Who Should I Start? Kendrick Bourne or Tyquan Thornton

Saturday, February 21, 10:14 AM

Across 16 games in 2025, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Kendrick Bourne recorded 37 receptions for 551 yards on 53 targets. A significant chunk of Bourne's production came in a two-game stretch in Weeks 5 and 6, when he hauled in 15 receptions for 284 yards on 20 targets. As the 49ers' pass-catching corps got healthier in the later part of the season, Bourne's role faded out of fantasy relevance. Bourne is now set to hit free agency ahead of 2026, which will be his age-31 season. Fellow 49ers wideout Jauan Jennings is also a free agent, and star San Francisco tight end George Kittle (Achilles) could miss a chunk of 2026 with a torn Achilles tendon. As a result, a return to San Francisco could mean Bourne has a role in the team's passing game, especially early in the year. However, the veteran wideout's best days appear to be behind him, and he may not play a fantasy-relevant role in 2026 and beyond.

Wednesday, December 24, 3:39 PM

The Kansas City Chiefs placed wide receiver Tyquan Thornton (concussion) on Injured Reserve on Wednesday, according to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team. Both Thornton and fellow wideout Rashee Rice (concussion) will miss the final two games of the regular season due to head injuries. The 25-year-old Thornton had some fantasy relevance earlier this season with Xavier Worthy injured and Rice out due to a suspension, but once both pass-catchers returned, he fell down the depth chart as a hard-to-trust deep threat in KC's offense. The former second-rounder will finish his first year in Kansas City with 19 catches on 37 targets for a career-high 438 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games (four starts). Worthy and Marquise Brown will have more opportunities to close out the year, but expectations must be tempered for fantasy managers with third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun set to run KC's offense.