Who Should I Start? Kendrick Bourne or Rachaad White

Monday, May 20, 2:12 PM

New England Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne (knee) will not be on the field this spring with the rest of the team, according to new head coach Jerod Mayo. It shouldn't come as a huge surprise after a torn right ACL forced Bourne to miss the final nine games of the 2023 season. The 28-year-old said that he expects to be full-go for the start of training camp this summer, though, but he's going to miss valuable time working with new quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett and rookie first-rounder Drake Maye during organized team activities. As long as Bourne doesn't suffer a setback during training camp or the preseason, he should be ready for the Week 1 season opener. Bourne had a career-high 800 receiving yards and five touchdowns in his first year with the Pats in 2021 before regressing to 434 yards and one score in 16 games (two starts) in 2022.

Monday, May 6, 4:33 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White saw 75.3% of the team's running back carries and targets in 2023, but running back coach Skip Peete said there will be more competition for touches this season. Tampa Bay selected Oregon running back Bucky Irving in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, while Chase Edmonds and 2023 undrafted free agent Sean Tucker remain on the roster. Ultimately, none of the running backs behind White are expensive investments for the organization, and it's always tricky to know whether a coach is being transparent or just trying to motivate the players in his position room. White was the RB4 overall (PPR) last season behind 990 rushing yards, 549 receiving yards, and nine total touchdowns. Although he could see his rushing volume take a hit, his receiving skill set that he's flashed since his collegiate career at Arizona State should keep him on the field for high-yield fantasy situations.