Patriots 'manage' JuJu Smith-Schuster's playing time

Patriots WR JuJu Smith-Schuster ran well behind veteran WR Kendrick Bourne and rookie WR Kayshon Boutte in Sunday's loss to the Eagles. Bourne led the WR corps with 73 offensive snaps and 54 routes among 58 Mac Jones dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus. Boutte ranked second with 55 snaps and 43 routes. Smith-Schuster played just 43 snaps and ran 27 routes, tying rookie WR Demario Douglas in the latter category. ESPN's Mike Reiss says that playing time "reflects him being managed to some degree." Smith-Schuster is dealing with a knee that required a cleanup procedure in the offseason. SI.com's Albert Breer recently said in a radio interview that the knee "is a mess and ... could explode at any point." Smith-Schuster still fared well in target rate. His 7 tied for second on the team, trailing only Bourne. But he turned them into just 33 yards on 4 catches. There's little to like about Smith-Schuster, who is cuttable in some leagues if you're looking for more upside on the waiver wire this week.

Patriots WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (ankle) is out for Sunday night’s game vs. the Broncos. Demario Douglas, DeVante Parker, Jalen Reagor, and Tyquan Thornton will be New England’s top four WRs for that one. Douglas is the only one inside the top 50 in the Week 16 WR Rankings.

Patriots WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (ankle) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Chiefs. WRs DeVante Parker and Tyquan Thornton (hamstring) are active. WR Demario Douglas is back from his concussion and is the only viable fantasy play in this WR corps.

Patriots WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (concussion) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Bills. WR Demario Douglas (concussion) is active but shouldn’t be in fantasy lineups.

Patriots WR JuJu Smith-Schuster is not expected to play vs. the Bills today, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Smith-Schuster suffered his fifth documented concussion back in Week 5 and still hasn't been cleared. WR Demario Douglas, who was also concussed in Week 5, is expected to play today, according to Rapoport. WR Kendrick Bourne is the only viable fantasy play in New England's WR corps.

Patriots WRs JuJu Smith-Schuster (concussion) and Demario Douglas (concussion) are questionable for Sunday’s game vs. the Bills. They both remained limited in practice all week and still have multiple stages of the protocol to clear. Neither should be in your Week 7 fantasy plans. Smith-Schuster and Douglas’ absences would be a boost to WR Kendrick Bourne’s fantasy stock.