Brock Bowers Is the Patriots' Week 5 Problem — and Your Fantasy Edge

The headline for this Week 5 matchup is simple: the New England Patriots have a Brock Bowers problem, and fantasy managers should be grinning about it. Bowers has already racked up 16 catches for 202 yards and 2 touchdowns in just two games this season (2026), good for 48 PPR points and a spot at TE11 in our rankings. Now he gets a Patriots defense that may be missing cornerbacks Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis.

That absence matters because the Raiders lean on tight-end-heavy looks more than anyone in the league, deploying 12 and 13 personnel at a league-leading rate. Bowers is the straw that stirs that drink, and New England's secondary has to find a creative answer to slow him down. If the Patriots sell out to cover Bowers, the rest of the Raiders' pass catchers draw practice-squad-level defenders — exactly the kind of mismatch Las Vegas needs to exploit.

The flip side of the game plan is on the ground, where the Raiders have struggled all year. They've managed a single rushing touchdown in 2026, with only two players posting positive rushing totals and a collective 93 yards per game. Yet somehow this offense still puts up 29.5 points a game, which tells you how much Kirk Cousins and the passing attack are carrying the load.

What New England Wants to Do

The Patriots just shut down Buffalo's tight end duo of Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox — Knox has only 6 catches for 30 yards and a touchdown through four games (15 PPR points, TE28 in our rankings). They'll try the same recipe here, keying on Bowers and daring the Raiders to run. New England leans on its own backfield one-two punch of Rhamondre Stevenson, who grinds defenses down, and the explosive TreyVeyon Henderson. Stevenson has 163 rushing yards and a score plus 12 catches this season (41 PPR points), ranking RB25 for 2026.

Quarterback Drake Maye had his get-right game last week against Buffalo, throwing for 269 yards and three touchdowns while leading the team in rushing with 54 yards. But he still fumbled three times despite facing almost no pressure, and in his other three outings he's been sacked three times apiece. Neutralize the New England run game and you force Maye to win it alone — something he's done exactly once this year.

The Raiders' real enemy might be themselves. Their kick returners have coughed up the football two weeks running, costing them the division lead against the Chiefs and digging an 11-point hole against the Saints. Clean up the ball security and this team, by their own math, is still undefeated.

Fantasy verdict: start Brock Bowers with full confidence. A banged-up Patriots secondary, a scheme built around two- and three-tight-end sets, and a quarterback in Cousins (QB38, 77 PPR points) who funnels targets his way all point to another big outing. If you've got Stevenson, treat him as a flex-worthy RB2 given New England's run-first approach — the touchdown equity is real even in a committee.