Bourne is not a top-200 player in our rankings and should be left for very deep leagues. He actually averaged 51 yards per game and led the Patriots in receiving in 2023 before tearing his ACL in Week 8. His 2024 season was less impressive as he averaged only 25 yards per game. New England has added a slew of wide receivers over the last few seasons which could limit Bourne's playing time.
Patriots' Kendrick Bourne: Out for preseason finale
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Coach Mike Vrabel said Monday that Bourne (leg) will not practice this week and has been ruled out for Thursday's preseason finale against the Giants, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
Bourne was rolled up in practice back on Aug. 1 and has been sidelined ever since, essentially missing most of training camp and the entire preseason. With the Patriots' additions to the wide receiver room over the offseason, Bourne's roster spot isn't guaranteed. Missing the summer certainly won't help his chances.
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Patriots' Kendrick Bourne: Doesn't play Saturday
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Bourne (lower leg) did not play in the Patriots' 20-12 preseason win over the Vikings on Saturday.
Bourne has missed the Patriots' first two preseason games due to a lower leg injury that he suffered in early August. The veteran wideout is battling for a depth spot on New England's 53-man roster, but those chances will continue to diminish for as long as he remains sidelined. Bourne will aim to return to practice this next week and be available for the Patriots' preseason finale against the Giants on Thursday.
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Patriots' Kendrick Bourne: Not playing Friday
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Bourne (lower leg) is not participating in warmups and will not play in Friday's preseason opener against the Commanders, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.
Bourne suffered a lower leg injury during last Friday's intrasquad scrimmage and hasn't practiced since. He'll look to get himself back on the practice field and be available for the Patriots' second exhibition game against the Vikings on Saturday, Aug. 16. The absences of Bourne and Stefon Diggs (knee) gives the likes of Ja'Lynn Polk, Javon Baker and Efton Chism more opportunities to get snaps with the offense during Friday's contest.
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Patriots' Kendrick Bourne: Won't practice this week
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Bourne (lower leg) won't practice in the week leading up to Friday's preseason opener against Washington, coach Mike Vrabel said Monday, Taylor Kyles of Patriots on CLNS reports.
Bourne had his leg rolled up on in practice this past Friday and will miss at least a week of practice as a result. The veteran wide receiver will likely be held out of Friday's preseason game due to the injury, though official confirmation on that front won't come until later in the week.
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Patriots' Kendrick Bourne: Gets injured Friday
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Bourne limped off the field during Friday's intrasquad scrimmage before heading to the locker room, Mark Daniels of MassLive.com reports.
Bourne went to the sideline after making a catch, and on the bench he had his left cleat off while Patriots staffers tended to him. The nature of the injury isn't known, but the eight-year pro could begin to fall behind in the battle for one of the few depth WR spots on the roster if he's required to miss a stretch of time due to the injury.
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Patriots' Kendrick Bourne: Back for fifth season with Patriots
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As the coming season approaches, Bourne is in line to compete for a spot in the Patriots' revamped wide receiver corps, Evan Lazar of the team's official site reports.
When healthy, Stefon Diggs (knee) profiles as the team's top wideout, while DeMario Douglas and 2025 third-rounder Kyle Williams also seem like roster locks. Mack Hollins is likely to secure a role as well. With that in mind, Bourne -- who carries a $7.7 million cap hit this season -- figures to compete for depth chart slotting with Kayshon Boutte, Ja'Lynn Polk, Javon Baker and Efton Chism. Working in Bourne's favor is his experience in offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels' scheme, who was on hand when the 29-year-old logged a career-high 925 yards from scrimmage in 2021, but for now Bourne doesn't have a path to steady targets in a crowded WR room.
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Patriots' Kendrick Bourne: Catches 28 passes this past season
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Bourne finished the 2024 regular season with 28 catches (on 38 targets) for 305 yards and a TD in 12 games.
Bourne, who suffered a torn right ACL in Week 8 of the 2023 season, began the 2024 campaign on the PUP list before being activated ahead of Week 5 action. Not surprisingly, the veteran wideout was eased back into the mix, but even when he started to see an uptick in playing time, his fantasy impact was modest most weeks. Looking ahead, Bourne is under contract with New England through 2026, but as Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston notes, it's possible that the rebuilding Patriots could consider moving on from the 29-year-old pass catcher this offseason.
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Patriots' Kendrick Bourne: Two catches Sunday
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Bourne caught both of his targets for 18 yards in Sunday's 24-21 loss to the Bills.
Bourne -- who had caught three passes in each of his previous three outings -- was on the field for 51 of the Patriots' 73 snaps on offense Sunday, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. As the team's final two games approach, Bourne carries modest fantasy upside in PPR formats.
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Patriots' Kendrick Bourne: Catches three passes Sunday
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Bourne logged 27 of a possible 51 snaps on offense in Sunday's 30-17 loss to the Cardinals, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
Bourne finished the contest with three catches (including a 37-yarder) for a team-high 44 yards. Since recording a 5-70-1 receiving line in Week 11, Bourne has caught three catches in each of New England's subsequent three games, a rate of production that limits his fantasy utility to deeper PPR formats.
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Patriots' Kendrick Bourne: Three catches in Week 13
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Bourne caught all three of his targets for 39 yards and carried once for six yards in Sunday's 25-24 loss to the Colts.
Bourne, who was on the field for 46 of the Patriots' 72 snaps on offense in the contest, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, also had a six-yard TD called back due to a penalty. The veteran wideout should maintain a steady workload following the Patriots' Week 14 bye, but his fantasy utility is limited to deeper formats while operating in a passing offense that has leaned heavily on its tight ends of late.
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Patriots' Kendrick Bourne: Best game of season in Week 11
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Bourne caught all five of his targets for 70 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 28-22 loss to the Rams.
Bourne had been quiet since returning from a knee injury that cost him the first four weeks of the season, but he bounced back nicely after going without a catch in two of his previous three games. He set a season high in receiving yards and scored his first touchdown of the season on a 10-yard reception in the first quarter. Given the lack of production from New England's wideouts this season, Bourne could have a tough time building on this breakout effort in Week 12 against a tough Dolphins secondary.
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Patriots' Kendrick Bourne: Gets more involved
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Bourne recorded four receptions (on six targets) for 41 yards in Sunday's 20-17 overtime loss to the Titans.
Bourne has slowly seen his snap count tick up since returning from a knee injury Week 5, though his involvement in the offense took its first true leap Sunday. He recorded season-best marks in targets, receptions and yards, while also matching his longest gain of the season with a 14-yard catch late in the second quarter. Bourne missed out on an even bigger day when a 22-yard catch was wiped out by a holding call, but his performances are trending in the right direction.
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Patriots' Kendrick Bourne: No catches in Week 8
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Bourne logged 52 of a possible 67 snaps on offense in Sunday's 25-22 win over the Jets, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
Though Bourne's snap count was his highest since being activated from the PUP list in advance of Week 5 action, he didn't catch any of his three targets Sunday. Regardless of who starts at QB for the Patriots in Week 9 against the Titans, Bourne isn't an enticing fantasy option after managing just a 4-29-0 receiving line on eight targets through his first four outings this season.
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Patriots' Kendrick Bourne: Two catches versus Houston
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Bourne caught both of his targets for nine yards in Sunday's 41-21 loss to the Texans.
Per Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald, Bourne -- who was activated from the PUP list ahead of Week 5 action -- said last week that it would take a couple of weeks for him to get back to 100 percent as he bounces back from a knee injury, with the wideout's snap count increasing from 16 snaps in his first game back to 34 snaps Sunday. With that in mind, it wouldn't surprise us to see Bourne's playing time continue to rise Week 7 against the Jaguars, but for the time being he's a risky fantasy lineup option.
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Patriots' Kendrick Bourne: Active versus Texans
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Bourne (knee) is listed as active for Sunday's game against the Texans.
After being activated from the PUP list ahead of Week 5 action, Bourne made his season debut in the Patriots' loss to the Dolphins last weekend, en route to logging 16 of 60 snaps on offense while catching his lone target for six yards. In his second game back from a major knee injury that he suffered Oct. 29, 2023, Bourne could see an uptick in playing time in QB Drake Maye's first NFL regular-season start. However, until the veteran wideout re-establishes a steady role in New England's offense, he'll continue to profile as a speculative fantasy option.
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Patriots' Kendrick Bourne: Questionable for Sunday
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Bourne (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Texans after practicing in a limited fashion this week.
Given that Bourne was on the reserve/PUP list through Week 4 as he bounced back from a knee injury he sustained Oct. 29, 2023, it's not surprising that the Patriots are easing the wideout back into the mix. We'd expect Bourne to be available to face Houston on Sunday, with confirmation of his status set to arrive once New England's inactives are known ahead of the team's 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff. After logging a 27 percent snap share in his season debut versus Miami in Week 5, Bourne could see an uptick in playing time in QB Drake Maye's first NFL regular-season start, but until the veteran pass catcher gets a full and productive game in, he's a speculative fantasy option.
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Patriots' Kendrick Bourne: Limited practice Wednesday
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Bourne (knee) was a limited participant at practice Wednesday.
After being activated from the PUP list Saturday, Bourne made his season debut in the Patriots' Week 5 loss to the Dolphins a day later, playing 16 of 60 snaps on offense while reeling in his lone target for a six-yard receptions. With no reported setbacks with his surgically repaired knee coming out of the game, Bourne's limitations Wednesday are most likely maintenance-related. Assuming that's the case, the wideout should be available against the Texans on Sunday, when he'll likely see his snap share tick up as rookie quarterback Drake Maye makes his first NFL start.
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Patriots' Kendrick Bourne: In line for season debut
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Bourne (knee), who was activated off the reserve/PUP list Saturday, is listed as questionable for Sunday's game but is expected to play, Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald reports.
Bourne was expected to make his season debut Sunday after practicing in limited fashion all week. He'll join a beleaguered Patriots passing attack that has yet to surpass 170 passing yards in any of the four contests this campaign. The veteran receiver quietly had developed into a featured pass catcher last season in a similarly dire passing offense, recording at least two catches in all eight games before going down with a season-ending ACL tear, but it's hard to imagine Bourne significantly turning around a New England offense that ranks dead last in total passing yards in 2024.
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Patriots' Kendrick Bourne: Returning to practice
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Bourne (knee) is slated to practice Wednesday, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
Bourne, who remains on the PUP list, will thus have his 21-day practice window opened up as the Patriots kick off Week 5 prep. In terms of the wideout's availability for Sunday's game against the Dolphins, head coach Jerod Mayo said that the possibility of Bourne playing this weekend isn't unrealistic, Mark Daniels of MassLive.com reports. Bourne is nearing the finish line of his recovery from a torn ACL in his right knee, an injury he sustained last October.
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Patriots' Kendrick Bourne: Opening season on PUP list
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Bourne (knee) is starting the regular season on the PUP list, making him ineligible to play until at least Week 5, Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald reports.
Bourne meets the same fate as most of the other players that suffered ACL tears last season, unable to make good on his winter optimism that he'd be ready for Week 1. He tore his ACL in Week 8 last year, finishing with a 37-406-4 line on 55 targets and a career-high 50.8 receiving yards per game. There's no guarantee Bourne gets that kind of opportunity once he's ready to play this season, as the Patriots have young wide receivers Ja'Lynn Polk, DeMario Douglas and Javon Baker vying for targets with veterans K.J. Osborn and Tyquan Thornton. It's far from a formidable WR room, but there's at least more depth than the team had last season. Bourne has been on the PUP list all summer, unable to practice with his teammates.
