Bourne (lower leg) is not participating in warmups and will not play in Friday's preseason opener against the Commanders, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.

EDGE Analysis

Bourne suffered a lower leg injury during last Friday's intrasquad scrimmage and hasn't practiced since. He'll look to get himself back on the practice field and be available for the Patriots' second exhibition game against the Vikings on Saturday, Aug. 16. The absences of Bourne and Stefon Diggs (knee) gives the likes of Ja'Lynn Polk, Javon Baker and Efton Chism more opportunities to get snaps with the offense during Friday's contest.

Bourne (lower leg) won't practice in the week leading up to Friday's preseason opener against Washington, coach Mike Vrabel said Monday, Taylor Kyles of Patriots on CLNS reports.

EDGE Analysis

Bourne had his leg rolled up on in practice this past Friday and will miss at least a week of practice as a result. The veteran wide receiver will likely be held out of Friday's preseason game due to the injury, though official confirmation on that front won't come until later in the week.

Bourne limped off the field during Friday's intrasquad scrimmage before heading to the locker room, Mark Daniels of MassLive.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Bourne went to the sideline after making a catch, and on the bench he had his left cleat off while Patriots staffers tended to him. The nature of the injury isn't known, but the eight-year pro could begin to fall behind in the battle for one of the few depth WR spots on the roster if he's required to miss a stretch of time due to the injury.

As the coming season approaches, Bourne is in line to compete for a spot in the Patriots' revamped wide receiver corps, Evan Lazar of the team's official site reports.

EDGE Analysis

When healthy, Stefon Diggs (knee) profiles as the team's top wideout, while DeMario Douglas and 2025 third-rounder Kyle Williams also seem like roster locks. Mack Hollins is likely to secure a role as well. With that in mind, Bourne -- who carries a $7.7 million cap hit this season -- figures to compete for depth chart slotting with Kayshon Boutte, Ja'Lynn Polk, Javon Baker and Efton Chism. Working in Bourne's favor is his experience in offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels' scheme, who was on hand when the 29-year-old logged a career-high 925 yards from scrimmage in 2021, but for now Bourne doesn't have a path to steady targets in a crowded WR room.

Bourne finished the 2024 regular season with 28 catches (on 38 targets) for 305 yards and a TD in 12 games.

EDGE Analysis

Bourne, who suffered a torn right ACL in Week 8 of the 2023 season, began the 2024 campaign on the PUP list before being activated ahead of Week 5 action. Not surprisingly, the veteran wideout was eased back into the mix, but even when he started to see an uptick in playing time, his fantasy impact was modest most weeks. Looking ahead, Bourne is under contract with New England through 2026, but as Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston notes, it's possible that the rebuilding Patriots could consider moving on from the 29-year-old pass catcher this offseason.

Bourne caught two of his four targets for 22 yards in Saturday's 40-7 loss to the Chargers.

EDGE Analysis

Bourne, who was on the field for 38 of the Patriots' 53 snaps on offense Saturday, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, has caught two passes (for a total of 40 yards) in each of his last two contests. With that in mind, the veteran wideout brings modest fantasy upside into this Sunday's home game against the Bills, who are locked into the AFC's No. 2 playoff seed.

Bourne caught both of his targets for 18 yards in Sunday's 24-21 loss to the Bills.

EDGE Analysis

Bourne -- who had caught three passes in each of his previous three outings -- was on the field for 51 of the Patriots' 73 snaps on offense Sunday, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. As the team's final two games approach, Bourne carries modest fantasy upside in PPR formats.

Bourne logged 27 of a possible 51 snaps on offense in Sunday's 30-17 loss to the Cardinals, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Bourne finished the contest with three catches (including a 37-yarder) for a team-high 44 yards. Since recording a 5-70-1 receiving line in Week 11, Bourne has caught three catches in each of New England's subsequent three games, a rate of production that limits his fantasy utility to deeper PPR formats.

Bourne caught all three of his targets for 39 yards and carried once for six yards in Sunday's 25-24 loss to the Colts.

EDGE Analysis

Bourne, who was on the field for 46 of the Patriots' 72 snaps on offense in the contest, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, also had a six-yard TD called back due to a penalty. The veteran wideout should maintain a steady workload following the Patriots' Week 14 bye, but his fantasy utility is limited to deeper formats while operating in a passing offense that has leaned heavily on its tight ends of late.

Bourne caught three of his five targets for 30 yards in Sunday's 34-15 loss to the Dolphins.

EDGE Analysis

Bourne was on the field for 41 of a possible 69 snaps on offense in the contest, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, and he's been targeted five times in each of his last two outings. Now that he's moved further past the knee injury that resulted in him starting the season on the reserve/PUP list, Bourne has a chance to continue to produce enough (while working alongside fellow WRs DeMario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte) to merit lineup consideration in deeper fantasy formats.