Kendrick Bourne DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

The Athletic's Chad Graff suggests that it could be time for the New England Patriots to move on from wide receiver Kendrick Bourne this offseason, even if he's their top player at their biggest position of need. Bourne missed the start of the 2024 season while recovering from a torn right ACL and caught only 28 passes on 38 targets for 305 yards and one touchdown in 12 games (nine starts) once he returned. With a new coaching regime in town, the Patriots could move on from Bourne, who will be heading into his age-30 season in 2025. New England would save $4.9 million in salary cap space if they cut him before June 1 or $6.3 million if they cut him with a post-June 1 designation. Bourne is under contract with the Patriots through the 2026 season, but it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see this rebuilding organization go in another direction as they completely rebuild their receiving corps.

New England Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne continues to trend in the wrong direction ahead of Sunday's Week 18 matchup against the Buffalo Bills. The 29-year-old has seen his role decline over the last two weeks, during which he has been less productive than both DeMario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte. Bourne played just 72 percent of the offensive snaps against the Los Angeles Chargers, and his two receptions tied his lowest mark since Week 8. The Bills have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to perimeter receivers, but that's less appealing when you consider that Boutte continues to handle more snaps than Bourne. Despite the favorable matchup, Bourne's reduced volume keeps him outside the top 50 fantasy receivers for Week 18. He ranks as a mid-to-low WR5.

New England Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne has maintained a steady role within the offense, but he remains off the fantasy radar heading into Saturday's Week 17 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers. Bourne has just 11 catches for 131 yards over his last four games, and he hasn't found the end zone since Week 11 against the Los Angeles Rams. He and DeMario Douglas have played a similar number of snaps lately, but they both rank a significant distance behind Kayshon Boutte in terms of usage. That's particularly unfortunate for Bourne because he operates out wide, which is where Boutte has played 89.9 percent of his snaps. Therefore, even against a Bolts defense allowing the sixth-most fantasy points to perimeter wide receivers, Bourne can't be trusted in lineups as long as Boutte remains a top option in New England's passing attack.