Who Should I Start? Mike Evans or Kendrick Bourne

Wednesday, October 22, 7:47 PM

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers officially placed veteran wide receiver Mike Evans (collarbone) on Injured Reserve on Wednesday after he broke his clavicle in Monday night's loss to the Detroit Lions, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com. Evans will be forced to miss at least four games while on IR, but his absence is expected to be much longer than that. However, he reportedly suffered a clean break of his collarbone and could return to the team in under eight weeks if his rehab goes well. Head coach Todd Bowles said it would be "touch and go" as to whether Evans will be able to get back on the field before the end of the regular season. Fantasy managers can go ahead and drop the future Hall of Famer in redraft leagues. It's a tough blow for Evans, who had just returned from a three-game absence due to a hamstring strain. He will finish shy of 1,000 receiving yards in 2025 for the first time in his 12 NFL seasons.

Saturday, October 25, 6:01 AM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Kendrick Bourne will likely be in the team's starting lineup for Week 8 with Ricky Pearsall (knee) declared out. With Pearsall out in Weeks 5 and 6, Bourne exploded for 142 receiving yards in both games. His production cratered in Week 7, however, to two catches for 14 yards on two targets, while Jauan Jennings (ankle, ribs, shoulder) earned seven. An increasingly healthy Jennings could remain a focal point on offense, and George Kittle's target share will assuredly grow after being used almost exclusively as a blocker in his return from injured reserve last week. Bourne's rapport with Mac Jones (knee, oblique), who will start again in Week 8, may be for naught with the increasing number of mouths to feed. Bourne projects as a borderline WR3/4 and will be a tough start against a Houston defense that ranks fourth in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers.