A.J.Brown

News: 1 day agoBrown brought in three of six targets for 48 yards in the Patriots' 30-24 loss to the Bears on Thursday.

Spin: Brown entered the night looking to put a fairly forgettable Week 6 return from injury behind him, but the veteran wideout could only slightly improve his numbers in the high-scoring loss. He was fairly quiet until the second half, when he had 16- and 14-yard grabs. Brown did finish second in targets on the night for New England, but Drake Maye focused most on tight end Hunter Henry and running back Rhamondre Stevenson, who saw a combined 12 targets. With Romeo Doubs (IR, shoulder) out for at least three more games, Brown will have a chance to see elevated volume in a Week 8 road matchup against the Dolphins on Sunday, Nov. 1.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Brown was traded to the Patriots in June. The veteran receiver enters 2026 looking to continue his streak of finishing in the top 15 in fantasy points per game during each of the four seasons he was with the Eagles. That includes an 11th-place finish in 2025 in which Brown reached the 1,000-yard mark for the sixth time in his seven NFL seasons while finding the end zone exactly seven times for the third year in a row. Brown continues to benefit from elite usage (he has finished no lower than seventh among WRs in target share each of the past seven seasons) and elite efficiency (he has finished 80th percentile or better in yards per route run all seven years). He could use more end zone targets in New England (he had a career-low four last season), but Brown, 29, is set to work as Drake Maye's top target in a good Patriots' offense. He is a fringe fantasy WR1.