All the talk on Wednesday around the NFL has centered around each team’s latest injury report. Some names landing on injury reports come as a surprise, some don’t, and others leave you wanting more information. A.J. Brown is the latest to fall square in the former category with his place on the Tennessee Titans‘ injury report.
Update (9/9): A.J. Brown was a full participant in practice Thursday.
A.J. Brown misses practice on Wednesday
Brown was notably absent from on-field work on Wednesday during Tennessee’s practice. He spent time on the stationary bike on the sidelines and found his way to the team’s injury report. He was listed officially with a glaring “did not participate” denomination. Brown is continuing to deal with knee issues.
The third-year pro is also coming off an absolutely monster season in 2020, with expectations even higher for 2021. Brown hauled in 70 receptions for 1,075 yards and 11 touchdowns a season ago. Insert Julio Jones as the team’s No. 2 receiver, and the realization that Brown will see more single coverage in 2021 consumes your craziest thoughts.
Can Brown eclipse 1,200 yards easily with an added game and Jones opposite him in the lineup? His current over/under for receiving yards is set at 1,175.5 yards, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.
Jones himself, however, was also a major talking point following practice on Wednesday. Extremely noncommital towards his workload, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel didn’t offer much comfort. Vrabel wouldn’t commit to Jones receiving a “full workload” on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.
Signs point towards both star receivers playing — but question marks surrounding your team’s top two targets just four days ahead of the season opener isn’t ideal.
Will he play vs. Arizona?
Despite his place on the injury report on Wednesday, there is little reason for speculation that Brown won’t play against the Cardinals. Even though he had procedures on both knees in January, Brown was dressed for action as recently as the team’s final preseason game.
Similar to last season, Brown was able to practice on Tuesday, and it looks like his situation is similar to last year’s when he sat out days of practice in between games. It’s important to monitor Tennessee’s Thursday and Friday injury report, but all signs continue to point toward Brown in the lineup against Arizona in Week 1.
Should you avoid A.J. Brown in fantasy in Week 1?
This news about Brown is significant for fantasy managers. He had maintenance days all of last season due to knee issues but still had a masterful year. Brown finished as a WR1 in 43% of his 14 active games last year. He’s averaged 7.6 targets, 5 receptions, 76.6 receiving yards, and 18 PPR fantasy points per game.
Despite playing in two fewer games, Brown exceeded his 2019 totals in targets, receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns. The two games missed last season were due to a significant knee bruise. He underwent surgery on both knees in January. Unfortunately, Brown also missed chunks of training camp due to the knee issue.
If he misses time, Julio Jones would firmly be on the WR1 radar. Additionally, Josh Reynolds would see an increase in targets.