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Should you buy or sell Patriots, Buccaneers, or Chargers players? Fantasy football outlooks for A.J. Brown, Drake Maye, Ladd McConkey, Omarion Hampton, Baker Mayfield, Emeka Egbuka.
The New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Los Angeles Chargers were three teams with multiple players who were heavily drafted in the early and middle rounds of fantasy football drafts in 2026. Unfortunately, so far, nearly all of them have been disappointing.
Each offense has struggled far more than expected, even after seemingly being set to be among the best offenses in the NFL. The issues can be traced back to a variety of factors, and it's unclear whether things will get better over the course of the season or not.
Something like this is very difficult to predict, but we can break down statistics, film, and other analysis to get us closer to the answer to this question -- should you buy or sell players from the Patriots, Buccaneers, and Chargers ahead of Week 4 of the 2026 NFL season?
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New England Patriots
Drake Maye, Quarterback - Sell
There is typically a lot of pushback when even qualified medical professionals speculate on injuries that certain NFL players may have. Quarterback Drake Maye's play has absolutely fallen off a cliff this season, and it doesn't make much sense.
While it's true that Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels runs a very bland scheme that isn't helping Maye at all and is, in fact, being exposed for being completely ineffective when it's not being carried by Maye's improvisational abilities against the easiest schedule in the NFL, that doesn't explain everything that's going wrong here.
Drake Maye and Tom Brady on shoulder injuries during press conferences. Not much difference. pic.twitter.com/s8Te1vQBGA
— Nik Athans (@NEdraftNik) September 30, 2026
At least that's according to my analysis. Recently, Maye was finally added to the injury report for a shoulder injury. It's the same one he hurt last season in the playoffs -- his throwing shoulder, which is very bad news. He's likely been dealing with this since then.
Maye was well-regarded for his excellent deep-ball accuracy. That appears to be gone this season. He's struggled to put the proper velocity on throws downfield to complete them at times, like the one in the above video.
AJ Brown has almost 5 full yards of separation, pocket is as clean as can be, and Maye delivers an abomination of a throw.
If this was Hurts, we wouldn't hear the end of it 🤷♂️#Eagles pic.twitter.com/GsvmRpeBbD
— Thomas R. Petersen (@thomasrp93) September 10, 2026
If an offseason wasn't enough for Maye to properly recover, it's likely the weeks between games won't be anywhere near enough. It's also possible he could need surgery but will put it off as long as possible so as not to interrupt his young career.
It's hard to see his upside being worth it, and he may eventually get shut down for the season and opt for surgery, as it looks like the Patriots are careening toward a miserable losing season.
A.J. Brown, Wide Receiver - Sell
Brown's chances of reaching his full potential as a true WR1 without much target competition this season have likely been squandered by injuries. It's not just the shoulder issue that Maye is suffering, either. Though that's a massive problem, there simply may not be enough passing volume this season to make Brown a WR1 in fantasy football.
But he also suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 1. He could return in just a few weeks, but players generally don't return to their previous level of production after that injury until the subsequent season. He may need an insane amount of targets to live up to his ADP, an amount that isn't realistic.
A.J. Brown was spotted walking in the #Patriots locker room wearing cleats and with no visible limp, per @kguregian.
Brown is not eligible to return until Week 6, but a positive update nonetheless. pic.twitter.com/4jwf7MC8yh
— Carlos A. Lopez (@LosTalksPats) September 28, 2026
Brown's health is improving, and he should return soon. Now is not a bad time to sell him. He's been inconsistent throughout his career, but he was a younger player with more upside in previous seasons. Last year, his production declined markedly, and he dealt with other injury issues such as a hamstring ailment.
He also has degenerative arthritis in one of his knees. He signed a multi-year deal with the Patriots, but they probably know his body may only hold out for so long before he's not able to produce at a high level anymore.
My analysis strongly suggests trading away Brown while you still can for a good return.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield, Quarterback - Sell
You may not be able to get much of a return on him at this point, but perhaps in superflex leagues you can trade him to a manager who lost one of their starters at the position. In these leagues, quarterbacks are so scarce, and with six-point passing touchdown rules, they are the most important players by far.
Mayfield also injured his throwing shoulder last season. It shouldn't be a huge mystery as to why his stats are falling off a cliff. There's also the matter of WR Mike Evans (rib), who's no longer with the team. Evans has been an elite red zone weapon and separator throughout his career.
Baker Mayfield went down in significant pain after appearing to injure his thumb: pic.twitter.com/KAhgwjSCkq
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) September 27, 2026
Mayfield scrambles and runs often, trying to extend plays. That's all well and good until the injuries start piling up. They did last season, and they're already starting this year. His right shoulder may never be the same, as it often isn't for many quarterbacks who injure it later in their careers. He also suffered a dislocated thumb, which will keep him on the shelf for at least two weeks.
He is a safe cut in all standard-format QB leagues.
Emeka Egbuka, Wide Receiver - Sell
Egbuka's huge production in the early part of the 2025 season fell off a cliff later in the year. He averaged under 6.2 PPR fantasy points per game from Week 11 onward after averaging nearly 16.3 per game in his first nine contests.
He injured his hamstring that season, but is no longer dealing with that issue. Through three games, he's been targeted 20 times and caught 13 balls for 141 yards and a touchdown. He's not living up to anything close to his third-round ADP.
“Are the Bucs receivers even getting open?”
Per Next Gen Stats, average separation through three games, ranked among 76 qualified WRs:
• Chris Godwin: 4.5 yards (6th)
• Emeka Egbuka: 3.3 yards (18th)
• Ted Hurst: 2.0 yards (73rd)
• Tez Johnson: 2.3 yards (not qualified) pic.twitter.com/rE9uSYnRaP— Cannon Fire Podcast (@cannonfirepod) September 29, 2026
Mayfield is expected to miss a few weeks, meaning backup QB Jalon Daniels will take the field for the Bucs. He may just be more accurate than Mayfield at this point, who ranks at or near the bottom of the league in catchable target rate on his throws. Still, his upside will be quite limited.
Los Angeles Chargers
Omarion Hampton, Running Back - Sell
You're probably noticing a trend here. Hampton is a good sell candidate, though. The Chargers offense has been wildly unproductive this season. Despite a ton of offseason hype for the arrival of former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, the offense has actually regressed under his leadership.
It was believed by many that things couldn't get worse than they were under former OC Greg Roman, who was fired after last season. But they are. Hampton is struggling -- he has two games with single-digit PPR fantasy points, has fumbled the ball twice, and scored just 5.6 points in Week 3.
CJ Gardner-Johnson intercepts it and takes it back near midfield @LACvsBUF on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/9Aro5CR7G7— NFL (@NFL) September 27, 2026
Hampton also doesn't have much of a receiving role. Even when he's open for check-downs, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert hasn't been keen on getting the ball to him.
Ladd McConkey, Wide Receiver - Buy
If you can get a good price for him, McConkey (foot) might be worth buying. He's the team's clear WR1, and WR Quentin Johnston is likely playing his last season with the Chargers. He hasn't improved his game much. McConkey is dealing with injury issues and is probably still not healed from his previous rib injury, but when healthy, he should play well and operate as Herbert's top target.
Even if the offense struggles,s he should have a high floor in PPR leagues.
WILD PLAY BY HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.
LACvsMIA on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/9zWXv9zzGD
— NFL (@NFL) October 12, 2025
Tre' Harris, Wide Receiver - Buy
Harris has actually started to pop in some separation advanced metrics. He should take over the WR2 role from Johnston at some point this season, and should outdo his ADP. The Chargers offense may not be great this season, but Harris could be a nice flex in 12-team leagues in the second half.
Clean route by Tre' Harris@LACvsBUF on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/mqJUheqaS4— NFL (@NFL) September 27, 2026
