A.J.Brown

News: 1 day agoThe Patriots are placing Brown (ankle) on injured reserve, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports.

Spin: It apparently took less than 48 hours for the Patriots to decide that Brown will be out for at least four games. The earliest he can return is Week 6, but the quick move to IR suggests he may not be ready by then. Romeo Doubs, Mack Hollins and DeMario Douglas took most of the WR snaps after Brown suffered a high-ankle sprain in Wednesday's loss at Seattle.

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.