Who Should I Start? Kendrick Bourne or Casey Washington

Saturday, December 27, 4:41 AM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Kendrick Bourne has seemingly regained his role as the team's third wide receiver after Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall (knee, ankle). Bourne had slipped behind Demarcus Robinson on the depth chart for a few weeks, but the former has outsnapped the latter in both of the 49ers' games coming out of their Week 14 bye. Bourne's involvement has been minimal, even after drawing a start last week while Pearsall was held out due to injuries. Pearsall is questionable for Week 17, as is tight end George Kittle (ankle), who is a game-time decision. Bourne's fantasy value rests on the availability of his teammates. Should both be shelved, then Bourne would have flex appeal against a soft Bears secondary, but if either or both are active, then it is hard to see Bourne eclipsing the five targets he saw last week.

Saturday, September 13, 10:09 PM

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Casey Washington (concussion) did not pass the league's concussion protocol and will be inactive on Sunday against the Vikings. The 24-year-old had his best game in the NFL last week, hauling in three of his six targets for 33 yards, but suffered a concussion during the fourth quarter of the contest. The University of Illinois product's six targets were fourth-most on the team and more than veteran Ray-Ray McCloud III's five targets, potentially signaling a changing of the guard for the third wide receiver spot in the Atlanta offense, but it was likely more a product of Darnell Mooney's absence in Week 1 than anything else. With Mooney expected to play in Week 2 but with Washington out, we'll have to see how things shake out in Week 3 in order to get a better feel for Washington's role in this offense. For now, Washington can be left to the waiver wire in fantasy leagues.