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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.
One of the biggest offseason moves before the 2026 regular season happened when the Philadelphia Eagles finally traded away disgruntled receiver A.J. Brown. Fantasy managers everywhere hoped a change of scenery and a quarterback upgrade would get Brown back to form as an elite fantasy wide receiver.
Unfortunately, Brown lasted just 31 snaps before suffering an injury that will sideline him for multiple weeks in 2026.
When will A.J. Brown be back? Read below to find out.
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A.J. Brown Injury Update for Fantasy Football
The New England Patriots traded for A.J. Brown this offseason to help improve their passing attack after a near-MVP season from Drake Maye in 2025. Brown was expected to be the focal point of New England’s passing attack and give the team a weapon who could win quickly and generate big plays after the catch.
Unfortunately, those dreams will have to wait. Brown caught three of four targets for 26 yards in his debut against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1 and also drew a pass interference on a deep pass before suffering an ankle injury. After the game, Brown was placed on injured reserve.
Patriots placing WR A.J. Brown on injured reserve (ankle), will be out for at least 4 weeks. (via @AdamSchefter) pic.twitter.com/8FdmSeA05P
— NFL (@NFL) September 11, 2026
A move to the injured reserve guarantees that Brown will miss at least four games, but the typical recovery timeline for high-ankle sprains could be anywhere from four to six weeks. High-ankle sprains also notoriously linger and sap explosiveness, which means his play on the field could suffer well beyond that window.
The earliest that Brown can return to the field is Week 6 against the New York Jets.
A.J. Brown Fantasy Football Outlook
Fantasy managers who selected A.J. Brown in the second round of their fantasy drafts did so hoping that Brown could return to form in his age-29 season by upgrading his quarterback from Jalen Hurts to Maye. Maye was one of the most efficient downfield passers in 2026, which ideally would have unlocked Brown’s playmaking ability.
Unfortunately, that ceiling outcome now feels less attainable. Not only is Brown missing valuable time to build rapport with Maye on the field, but the nature of his injury also puts into question how effective Brown will be when he returns.
Brown’s 14.7% win rate and 20% explosive play rate in 2025 were his lowest since his rookie season, but many were willing to put that aside in hopes that more accurate passes from Maye would correct those issues. However, if Brown is limited in his return to the field after Week 6, those issues could not only crop up again, but they could theoretically be worse.
A high-ankle sprain doesn’t end A.J. Brown’s 2026 season, but it does cap his fantasy ceiling going forward. He will need to return (and likely be the primary threat in the red zone) to pay off his second-round ADP. Thankfully for fantasy managers who drafted him, he could be hitting his peak during the fantasy playoffs.
For now, managers should expect Mack Hollins, Romeo Doubs, and DeMario Douglas to operate as the top wideouts in New England.
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Week 2 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players: Mack Hollins, Romeo Doubs, and DeMario Douglas. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 2.
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 2 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 2 (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 2 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 2 for Mack Hollins, Romeo Doubs, and DeMario Douglas:
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