Who Should I Start? Kendrick Bourne or Jalen Royals

Saturday, November 1, 5:49 AM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Kendrick Bourne will get another shot at starting when the team clashes with the New York Giants in Week 9. Ricky Pearsall (knee) will miss his fifth straight game, allowing Bourne to stand in again. Mac Jones (knee), with whom Bourne has demonstrated a solid rapport, will get his seventh start on Sunday, in place of Brock Purdy (toe), who is listed as questionable. The Giants have given up the most yards and third-most receptions to opposing wide receivers, but fantasy football managers will have to think twice before plugging Bourne into lineups. With Jauan Jennings' (ankle, ribs, shoulder) health improving and George Kittle back from injured reserve, Bourne's target share over the last two weeks sits at 11%. Bourne is projected as a borderline WR4/5 in Week 9, and deserves consideration only in deeper leagues.

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.