Injuries continue to wreak havoc on fantasy lineups. With just three weeks left in the regular season, fantasy managers need their players on the field.
Last week, A.J. Brown picked up a thigh injury in the Philadelphia Eagles‘ win over the Chiefs, but he didn’t miss any snaps. After appearing on this week’s injury report, is there any reason for fantasy football managers to be concerned for Week 12?
Latest Injury Update on A.J. Brown
Like many of you, I watched the entirety of the Eagles vs. Chiefs game on Monday night. A.J. Brown was completely erased by the Chiefs secondary. He caught just one pass for eight yards.
I did not see exactly when Brown might have hurt his thigh, but the injury reports do not lie. Clearly, Brown is dealing with something.
While it’s never fun to see a player on the injury report, Brown did get in limited sessions on both Wednesday and Thursday. This late in the season, a veteran like Brown is not going to practice if anything concerning is going on. The fact that Brown was able to practice is a great sign for his Week 12 availability.
Will Brown Play This Week?
There should be absolutely no concern over Brown’s status for Sunday’s game against the Bills. Eagles beat reporter Eliot Shorr-Parks would “be very surprised if he didn’t play.”
MORE: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor
While we don’t have specifics on what exactly Brown is dealing with, my guess is he took a shot to the thigh at some point last week and has a bit of a bruise. If it were anything serious, we would know about it.
A full practice on Friday would be nice, but fantasy managers do not need to worry about whether Brown will play this week.
Friday Update: Brown did, in fact, get in a full practice on Friday. He has no injury designation and will play on Sunday.
What Does This Mean for Brown’s Fantasy Ranking?
Brown has been an elite WR1 the entire season. From Weeks 3-8, Brown totaled at least 125 receiving yards in every game, an NFL record.
Fantasy managers were undoubtedly disappointed with Brown’s 1-8 outing last week. If you needed even a subpar game from Brown to complete a Monday night comeback, you didn’t get it.
That is, of course, frustrating, but it was also Brown’s first dud since Week 2. He has been as elite as they get this season.
This week, things should be much better for Brown in a potential shootout against the Bills. Buffalo has really been struggling defensively as of late, last week’s effort against the Jets notwithstanding.
Look for the Eagles to make it a point to get Brown involved early and often. He is actually the overall WR1 in our PFN Consensus Rankings this week. Brown is going to play, and I expect him to play extremely well.
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!