Brock Bowers or DeVonta Smith: Who Should You Start?
2026 Week 3 · deterministic head-to-head · Verdicts based on PPR scoring.
Start Smith — the availability and projection edges are too wide to ignore.
DeVonta Smith is the healthier side of this call (Bowers carries a questionable tag) and projects 15.6 to Bowers's 14.2. Bowers's edge is the consensus rank, TE2 to WR16. The gap is narrow.
Brock Bowers
8.111.214.2 Projected Points
DeVonta Smith
9.812.715.6 Projected Points
Brock Bowers’s market
DeVonta Smith’s market
Why Brock Bowers
Sit· highTE1 and offensive focal point. Elite separation and yards-after-catch ability; mismatch weapon with WR-level target volume.
Bowers is listed Out — you can't start a ruled-out TE2, even with an 86% snap share and 25% target share when healthy.
- Currently ruled out — not a viable start until his status changes.
- NO ranks 13 of 32 against TEs (a middle-of-the-road matchup, 2-game sample).
- Vegas implies 19.5 team points as 3.5-point underdogs.
- Listed TE on the latest depth chart with a 86% snap share in 2025.
The call
- Availability is the whole call: the sheet lists him Out, so the 14.2 projection and TE2 consensus rank are moot this week.
- When active he's an every-down weapon — 86% snap share and a 25% target share over 12 games — so he's an immediate must-start the moment the designation flips.
- Reports quoted here say Kubiak called him 'very close' and expects a Week 3 debut against the Saints; if he's activated before kickoff, this becomes a start, but you need a real backup plan until then.
- Matchup and script are neutral anyway — New Orleans grades 13 of 32 vs the position on a thin 2-game sample, and Las Vegas carries just a 19.5 implied total as a 3.5-point underdog.
Latest on Bowers
In the game, Bowers functioned more as a wide receiver than a traditional tight end for most of his routes.
Raiders' Brock Bowers shines in return from knee procedureESPN · Sep 27, 2026Bowers returned to practice last Friday and remained a limited participant afterward.
Raiders' Brock Bowers shines in return from knee procedureESPN · Sep 27, 2026Brock Bowers practiced on a limited basis Wednesday and Thursday this week before missing Friday's practice, which was planned.
Sources: Raiders TE Brock Bowers expected to play vs. SaintsESPN · Sep 27, 2026Ryan McFadden reports Brock Bowers returned to practice but is doubtful for Sunday's game against the Chargers.
Brock Bowers is doubtful to play against the Chargers, though the Raiders will see how the tight end feels pregame before making a final decision.
Reported by the sources listed — not independently verified.
Why DeVonta Smith
StartWR1-caliber outside receiver. Elite route technician with reliable hands and high target volume.
Start — every-week WR start at consensus WR16: 34% target share, 15.6 PPR projected vs CHI.
- CHI ranks 13 of 32 against WRs (a middle-of-the-road matchup, 2-game sample).
- Vegas implies 22.5 team points as 1.5-point underdogs.
- Listed WR on the latest depth chart with a 92% snap share.
Latest on Smith
DeVonta Smith did not participate in practice Thursday with a hamstring injury.
Philadelphia Eagles · Sep 25, 2026Head-to-head stats
| Metric | Brock Bowers | DeVonta Smith |
|---|---|---|
| Projected points | 8.111.214.2 | 9.812.715.6 |
| Consensus rank | TE2 | WR16 |
| Opponent vs position | NO · 13 of 322-game sample | CHI · 13 of 322-game sample |
| Receptions | 22 of 32 | 6 of 32 |
| Receiving Yards | 16 of 32 | 17 of 32 |
| Receiving TDs | 1 of 32 | 15 of 32 |
| Targets | 24 of 32 | 10 of 32 |
| Anytime TD | 1 of 32 | 15 of 32 |
| Target share | 25%(2025) | 34% |
| Reception share | 27%(2025) | 33% |
| Implied total · spread | 19.5+3.5 | 22.5+1.5 |
| Depth chart | TE1 | WR1 |
| Snap share | 86%(2025) | 92% |
| Injury designation | questionable | — |
| Start/Sit record | 1–0 | — |
Recent form
Brock Bowers — last 2 weeks
| Week 2 | vs LAC | 0.00.00.0 |
| Week 1 | vs MIA | 0.00.00.0 |
DeVonta Smith — last 2 weeks
| Week 2 | vs TEN | 17.722.727.7 |
| Week 1 | vs WSH | 5.36.88.3 |
Signal breakdown
- 14.2 vs 15.6 projected PPR pointsDeVonta Smith +
- Rank 2 vs 16Brock Bowers +
- Opponent DvP rank 13 vs 13 (32 = softest)even
- Implied 19.5 vs 22.5 team pointsDeVonta Smith +
- questionable vs no designationDeVonta Smith +
- 86% vs 92% snap shareDeVonta Smith +
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