Kendrick Bourne Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Patriots WR Tyquan Thornton (shoulder) has been placed on IR. He'll miss at least the first four weeks of the season. The second-year receiver was sidelined during the spring with a soft-tissue injury and then hurt his shoulder in mid-August. He's not worth rostering in redraft. JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, and Demario Douglas figure to open the season as New England's top four WRs.

The Athletic’s Chad Graff believes New England’s WRs corps “seems only marginally better than last year’s.” Graff calls DeVante Parker an “x-factor” but admits he’s “not sold yet” on Tyquan Thornton. He also questions the contract given to JuJu Smith-Schuster because of his injury history. Kendrick Bourne, meanwhile, isn’t considered a roster lock. (Yeah, it’s pretty clear why the Pats pursued DeAndre Hopkins.) We’ll monitor this unit come training camp. The chemistry between JuJu and Mac Jones is something to really focus on, as the 26-year-old missed most of the spring with a knee issue.

Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne caught 6 of 9 targets for 100 yards and a TD in Saturday's loss to the Bengals. He led the team in all 3 categories (tying Jakobi Meyers in receptions) and added a 29-yard carry. Bourne did all that despite trailing Meyers and rookie WR Tyquan Thornton in playing time and routes, according to Pro Football Focus. Meyers posted a 6-83-1 receiving line on 7 targets, though he inflated that with a 48-yard TD on a ball that was intended for WR Scotty Washington but bounced to Meyers off Washington's hands. Meyers did lead the team in pass routes, though, which makes him easier to like for a Week 17 clash with the Dolphins. Thornton finished with just 1 catch for 8 yards among 3 targets. QB Mac Jones threw for 240 yards and 2 TDs in the game.

Patriots WR Jakobi Meyers (concussion) is listed as questionable for this weekend’s game vs. the Raiders. He went from a limited practice on Wednesday to no practice on Thursday to another limited practice on Friday. That’s a strange progression for a guy in the concussion protocol. Patriots-Raiders doesn’t kick off until 4:05 pm ET on Sunday, but we should get an update on Meyers by that morning. Patriots WR DeVante Parker (concussion) has been ruled out, leaving Nelson Agholor, Tyquan Thornton and Kendrick Bourne as New England’s top 3 healthy WRs.

Patriots WR DeVante Parker (knee) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Colts. That leaves Jakobi Meyers, Tyquan Thornton, Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor as New England’s top 4 WRs. Meyers is the only bankable Week 9 fantasy play.

Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne (toe) is inactive for tonight's game with the Bears. This doesn't have much fantasy impact but does, at least, leave a few WR snaps on the field for others.

Patriots WR Nelson Agholor (hamstring) is active for tonight's game against the Bears. WR Kendrick Bourne (toe) is inactive. We're expecting Agholor to serve as the #4 WR behind Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker and Tyquan Thornton.

Patriots WRs Nelson Agholor (hamstring) and Kendrick Bourne (toe) are listed as questionable for Monday night's game vs. the Bears. Neither should be in your Week 7 fantasy plans. Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker and Tyquan Thornton will operate as New England's top 3 WRs.

Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne left in the 1st half of Sunday's game vs. the Browns with a toe injury. He's officially questionable to return. Stay tuned for an update.

Patriots WR Nelson Agholor (hamstring) is out for Sunday's game vs. the Browns. New England will roll out Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne, Tyquan Thornton and DeVante Parker as its top 4 WRs. Meyers is the only viable fantasy option.

With WR Jakobi Meyers out, Patriots WR DeVante Parker led the team in targets (10), receptions (5) and receiving yards (156) in Sunday's loss to the Ravens. Each of Parker's 5 catches went for 24+ yards, which is a credit to him and a reminder that this Baltimore defense is once again looking like a high-ceiling matchup for opponent passing. Kendrick Bourne checked in 2nd among wideouts with 4-58 on 5 targets. Nelson Agholor caught 2 of 3 targets for 41 yards. Lil'Jordan Humphrey actually checked in 2nd among WRs in playing time and routes but garnered just 1 target.

Patriots WR Jakobi Meyers (knee) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Ravens. That leaves Nelson Agholor, DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne as New England’s top 3 WRs.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Patriots WR Jakobi Meyers (knee) is not expected to play vs. the Ravens today. He got in just a limited practice on Friday this week, so this isn't a big surprise. Meyers' absence leaves behind 29% of New England's targets over the first 2 games. WR Nelson Agholor becomes a more interesting Week 3 fantasy play with Meyers out. DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne figure to operate as the #2 and #3 WRs.

Patriots QB Mac Jones and the 1st-team offense had another rough outing in Friday night's preseason finale. Jones completed 9 of 13 passes for 71 yards (5.5 YPA), 0 TDs and 1 INT across 4 series. The possessions went: 3-and-out, INT, 3-and-out, FG. The offense reportedly struggled throughout training camp, too, looking uncomfortable in the Josh McDaniels-less system. Pass protection has also been a problem. It'll be tough to trust any piece of this Patriots passing game in early-season fantasy lineups.

The Athletic's Chad Graff lists WR Kendrick Bourne as a "faller" and WR Nelson Agholor as a "riser." Graff believes Bourne is now behind Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker and Agholor on the depth chart. Agholor "has been the Patriots’ best wide receiver in most practices and has shown an improved connection with Jones," Graff writes. We're not overly interested in any of these guys as draft targets, but we'll continue to monitor the pecking order.

Patriots WR Tyquan Thornton suffered a collarbone injury in Friday night's preseason game, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Rapoport doesn't say Thornton's collarbone is broken, but it sure sounds like that's the case. Thornton's season is "now put on hold, though based on his timetable, the injury to the speedster is not season ending." We'll look for a more concrete timeline, but Thornton isn't worth a roster spot in redraft leagues. His absence leaves Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor as New England's clear top 4 WRs.

Update: NFL Network's Mike Giardi reports that Thornton is expected to miss "around 8 weeks."

ESPN’s Mike Reiss believes “there is potential for significant improvement in the deep passing game” for the Patriots this season. It appears Reiss bases this opinion primarily on how the deep-passing game has looked in early workouts. There’s certainly room for improvement. QB Mac Jones ranked just 26th among 31 qualifiers in deep-ball completion rate, according to ESPN Stats. He checked in above-average in on-target rate on downfield passes. In addition to more experience for the young QB and another off-season with his pass-catchers, New England added WR DeVante Parker via trade and speedy WR Tyquan Thornton in the 2nd round of the draft. Increasing his deep-ball production would be especially valuable for Jones, because he lacks rushing production and New England doesn’t figure to be a high-volume passing offense