New England Patriots A.J. Brown missed the team’s Week 8 contest against the Miami Dolphins due to ankle and knee injuries. As the Patriots head into Week 9, will the star WR return to the lineup?
The Patriots will host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, November 8, at 4:25 p.m. ET on FOX. What’s Brown’s outlook for taking the field in that matchup?
Below, we’ll break down the latest A.J. Brown injury update, his practice status, and how his injury affects fantasy football and Packers vs. Patriots picks for PrizePicks.
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A.J. Brown Injury Update: Will Brown Play This Week vs. Packers?
On Friday, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel announced that Brown won’t play against the Packers in Week 9. It will be the second straight game Brown will miss.
Brown didn’t practice on Wednesday or Thursday leading up to Friday’s announcement. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the team is most concerned about Brown's knee injury.
“It flared up... I know it says ankle and knee, but it’s the knee," Schefter said on ESPN's Get Up on Thursday. "The knee held him out last week, and the knee is threatening to hold him out this week. It’s a knee that I think raises some concerns as to how long he’s gonna keep playing here in New England and producing at a high level.”
Brown has played in just three games with his new team this season. The veteran WR has recorded 9 receptions for 101 yards and has yet to find the end zone.
Patriots Fantasy Football Outlook With Brown Out
The Patriots made a huge offseason splash when they acquired Brown in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. New England needed a top-tier pass catcher, and Brown had enjoyed success with the Eagles and Tennessee Titans up to this point.
Brown was one of the more coveted wideouts in fantasy football heading into the 2026 season. According to FantasyPros, Brown carried a WR7 average draft position (ADP) this summer and was selected early in the second round of most PPR drafts.
However, Brown has yet to return anywhere close to what fantasy managers spent on their investment. The three-time Pro Bowl wideout has had no more than 3 receptions in any of the three games that he’s appeared in.
When he was on the field, Brown garnered a 22.0% target share (30th among WRs), per PlayerProfiler. However, that metric rose to 30.0% in the red zone, placing 11th among WRs.
With Brown slated to miss the Week 9 contest against Green Bay, the Patriots could continue to get WR DeMario Douglas more involved in the offense. Douglas leads the Patriots in receiving yards (322) and TD catches (4) this season. He's also coming off a game in which he caught 3 passes for 76 yards and a TD against the Dolphins in Week 8.
The Packers have been a serviceable pass defense at times this season, allowing 20.5 PPG (ninth) and 204.0 passing yards per game (eighth). According to RBSDM, Green Bay has surrendered a -0.044 EPA per play this season.
The Patriots have been up-and-down offensively in 2026 but have still posted a 0.214 dropback EPA (sixth) and the third-best dropback success rate (52.3%). Douglas has tallied 65+ receiving yards in three of his last four contests, and his projection currently sits at 37.5 receiving yards on PrizePicks.
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A.J. Brown will be sidelined for the second consecutive game on Sunday. With Brown out in Week 9, the Packers could pose a significant challenge for the Patriots’ passing attack.
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