uncertainty, especially in volatile backfields. The mock reinforces the importance of zero-RB flexibility, mid-round handcuffs, and the discipline to pivot when preseason chatter shifts before Week 1.