Mayer Tops Week 1 Fantasy Sleepers With Bowers Out — SkimNews
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- Michael Mayer carries top-10 Week 1 upside with Brock Bowers (knee) out, averaging 13.9 PPR points and 7.3 targets per game across three 2025 games without Bowers — yet he was rostered in just 24% of CBS Sports leagues at publication.
- Brock Bowers is sidelined for Week 1 against Miami and could miss multiple weeks, leaving the door open for Mayer and Tre Tucker as long-term fill-ins.
- Tre Tucker projects as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in Week 1 after scoring at least 11.1 PPR points in two of five 2025 games without Bowers; he is rostered in 61% of CBS leagues.
- The Dolphins defense ranked No. 3 in Fantasy points allowed to tight ends in 2025 and allowed six receivers to score at least 12.1 PPR points in their final five games, powering matchup appeal for both Mayer and Tucker.
- DeVonta Smith should absorb target volume in his first game without A.J. Brown in Philadelphia, having posted 6+ catches in three of his past five against Washington with two touchdowns in that span.
- Saquon Barkley has torched Washington with 111 carries for 588 yards and five touchdowns plus nine catches for 150 yards and three touchdowns across his past five meetings with the Commanders.
Why it matters: Mayer sits rostered in only 24% of CBS leagues despite a Week 1 matchup against a Dolphins defense that was No. 3 in Fantasy points allowed to tight ends in 2025 — making him a high-upside waiver add for fantasy managers scrambling to replace Bowers, who could miss multiple weeks.
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