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, November 8, 5:15 AM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Kendrick Bourne is in line for another start on Sunday when the team hosts the Los Angeles Rams. The last time the divisional rivals squared off, in Week 5, Bourne exploded for 142 yards on 10 catches. Bourne was pushed to the top of the pecking order in the Niners' passing attack in that game due to the injury-related absences of Ricky Pearsall (knee), Jauan Jennings (ankle, shoulder), and George Kittle. Pearsall will miss a fifth consecutive game in Week 10, but Bourne will share the field with a healthy Jennings and Kittle this time. Since both returned to action in Week 7, Bourne has registered a total of seven catches for 92 yards on eight targets. Bourne projects as a lower-end WR4 in Week 10, making him a flex candidate in deeper leagues but not a must-start by any stretch.