A.J.Brown

News: 2 days agoBrown, who was officially placed on injured reserve Saturday, is expected to miss about six weeks due to a right high-ankle sprain, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Spin: The Patriots deactivated Brown just three days after he sustained the injury in the third quarter of Wednesday's 13-10 loss to the Seahawks. Though recovery timelines for high-ankle sprains often range from 4-to-6 weeks, the Patriots quickly determined that Brown's injury is "a little more serious," which likely takes a return from IR in Week 6 when first eligible off the table. While their No. 1 wideout is sidelined until early November, the Patriots will have to lean more heavily on Romeo Doubs, DeMario Douglas, Mack Hollins and Kyle Williams as their primary receivers.

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.