A.J.Brown

News: 2 hours agoBrown isn't in uniform for Thursday's preseason game in Cleveland, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.

Spin: Brown thus won't see any game action during this exhibition season. He's expected to serve as the top target for QB Drake Maye in 2026, considering the key asset (a 2028 first-round pick) sent to Philadelphia to gain his services. In seven campaigns as a pro, Brown has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards six times while racking up 58 total TDs in 105 regular-season contests.

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.