Kendrick Bourne
Bourne is the Cardinals' WR2 after the Marvin Harrison Jr. trade: a short-area, slot-leaning target who is getting steady volume but little downfield or red zone work.
Role
Bourne ran a route on 82 percent of dropbacks in Week 1 (NBC Sports). In Weeks 5 and 6 he drew 7 and 8 targets, and the 8 in Week 6 came after the Harrison trade. Through five games he had 21 targets, an 11 percent share, and 4 of the team's 37 red zone targets (SI). SI says he is now expected to see about one-sixth of the passing offense. Fantasydata.com's depth chart, indexed in search and not fetched, lists Michael Wilson and Bourne as the starting outside receivers, with Jalen Brooks in the slot. Competition comes from Wilson, Brooks, Devin Duvernay, and Trey McBride, who leads the team in red zone targets with 11. Jacoby Brissett is the quarterback.
With Harrison gone, Bourne has moved from the WR3 job he was signed for to a WR2 role. He has had 7 and 8 targets in the two games since, and he caught 5 of 8 for 47 yards in the 18-16 win over the Rams. He already knows Brissett from New England and head coach Mike LaFleur from San Francisco. Brissett leans on short and intermediate throws, which suits him. NBC Sports pegged his Week 1 depth at about five air yards per target, and PFF has his season average depth of target at 5.9 yards.
The volume is low-value. PFF's season line is 17 catches for 178 yards and no touchdowns. His red zone share is small, since McBride and Wilson get most of those looks. Wilson and McBride are ahead of him for targets, and SI's projection for Week 6 was about 3.9 targets for 35 yards, which is a WR56 projection. He is 31 and has been a depth receiver for most of his career.
Where analysts split
The question is whether the two high-target games after the Harrison trade are a new baseline or a result of game script. SI projects only about one-sixth of the passing offense for him and a modest Week 6 line. Waiver-wire coverage treats the role shift as a reason to add him. No source I found says how many snaps he plays now compared with Wilson and Brooks.
Injury: Out: assessed avoid
Season-ending ankle injury
Multiple reports indicate Bourne is expected to miss the remainder of the season with the ankle injury; he should be dropped or benched in all formats.
What would change this: Any update confirming IR placement or a change in the season-ending prognosis
Research confidence: reported. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
Others at WR
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