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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 centerpiece of a blockbuster deal that gave Drake Maye the weapon he desperately needed to take the next step in his development. Unfortunately, things have not gone to plan since his arrival in New England.
He initially suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks, which landed him on injured reserve and kept him out for the next four games. He returned in Weeks 6 and 7 but caught only 6 passes for 75 scoreless yards in those two games.
He then had a knee flare-up during their Wednesday practice before a Week 8 matchup with the Miami Dolphins, and eventually missed that game as well. He’s now played in only three of New England’s first eight games.
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A.J. Brown Injury Update for Fantasy Football
A.J. Brown did miss the first practice on Wednesday before the Week 9 matchup against the Green Bay Packers. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel wouldn’t commit to whether Brown would be placed back on injured reserve or not. Instead, he said the team would continue to monitor Brown’s treatment and see how he progressed during the week, but didn’t guarantee Brown would be ready for their game against the Packers.
Analysis: A.J. Brown won't practice Wednesday due to ankle/knee injury
https://t.co/wXFWeYIhta— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) November 4, 2026
With this recurring knee issue that he has been dealing with for years, which the Patriots acknowledged they knew about when they made the trade for him, it wouldn’t be surprising for the team to allow him to rest it for multiple weeks and only bring him back when he’s as recovered from it as he can be.
Currently, Week 9 looks unlikely for his return since he already missed the first practice of the week. Continue to monitor the situation, but given that he has yet to step on the practice field, he is trending in the wrong direction.
A.J. Brown Fantasy Football Outlook
Brown’s managers have more to worry about than just his missed games. His production has been unusually poor for his entire stint with the Patriots. Through the three games he’s managed to suit up for, he’s only produced nine receptions for 101 yards and zero touchdowns.
Even in a disappointing 2025 season with the Eagles, he managed 78 catches for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 66.9 receiving yards per game. That number has dropped to just 33.7 receiving yards per game this year with his new team.
The only encouraging light for Brown, because it sure hasn’t been his health or his production, has been his usage. When he was finally back on the field for Weeks 6 and 7, he played 101 of 122 offensive snaps and drew 16 targets in those two games. And sure, that elite usage only led to six receptions for 75 yards and a dismal 37.5% catch rate, but at least the volume was there.
Highest drop rate this season
(min 10 targets)Joshua Palmer 42.9%
Chris Bell 28.6%
Quentin Johnston 27.3%
A.J. Brown 25.0% ⬅️
Brian Thomas Jr 25.0% https://t.co/nF3QasBowD— PFF (@PFF) October 19, 2026
Brown should remain rostered in nearly every league imaginable, but it’s well past time his former WR1 reputation didn’t make him an automatic start each week. His production needs to catch up to his usage when he’s on the field. Until he can do that, consider him a high-risk low-end WR2 at the very best.
His usage and target volume when active offer hope he can return to his WR1 form, but his health and results still need improvement before that can be considered.
Who Should I Start Tool
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Week 9 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players: DeMario Douglas, Rhamondre Stevenson, A.J. Brown. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 9.
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 9 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 9 (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 9 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 9 for DeMario Douglas, Rhamondre Stevenson, A.J. Brown:
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