Thornton has a chance to reclaim a role in the Patriots offense in the coming weeks after Kendrick Bourne (knee) suffered a season-ending ACL tear in Sunday's loss to the Dolphins, Evan Lazar of the team's official site reports.
Thornton was a healthy inactive Week 8, but with Bourne now on injured reserve and the status of DeVante Parker (concussion) in jeopardy for Sunday's game against the Commanders, the Patriots should at the very least keep Thornton active Week 9. However, with Demario Douglas, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Jalen Reagor projected to serve as the Patriots' top three receivers Sunday if Parker joins Bourne on the sideline, Thornton may only be in store for a small role as the team's No. 4 wideout. The 2022 second-round pick looks to be more of a speculative pickup in most fantasy leagues until he delivers noteworthy production.