After missing the last two weeks with a hamstring injury, third-year receiver Kayshon Boutte is ready to return to the lineup this Sunday for the Patriots when they roll into Cincinnati to take on the Bengals.
Despite some inconsistent games, Boutte has shown a very high ceiling with New England this year — but should you get him back in your fantasy football lineups this week? Let’s take a look at his fantasy football outlook for Week 12 and what to expect from him moving forward.
Kayshon Boutte Fantasy Football Outlook
Boutte started the season with a bang, catching six of eight targets for 103 yards in the Patriots’ Week 1 loss to the Raiders, which feels like 100 years ago for both teams that have trended in opposite directions since then.
Boutte had a few quiet games before re-emerging with a monster game in Week 6 against the Saints. The former LSU receiver had a very happy homecoming, hauling in all five of his targets for 93 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
He had more consistent power after that big game as well, producing over 50 yards, more than 13 fantasy points, and a touchdown in each of the next two weeks against the Titans and the Browns.
The following week, in Week 9 against the Falcons, Boutte left with a hamstring injury after making a catch and has missed the two subsequent games.
He does not have an injury designation, though, so he should be back to his normal workload in this favorable matchup with the Bengals. Cincinnati has allowed opposing receivers to score eight touchdowns in 10 games this year while averaging 133.6 receiving yards per game.
The game has the highest over/under on Sunday’s slate, which could allow Boutte to stuff the stat sheet in his return. He does come with some risk, though, since he hasn’t garnered a ton of targets in any of his games. His production comes from his big-play potential more than his volume, which makes him a boom-or-bust option.
The Bottom Line
As the Patriots’ “home run” threat, Boutte has a high ceiling but also a low floor for Sunday’s matchup. He’s a boom-or-bust flex play, so if you can give him another week to ensure he’s fully healthy, that would be the best play. However, if you’re in a deep league and he’s normally one of your top receiving threats, you can throw him right back in if you need to.
For one-week contests on DraftKings like the NFL $2.5M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st], Boutte has a high ceiling for his salary of just $5,000. He definitely isn’t the safest option in that salary range, but he does bring a high enough ceiling to be worth considering as a “swing for the fences” GPP option.
