Six weeks into the season, most of the talking heads around the NFL were ready to write off the Patriots. Sitting at 2-4 and with a slow-moving offense lacking a true playmaker, those same heads crucified HC Bill Belichick and Patriots’ ownership over the offseason moves made prior to the 2021 season.
The naysayers have been stifled as of recent, with New England tearing off six straight wins and perching themselves atop the AFC East — with a whole lot of help coming from those same free agent signings. The early season bright spots came from edge rusher Matthew Judon and Hunter Henry, but in the last three weeks, Kendrick Bourne has burst onto the scene as Mac Jones‘ top threat.
Bourne’s tremendous growth since arriving from San Francisco in the offseason was on full display Sunday against Tennessee. The fourth-year wideout finished with five receptions for 61 yards and two scores, showcasing different aspects of his game on both catches. His first scoring grab was up over the top of All-Pro safety Kevin Byard to kickstart the offense with a crisp route and a perfectly placed ball from Jones. Then, in the third quarter Bourne flashed underneath on a third-down conversion and turned a 10 yard gain into a 41 yard trip to the crib.
REST OF SEASON FANTASY OUTLOOK
These types of plays have become more commonplace in Bourne’s game as the season progresses. He’s amassed 623 yards and 5 receiving touchdowns on 42 grabs and has even thrown for a score against the Jets. More importantly to fantasy seasons and the success of the Patriots, in general, is his output over the last three weeks: 13 receptions for 201 yards and three scores, as well as 50 ground yards on just four attempts.
That turns into 56.1 PPR points and has Bourne WR23 on the season. Since Week 3, he’s WR12 overall. The output is there! However, if you’re like me, you’re very skeptical of New England wideouts with their track records in a Belichick/McDaniels offense.
But, this year it seems that there is a plan to pass the ball off of play-action and manage the game enough to where Mac can attack opposing defenses at the right moments.
Check out Bourne on the WR schemes in McDaniels’ playbook:
WEEK 13 WAIVER WIRE PRIORITY
There’s every indication that Bourne and Jakobi Meyers are the top dogs in the Patriots’ passing attack, so it’s time to bite on Bourne. Perhaps the most surprising stat from Bourne’s career year is the 15% ownership in ESPN formats. WR23 overall and only owned in 15% of leagues?? If Alexander Mattison is taken in your league already, Bourne should be your top target this waiver cycle. His schedule moving forward is up and down, playing the Bills twice but also Indianapolis and Jacksonville, the 28th and 30th ranked defenses against fantasy receivers, respectively.
The Wolf had Bourne at WR45 on his Week 12 Rankings prior to Sunday, and I expect that number to inflate into the top 35 before next week’s showdown with the Bills. Keep an eye out for our Week 13 Waiver Wire article on Tuesday morning and prepare yourself for a bidding war on the wideout.
