It was a bumpy road to the finish line last season for A.J. Brown managers. But at the end of the day, he played every game and racked up over 1,400 receiving yards, something he has done in both seasons since joining the Philadelphia Eagles. How should we feel about the star receiver in fantasy football?
Should You Select A.J. Brown at His Current ADP?
Last year’s late-season swoon was a reminder of the downside of an offense centered around a quarterback who can be sporadic at times as a passer. Don’t let that blind you to just how special Brown’s ceiling is.
As he enters his age-27 season, it’s possible that we’ve yet to see the best that Brown has to offer. With Barkley, Philadelphia’s offense is going to be as potent as ever — meaning Brown could improve upon the 15.2 yards per catch and the one touchdown every 7.6 quarters number that he’s produced as an Eagle.
Brown is not among my top-tier receivers due to his weekly consistency concerns, but once the top five WRs are off the board, his annual production makes him as viable a target as anyone in the second half of the first round.
In this tier of pass catchers, options have at least one more red flag than Brown, even if it’s minor.
- Puka Nacua is dealing with an injury, an aging quarterback, and a full return of Cooper Kupp.
- Garrett Wilson is relying on a 40-year-old QB returning from injury.
- Marvin Harrison Jr. will have to adjust to the speed of the NFL.
- Davante Adams and Chris Olave lack above-average QB play.
Brown’s Fantasy Profile for the 2024 NFL Season
The Eagles made it known this offseason that they were thrilled to have Brown as their alpha receiver when they rewarded him with a three-year extension. This deal carries the highest per-year figure ($32 million) ever paid to a wide receiver.
That’s plenty of motivation for Brown to perform and for the Birds to put him in a position to succeed. The addition of Saquon Barkley this offseason has some fantasy managers worried about the food that could come off Brown’s plate, but I’d argue the opposite is true.
"Nobody cares what's in the bank account when you step in between them lines"
– Eagles WR A.J. Brown after becoming the highest paid WR in the NFL pic.twitter.com/BTykFHPLCT
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) April 30, 2024
Barkley garners the respect of defenses, and that can only help Brown find more space to operate. By adding a former All-Pro back, the offensive environment only stands to improve. And where there are scoring opportunities, there are Brown fantasy points to be had.
Last season, despite a “disappointing” seven touchdowns (Brown scored 11 times on 18 fewer catches in his first season with the Eagles), he saw 2.5 times as many red-zone targets as DeVonta Smith.
Since joining Philadelphia, Brown has yet to miss a game, and while the nature of the Eagles’ offense has the potential to lead to some down weeks, let’s not forget that it was less than a year ago that he broke Calvin Johnson’s record for consecutive games with 125+ receiving yards.
The reward for the season as a whole outweighs the weekly risk when it comes to the Eagles’ WR1 — and it’s not close.