A.J. Brown Injury: Patriots Fantasy Football Impact

New England’s offense struggled in Week 1’s Super Bowl rematch with the Seattle Seahawks, but Maye and Brown flashed potential as a duo with three connections for 26 yards. Brown’s injury early in the third quarter derailed that momentum, and Maye spiraled late with three fourth-quarter interceptions.

With Brown now missing time, he leaves a void that will affect the entire Patriots’ offense. How does it impact fantasy football?

Drake Maye Stock Down

Last season, Maye was one of the best players in all of fantasy football. His third season got off to a poor start, scoring just 9.82 fantasy points against Seattle.

Maye especially struggled in the second half after Brown exited the game. If Maye cannot course-correct New England’s passing game, his fantasy value could tank. The Patriots lack high-end receiving options after Brown, but that was also the case last year, and Maye still found success.

Brown’s absence is not enough to push him out of starting lineups. Drafting Maye required an early-round investment, and it is too soon to panic on that decision. Maye is still a high-level runner, evidenced by his 47 rushing yards against the Seahawks, which can keep some of his fantasy value alive during passing lulls. Still, lower Maye on your weekly fantasy football quarterback rankings until Brown is healthy.

Is Romeo Doubs Now a Fantasy Starter?

On paper, Romeo Doubs is next in line to be New England’s top receiver. He was the team’s big offseason addition (until the Brown trade), signing a four-year, $68 million contract. 

At that price point, the Patriots expect Doubs to be a major contributor. He needs to produce at a high level to make that investment worth it, but way-too-early returns are not promising. 

Doubs did not catch any of his three targets, including dropping a wide-open would-be first down. It is just one game, and Josh McDaniels, Maye and the rest of the offense will not overreact to one performance. Doubs will get more chances to prove himself as a featured part of the passing game. 

Before the game, a Brown injury would have likely pushed Doubs into fantasy lineups. After seeing him in action, Doubs needs to build more chemistry with Maye and prove himself in the offense to warrant starting conversations in fantasy football.

Small Boosts for the Rest of the Offense

The most immediate fantasy football impact is increased receiving value for New England’s running backs. With Treveyon Henderson out in Week 1, Stevenson had five catches on six targets. Henderson should have a sizable receiving role when he returns.

Henderson and Stevenson were the only other Patriots drafted in the top-100, and they should take a bulk of Brown’s targets as Maye leans more on check-downs and Josh McDaniels relies on his running game.

Hunter Henry could see more targets, but his role already felt stable, so a large bump is unlikely. Demario Douglas led the team in targets against the Seahawks, and is a deep-league option in PPR formats. Maye also turned to Mack Hollins, who led New England in receiving yards Wednesday and is now the team’s best deep threat. 

Henry remains a fringe-starting tight end, while Douglas and Hollins are low-priority waiver wire adds who could start in a pinch in deep leagues.

Hold Out Hope For Brown

Losing a second-round fantasy pick after Week 1 is obviously very disappointing, but Brown’s injury should not cause season-long problems. He is going to miss games and could be limited after returning, but the expectation is that he is full steam ahead by at least the second half of the season.

Some fantasy football managers may want to offload Brown now and cut their losses, while others see it as a buy-low opportunity. The latter is the better of the two options, but holding firm to your current situation is the best course of action. 

There are still a lot of unknowns about Brown’s return that make a trade too risky (unless the price is too low to pass up). It is very difficult to accurately and fairly price a trade for a player like Brown after injury.