A.J. Brown Injury Update: Is Patriots WR Playing in Week 6?

The New England Patriots made a major offseason addition by trading for WR A.J. Brown, but he suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 1 and was placed on injured reserve. On Wednesday, Brown was designated to return from IR.

With the Patriots opening Brown’s practice window yesterday, that means New England’s new WR1 must be activated to the 53-man roster within the next 21 days. Brown’s return is coming soon, and that’s a welcomed sight for a Pats offense racking up 37.0 points per game in their last two contests. 

Let’s look at the latest A.J. Brown injury update and if he could play in Week 6 vs. the Jets. Plus, we’ll analyze how his return could impact fantasy football and picks for PrizePicks.

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A.J. Brown Injury Update: Will Brown Return From Ankle Injury This Week?

A.J. Brown received targets early and often in his Patriots debut vs. the Seahawks in Week 1, tallying 4 targets, 3 receptions, and 26 receiving yards with only a 43.7% snap rate due to injury. 

He’s missed the last four games, but the Patriots opened the 21-day practice window on Wednesday. Brown was a limited participant at Wednesday’s practice. If he can progress to a full participant by Friday, Brown has a real shot to play on Sunday vs. the Jets. 

Shortly after sustaining the high ankle sprain, Brown was initially tabbed for a six-week absence. If that remains true, Brown would miss Week 6 and potentially Week 7 vs. the Bears. This would still be in line with the 21-day window, as the Patriots could activate Brown ahead of Week 8’s bout with the Dolphins.

Some of those concerns are eased by the Patriots improving on offense of late. From Week 1 to Week 3, New England had a low 40.1% success rate (27th), via RBSDM, but that jumped to a league-best 51.7% success rate over the last two weeks. 

Let’s look at who has succeeded during the Pats’ hot streak and how those roles could change if Brown returns from injury.

Patriots Fantasy Football Outlook If A.J. Browns Plays

Over the first three games, the Patriots totaled 109.3 rushing yards per game and 3.9 yards per carry. That’s spiked to 154.0 rushing yards per contest and 4.7 yards per carry in the last two games. 

A successful run game has helped propel Pats QB Drake Maye to 321.5 passing yards, 3.5 passing TDs, and 0.5 INTs per game over his last two outings. That’s a huge boost compared to 195.0 passing yards, 0.3 passing TDs, and 2.0 INTs per contest in his first three.

According to Pro Football Focus, Maye has 1 turnover-worthy play since Week 4, compared to 9 from Week 1 to 3. Further, his -0.034 adjusted EPA per play (23rd) over the first three games has increased to 0.530 (first) since Week 4. This total is well above Lions QB Jared Goff’s second-best mark (0.352) in this split.

In short, A.J. Brown would return to a flourishing offense if he returns on Sunday, and adding a true WR1 to this offense should only help the unit. There would likely be minimal competition for targets, as no wideout has separated as a consistent producer during Brown’s absence.

Two weeks ago, WR Romeo Doubs (24.3%), RB Rhamondre Stevenson (16.2%), and TE Hunter Henry (13.5%) led in target shares, per FTN Fantasy. In Week 5, Doubs’ team-high 17.6% target share was followed by WR Efton Chism III (14.7%), Stevenson (13.2%), and Henry (13.2%).

If Brown remains out, Doubs could be the go-to target with a team-high 15.3% target share. Meanwhile, Henry has 4.0 catches for 53.0 receiving yards per game in his last two, and Stevenson could be set for a large workload, with RB TreVeyon Henderson suffering an ankle injury last week. 

Week 6’s opponent, the Jets, allow 4.2 yards per carry (19th) compared to 6.1 yards per passing attempt (fourth). Stevenson may be the top priority for Jets vs. Patriots picks on PrizePicks, featuring projections of 70.5 rush yards and 19.5 receiving yards. Plus, Brown has an avenue for immediate targets in this receiving corps.

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A.J. Brown appeared at practice on Wednesday, as he looks to return from an ankle injury that’s sidelined him since Week 1. A rolling Patriots offense has a favorable matchup on the ground vs. the Jets in Week 6, and a large target share likely awaits Brown if he returns from injury this week. 

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Keep it locked in here with the Playbook for continued NFL picks, predictions, and news all the way through Super Bowl LXI.