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When is A.J. Brown coming back? Will A.J. Brown play again this season? Read about A.J. Brown's return date and injury updates for 2026.
New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown was the team's big offseason addition to the offense and has been very involved when available. Unfortunately for the Patriots and Brown's fantasy owners, though, he has been limited by multiple injuries this season.
He sustained an ankle injury in his Patriots debut in Week 1 that required an IR stint, and after his return, he has missed each of the last two weeks.
When is Brown coming back? Will he miss most of the season? Let's dive in!
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A.J. Brown Injury Update for Fantasy Football
The Patriots have only had Brown for three games this season, and he has missed the last two games after his knee flared up. He's been out for a total of six of the Patriots' nine games this season.
The Patriots have listed him as out for each of the last two games with both a knee and an ankle injury, but ESPN's Adam Schefter says that the knee is the primary concern at this point for the immediate future and moving forward.
@AdamSchefter weighs in on A.J. Brown's injury and what it could mean for the Patriots going forward 🏈 https://t.co/FPyQ5ZpE3t
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) November 5, 2026
Ultimately, Brown was unable to play in Week 9 after Schefter said that, and he has not been able to get back on the practice field yet.
However, coach Mike Vrabel did say that the plan is for Brown to travel with the Patriots to Germany, where they'll take on the Lions this week. He said that no decision had been finalized yet, but the plan would be for him to go with the team. Brown doesn't seem to be a long way from playing and could return as early as this week if he's able to get back to practice.
The Patriots did not put him on IR this time around, which seems to indicate that he could return before missing the four games required by an IR trip. On the other hand, the Patriots do have a Week 11 bye, so they could hold Brown out and get him two weeks of recovery time for missing only one game. The team has not said that having him out through the bye is definitely the plan, but it could be a factor if he's closer to a game-time decision this week.
A.J. Brown Fantasy Football Outlook
Even if Brown returns this week, the team could limit his snap count as he tries to work through his multiple injuries. He'll be a high-risk option, but one that definitely has the potential to step right back into a large role.
In his two games with the team after his IR trip and before the most recent flare-up, Brown caught six of 16 targets for 75 yards. He has been heavily targeted whenever he's on the field and has the attention of QB Drake Maye and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels when he's available. If he can return after the bye week, he can be a starter in standard-sized leagues down the stretch, but he needs to prove he's past these issues before he is a strong option.
In his absence, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, and Efton Chism III have all gotten more targets and had some big games. Hollins and Chism each caught a touchdown in Week 9 against the Packers, while Douglas racked up over 100 receiving yards. Those three options will continue to carry the load this week if Brown is out again, and they can be high-risk, high-reward streaming options since the Lions have been one of the best matchups in the NFL for wide receivers this season.
DeMario Douglas Worth a Pickup After Producing Big in Blowout Loss
https://t.co/OMfpYX9lbx
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) November 9, 2026
Brown could return this week before the bye week, so keep a close eye on the Patriots' practice reports and whether he goes to Germany to get an idea of what to expect from the Patriots' pass-catchers this week.
Who Should I Start Tool
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Week 10 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players: A.J. Brown, Mack Hollins, Hunter Henry, DeMario Douglas, Efton Chism III. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 10.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, player news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 10 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 10 (2026)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 10 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 10 for A.J. Brown, Mack Hollins, Hunter Henry, DeMario Douglas, Efton Chism III:
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