Who Should I Start? Kendrick Bourne or Richie James

Saturday, November 15, 5:17 AM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Kendrick Bourne's role in the team's passing attack has diminished after George Kittle returned from injured reserve in Week 7 and as Jauan Jennings' health improved in recent weeks. Bourne made a splash with back-to-back 142-yard games in Weeks 5 and 6, but has just eight catches on nine targets for 111 yards in the four games since. His stock will fall further still in Week 11, as Ricky Pearsall (knee) will return to the lineup after missing the 49ers' last six games. Bourne's snap share, already decreasing in recent weeks, should take a significant hit on Sunday. Brock Purdy's (toe) return this week won't have the same impact on Bourne as it might have with Pearsall out of the picture. Bourne projects as a WR5 against the Arizona Cardinals' middling pass defense and should be left out of starting fantasy football lineups.

Saturday, July 19, 11:06 AM

Wide receiver Richie James announced on X on Friday that he is retiring from professional football. "It took time but i have come to realize I am retired from the NFL. Seventh round out of MTSU. I feel like I was just a ballplayer to last that long. Unfortunately, my knee never healed properly. I was playing hurt since 2022. Oh well. I gave everything I got to the game of football," James wrote. The 29-year-old was originally selected 240th overall in the seventh round by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2018 NFL draft out of Middle Tennessee State. He played the first three years of his career in the Bay Area before joining the New York Giants in 2022. James last played for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2023. He will finish his five-year career with 105 catches on 143 targets for 1,372 yards and seven touchdowns in 66 regular-season games (15 starts).