Is Kendrick Bourne a Sleeper in Fantasy Football?

Finding a sleeper can be a key factor to shifting your fantasy football league in your favor.

Stacking up a bunch of superstars in fantasy football is a fantastic feeling.

Knowing you have a strong core of players that you can rely upon weekly makes setting a lineup easier. However, it isn't too common to draft more than a few superstars on your team. 

That is why finding a sleeper can be a key factor to shifting your fantasy football league in your favor. Anytime you're able to find a sleeper means you got excellent bang for your buck in the draft. But identifying a sleeper is difficult. Whiffing on players is more likely than not.

A team that is sure to have a bunch of under-the-radar players is the San Francisco 49ers. One player in particular that could be a potential sleeper is wide receiver Kendrick Bourne. 

Last season, he was one of the most clutch receivers for the 49ers. Jimmy Garoppolo skewed his targets in the redzone for Bourne, so there are clear scoring opportunities for him. Not to mention that he should be in for a leap in production next season. 

So should Bourne be considered a sleeper in fantasy football?

Although it is tempting to say yes, Bourne is not a sleeper. The 49ers' offense isn't superb because of its stars, it is because of the sum of its parts. Other than George Kittle, Raheem Mostert, and Deebo Samuel, no one in the offense should be considered for an enormous production year. 

Those are the three offensive leaders who will garner the biggest stats, while the rest of the team will have a steady flow. That is the way head coach Kyle Shanahan operates his system. Even the stars on the offense are not a guaranteed for consistent stellar production. 

There were plenty of instances when Kittle had minimal production as a receiver. Either he had to spend more time blocking in pass protection, or he was used as a decoy. Regardless, there is just too much fog covering up the future production of the offensive skill players, especially outside of their stars.

Bourne is a player worth picking up in fantasy football because he could get streaky. It also depends on how you feel he'll improve in 2020. At that point, it is all a matter of when you should draft, or if he is even worthy to be drafted. 

He could end up being an undrafted free agent in fantasy. Whichever direction you choose, my advice is that he isn't worthy of being considered a sleeper.


Published
Jose Luis Sanchez III
JOSE LUIS SANCHEZ III

Jose Luis Sanchez III has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily for FanNation since 2019. He started off as the lead publisher for FanNation's All49ers, then switched positions to become the Deputy Editor in 2020. Sanchez writes, edits, and produces videos daily for All49ers. He also co-hosts a show on YouTube with All49ers lead publisher Grant Cohn weekly. Prior to FanNation, Sanchez started his writing career back in 2016 for the school newspaper at Skyline college where he covered all sports team in the Bay Area. Following that from 2017 to 2019, he found a role as a contributor for FanSided's news desk along with their site's Just Blog Baby covering the Las Vegas Raiders and Golden Gate Sports every professional Bay Area sports team. Atop all of that, he was able to graduate with a Bachelors degree in Communication Studies at San Francisco State University in 2020. Sanchez is committed to ensuring he delivers transparent analysis and straightforward opinions that resonates with readers to get them thinking.