Who Should I Start? Kendrick Bourne or Jalen Royals

Saturday, November 22, 5:51 AM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Kendrick Bourne took a big step back in the team's 41-22 dismantling of the Arizona Cardinals in Week 11. With Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall (knee) both on the field for the first time since Week 4, Bourne's snap share went from 68% in Week 10 to 25% in Week 11. Bourne finished the game without a single target. Bourne was riding high after back-to-back 142-yard games in Weeks 5 and 6, when injuries to Jennings, Pearsall, and George Kittle forced him to the top of the pecking order in the 49ers' passing game. As his teammates have recovered and returned to action, Bourne has seen his role diminished and has just nine targets over the 49ers' last five games. At this point, Bourne is simply a depth piece for San Francisco and holds very little potential to help fantasy football teams in Week 12.

Wednesday, October 8, 11:09 AM

Kansas City Chiefs rookie wide receiver Jalen Royals missed the first two games of the 2025 season with a knee injury. He's been active in each of the team's last three games, but Royals has not yet been targeted by Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The 22-year-old appears buried on Kansas City's wide receiver depth chart behind Xavier Worthy, Marquise Brown, Tyquan Thornton, and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Royals could fall down the depth chart even further in Week 7 when top Chiefs wideout Rashee Rice is eligible to return from suspension. Royals maintains some appeal in dynasty leagues, but he should remain off the radar of redraft fantasy managers for the time being.