Will A.J. Brown Miss Week 1? Fantasy Football Outlook, Injury Update

Will A.J. Brown be healthy enough to play for the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1? Andersen breaks down the latest A.J. Brown injury news for fantasy football.

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown is one of the most physical, talented wide receivers in the NFL. He creates mismatches with his size and is a major touchdown threat in an Eagles offensive system quarterbacked by Jalen Hurts.

Brown's availability is vital for the Eagles as they look to defend their Super Bowl title, and fantasy managers would also benefit greatly from having him healthy for a full season. However, the season isn't even underway yet, and Brown is already dealing with a hamstring injury.

Will Brown be healthy before the 2025 season begins? Will he play in Week 1?

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Will A.J. Brown Play In Week 1?

Brown picked up his hamstring injury earlier in training camp, around the first few days of August. He missed roughly one week of practice, returned for a few days, and then ended up back on the sideline again.

Brown missed all three preseason games, but this isn't necessarily a surprise given his large role and veteran status.

On a more promising note, he completed a pregame workout that included running routes ahead of the Eagles' final preseason contest last Friday.

To this point, there haven't been any major red flags with Brown's injury and recovery. It appears that the Eagles are simply being cautious with the Pro Bowl receiver to ensure that he's healthy when Week 1 comes around.

We expect Brown to play in Week 1, even if he's a limited participant in practice sessions leading up to the season opener.

Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown running before today’s practice as he’s working his way back from a hamstring injury. @KYWNewsradio pic.twitter.com/wPy2km5Ot0

— Dave Uram (@MrUram) August 19, 2025

A.J. Brown 2025 Fantasy Outlook

If you're searching for a talented player in a strong offense, look no further than Brown. He is one of the NFL's best receivers, playing on a championship-caliber team that moves the ball incredibly well.

Last season, Brown ranked first among all NFL wide receivers with a 133.1 explosive rating, as measured by Player Profiler. He also maintained a 38.3 percent dominator rating (fourth-best), tallied 3.16 yards per route run (second-best), and averaged 0.64 fantasy points per route run (third-best). His +71.2 expected points added ranked seventh at the position.

The biggest knock on Brown is that, despite having a high-powered offense, the Eagles don't throw the ball to their wide receivers very often. The team targeted the position just 261 times last year, which ranked sixth-lowest in the NFL. As a result, Brown must capitalize on the opportunities presented to him.

Fortunately, Brown has a track record of doing exactly that. He is the alpha receiver in Philadelphia, and he has managed to carve out a very large role for himself. Last year, he ranked second among NFL receivers in target share (34.4 percent), air yards share (47 percent), and formation-adjusted yards per route run (2.81). His 3.49 yards per team pass attempt ranked first in the league.

The floor for the Eagles' passing game is the same number of passing attempts as last year. However, there's also a very strong chance that they surpass that number and look to throw the football even more. Saquon Barkley isn't going to log 345 carries again, so even if Will Shipley takes some of his volume, there will be additional vacated plays on offense. Several plays last year that would have been Barkley runs could end up being Hurts passing attempts in 2025.

Naturally, if Hurts passes more, Brown will be the primary benefactor. Despite having great counting stats and even stronger rate stats last year, his 5.2 receptions per game represented his lowest mark since 2021, his final season with the Titans. Brown has already shown that he can produce despite being covered by a team's top cornerback, so increased volume should only help his fantasy stock.

Brown's current ADP of 21.2 makes him the 10th receiver off the board in fantasy drafts. At his current cost, Brown is a slight value pick relative to expert Nick Mariano ranking him as the overall WR9.

Most receiving yards per game by an Eagles WR with more than 40 GP:

85.8 — A.J. Brown
[gap]
70.8 — Tommy McDonald
68.5 — DeSean Jackson
64.0 — Mike Quick pic.twitter.com/jkx7tdsXjN

— EaglesMuse (@eaglesmuse_) August 26, 2025

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