Patriots WR A.J. Brown caught 3 of 6 targets for 48 scoreless yards in Thursday night's loss to the Bears. New England went to him on its first snap, but QB Drake Maye's pass sailed over his head. Brown then disappeared from the target column until an 18-yard catch just before halftime. His four second-half targets produced catches of 16 and 14 yards, plus a pair of deep incompletions broken up in tight coverage.
2026 Fantasy Football Impact: The Buy Case Wobbles
This was a worrisome outing from Brown. QB Drake Maye threw for 321 yards and 2 scores on 31 attempts. Brown drew just 19.4% of the targets and finished fourth on the team in receiving yards. This wasn't a matchup to fear, either. Chicago entered the game allowing the 10th-most fantasy points per game to outside WRs.
More concerning than the numbers: Brown looks sluggish. He struggled to separate from a beatable group of Bears CBs, particularly downfield.
He's now turned 16 targets into just 6 catches, 75 yards, and 0 TDs over the past two weeks. The significant high-ankle sprain he's coming off deserves some patience. He might be healthy enough to play without being healthy enough to look like himself. But after last season's signs of decline, it's fair to wonder how much of the old Brown we're getting back.
Selling Brown coming off two duds probably isn't a good move. He has at least returned to a full-time role, Maye continues to play well, and the next three weeks bring beatable secondaries in Miami, Green Bay, and Detroit. There's a path to a rebound.
But buying requires a stronger stomach after watching this one. if you have strong WR depth and can afford to be patient, a discounted deal could pay off. Just don't pay more than a WR2-level price tag.
