Elite-TE Fantasy Football Draft Strategy: Build Around Brock Bowers

I’m an admitted TE overlooker, if that’s a word. I’ve been known to wait at the position, then wait some more, often leaving myself in the streaming zone. That’s even worse than the “friend zone.”

I’ve just always liked other positions better when the elite players at the position come available. In the Gronk years, it was usually a running back or wide receiver. Even the occasional stud QB. It really took Travis Kelce performing consistently like a top-10 WR that made me think otherwise. In fact, one of the most pivotal trades I ever made was rookie Jonathan Taylor for Kelce in 2021, which boosted my team to the fantasy championship game. Yet I continue to wait at the position, but I’m at least thinking about the TE earlier in my drafts.

That’s why today’s challenge was particularly fun, to build a team around an elite TE. I’m going to force a TE pick by the second round to see what the build looks like. I’m reminded of something Pete Overzet said on an earlier episode of the Fantasy Life Show when he talked about how his best ball teams where he went for Brock Bowers or Trey McBride early, he just didn’t like the overall build as other, more conventional, teams. I’m keeping that in the back of my mind, while still trying to see the best avenue I can have to a roster build I like.

To make this even harder, this is going to be a 3-WR draft, with 2 RBs, 1 QB and a flex using our Draft Champion. The extra WR will make that position more valuable, and will force some moves so as not to be chasing at that position. But in doing so, will that impact RB? Let’s find out.

This team is drafting from the 1.08, which made for a quicker turnaround in Round 2 at the 2.17. How could that impact the remainder of the draft?

Fantasy Football Draft Strategy Around Elite Tight End

Round 1: WR Debate

Justin Jefferson or CeeDee Lamb? On the one hand, Jefferson has the lesser WR2 option behind him (George Pickens is well ahead of Jordan Addison). On the other hand, J-Jettas is playing with Kyler Murray (maybe) while CeeDee is catching passes from Dak Prescott. I want to say Lamb, whom our fantasy football projections say will score about a dozen points more. I went with Jefferson, because of the lesser talent behind him. I took a WR here instead of an RB because I was a little worried about WR drying up while needing a WR3.

Matthew Berry's Draft Day Manifesto

Round 2: Bowers Power

I have to commit to the strategy, even though the trio of RBs who are still on the board are so tantalizing. I focus on the task at hand, which is to get a TE. It’s Bowers. His turning 130 targets into 97-1,030-6.9 in our projections could be his floor. His ceiling is the 169 targets that McBride drew last season. Bowers is that good, and the WR room for the Raiders is that barren.

We’re talking bordering on prime Travis Kelce years, seeing nearly 10 targets a game and the numbers being that of a top-5 WR. Bowers doesn’t have Patrick Mahomes throwing to him, but Kirk Cousins will look for him until Fernando Mendoza takes over under center. What’s a young QB’s best friend? Bowers is going to need to have a big year, because it’s so tough to pass by the RBs in this range.

Round 3: Ride the other Cowboy

I just don’t like the RBs in this range as I do the WR on the other side of the Round 1 argument (sort of). George Pickens arrived as a stud WR last year, and he could be as close to being the 1A WR on his team as anyone. Everything is in place for him to replicate his 93-1,429-9 season from 2025. I am starting to wonder which RB will be out there for me.

Round 4: Not so Old Faithful

We’re not quite to “death, taxes and Kyren Williams will run for 1,000 yards and score 10 TDs.” But it’s close. The Blake Corum backfield share was real last season, but even with almost 60 fewer rush attempts Williams hit his benchmark. The Rams are still one of the most elite offenses with a solid o-line and NFL MVP Matthew Stafford running the show. Give me the guy touching the ball 250-300 times in that unit.

Round 5: The Vet

Who wants a 33-year-old WR who has had hamstring issues the last few years? Don’t get me started on the hype around that substation near the practice facility. Jameson Williams tried to sway me, but I just kept thinking that Mike Evans could very well be the WR1 in a high-powered 49ers offense. Yes, please.

Round 6: Having an RB2 Type

I talked about D'Andre Swift as the savior of my roster at RB2 in this range in the WR-WR article. He’s swiftly swooping in again to give me a very good second RB to pair with Kyren. There are so many arrows pointing up with the Bears offensive attack, and it’s not just Caleb Williams and the pass catchers. Swift going behind an elite offensive line in a Ben Johnson offense … Bear up!

Round 7: Buc up

I’m really not sure if Chris Godwin is a great pick here. I remember the 83 receptions and 1,024 receiving yards in 2023. I also remember that he’s played in only 16 games total the past two seasons due to injuries. I believe in the offense with Baker Mayfield, even with another change at OC. A healthy Godwin is a solid WR2. There are several good QBs available, so I feel I can wait another round.

Round 8: QB Decision

Brock Purdy, Trevor Lawrence and Dak Prescott are all staring at me. IN THE EIGHTH ROUND. Since I have receivers to stack with both Purdy and Prescott, I select the 49ers signal-caller because he’s ahead of his Dallas counterpart in our fantasy football rankings. I’ve got the QB in one of the best offenses in football, which will be going against three great offenses in the fantasy playoffs. One of those games is indoors. The other is a home game against the Eagles in Week 17, championship week. That could be a fun game rivaling the 42-38 shootout with the Bears in Week 17 last season, when Purdy passed for 303 yards and 3 scores, adding a pair of TDs on the ground. We’ll take one of those.

Round 9: Just in Case

Quentin Johnston is there, and for once I’m not immediately thinking of what he’s going to do in the Mike McDaniel offense. I’m remembering what a beat writer said after QJ’s rookie year, that the team didn’t utilize his YAC ability that was his superpower in college. The Chargers have done better the past two seasons of incorporating QB, but now I think of what McDaniel will do with this weapon. I still think Ladd McConkey is the alpha WR, but I do wonder what could happen if QJ gets more than the 87 targets he’s projected for this season.

One other note: Look at the QB options still on the board in this round.

Rounds 10-16: Rounding out the Bench

These were the picks in order from picks 10-14. Murray in Round 11 could be a steal, and is great insurance because Purdy did miss seven games last year. It’s fun to have him available to possibly stack with Jefferson.

The 13th and 14th rounds were wild card WRs. Hunter at that point in the draft is a name I’ll pull practically every time. Not sure he gets 100 targets, but when bye weeks hit, I’ll take the option of starting a Heisman winner. Deebo fitting back into the SF offense has the makings of a feel-good story, but we’re five years past that magical 2021 season. I’ll take that leap at this point, though. Chargers D and Will Reichard close out the festivities.

How did the Elite-TE Draft Strategy Work Out?

I’m finding that when I do these targeted draft strategies, I measure how much I like my team by how the RBs look by the end. Starters Kyren Williams and D'Andre Swift aren’t exactly James Cook and Derrick Henry, but when I can assure myself the best TE in the game and still have a pair of good RBs with double-digit TD upside, I’ll take it.

I find that when doing this strategy, it’s important to wait on QB. Especially with filling three WR slots, you just don’t want to be chasing that position in any draft.

The B grade I got seemed fitting, as I don’t have a top WR grouping, but depth will help me. RB feels pretty thin if anything happens to either of the starters. But I’m looking forward to having that mismatch at TE most of the weeks this season. Not sure I’ll try elite-TE in my home leagues, but it’s nice to know that a quality roster can be built this unconventional way.