Should You Start Kendrick Bourne or Jerry Jeudy in Fantasy Football Week 8?

The NFL trade deadline is on Tuesday, so NFL teams are going to be looking at making the right moves to start what they hope is a playoff berth. This is the same scenario in fantasy football, as managers are looking to make the right moves and decisions in order to make their own playoff push.

One position that has been a challenge this year in fantasy is wide receiver. A couple of receivers whom fantasy managers will be considering this week are New England Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne and the Denver Broncos‘ Jerry Jeudy.

Kendrick Bourne Fantasy Outlook This Week

The Patriots’ offense has started to look a little better the past couple of weeks, and it’s no coincidence that Bourne has had two consecutive big outings. He had 10 catches for 89 yards two weeks ago against the Las Vegas Raiders and followed that up with six catches for 63 yards and a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills.

In his first five games, Bourne only recorded 18 catches. But with the improved play of New England’s offense, he’s become more appealing to fantasy managers.

The Patriots will be in Miami on Sunday to face a Dolphins team that has struggled to stop the pass. Entering Week 8, Miami has allowed 233 passing yards, which ranks 20th in the league.

The Dolphins are going to put points on the scoreboard, so the Patriots will need to be able to put up some points of their own.

Jerry Jeudy Fantasy Outlook This Week

There are many receivers who could be traded by Tuesday’s trade deadline, and Jeudy is among the most likely.

It has been a tough year for Jeudy — he has just 25 catches for 286 yards and zero touchdowns. Courtland Sutton has been by far the best Broncos receiver — he currently has 31 catches for 351 yards and five touchdowns.

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This week, Jeudy has a very difficult matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. They have one of the best defenses in the NFL and have allowed an average of just 188.9 passing yards per game — sixth in the league. They also shut Jeudy down just two weeks ago.

In the matchup on Oct. 12, Jeudy had three catches for 14 yards in the 16-8 loss to the Chiefs. He had an infamous spat with former wide receiver Steve Smith Sr., who said he wasn’t a good enough receiver to trade for.

This matchup against the Chiefs could be the last of Jeudy’s Broncos career, and it doesn’t figure to be an easy one.

Should You Start Bourne or Jeudy?

In our Start/Sit Optimizer, PFN’s Consensus Rankings say to start Bourne. His projected 9.1 points include a projection of four catches for 45 yards. That doesn’t seem like a huge offering, but it outperforms the consensus projection for Jeudy’s 8.8 points.

I’m going to go with the optimizer on this one, as the matchup difference is big between these divisional matchups. Bourne is starting to play some of his best football of the year and has put together back-to-back great weeks. Meanwhile, Jeudy is going up against a Kansas City defense that will be much more difficult than Miami’s.

Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!