A.J.Brown

News: 3 days agoBrown (ankle) was seen in the locker room Wednesday without a noticeable limp, Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald reports.

Spin: When Brown came out of Week 1 with a right high-ankle sprain, he was expected to be sidelined for up to six weeks, but his placement on IR before Week 2 action means he's eligible to return to practice as soon as next week. That doesn't mean he actually will be, but being able to move about sans limp generally is a good sign in his recovery and could mean practice reps are on the horizon for the Patriots' No. 1 wide receiver.

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.