Wide Receiver · New England Patriots · Age 29 · Ole Miss · WR9 Half-PPR (Season 2026)
A.J. Brown is ranked WR9 (overall #22) for the Season of the 2026 NFL season in Half-PPR fantasy football by Hayden of The Underdog Football Show. ADP 18.7 — close to consensus.
AJB steps into Adams role in McDaniels' offense, this time with MVP-caliber QB
AJB started off and ended his 2025 season mad, but do not discount what he did in the middle of the year. In total, Brown was half PPR's WR15 on WR17 usage, when the Eagles bottomed out to the tune of finishing 23rd in passing yards, 22nd in passing success rate, and 19th in points per game. Brown had career lows in yards per target (8.5) and success rate (50%), while playing in a very static X position in an extra boring/predictable offense. Is this decline? Is this attitude? Is this scheme? It's a little of everything, which makes me optimistic for 2026. Brown should be stoked to play with an MVP quarterback and his old coach. In terms of attitude, this should be a honeymoon. Patriots OC Josh McDaniels had wild seasons with Davante Adams on the Raiders (180-100-1516-14 and 175-103-1144-8), in addition to whatever credit he gets for Brady in the previous decade and Maye last year. The Patriots averaged 42 more pass yards per game than the Eagles did. Maye was 1st in completion percentage over expected, while Hurts was 10th. And Maye's catchable ball rate on 10+ air yard passes was 10% better than Hurts' last year. In terms of environment, this is an upgrade, especially as he competes with Romeo Doubs for targets instead of DeVonta Smith. The decline part is trickiest. Brown broke about two-thirds of the tackles he usually does, even though the type of routes he ran last year were almost identical to his career rates. He was a lot closer to average in his signature yards after the catch over expected metric, after being the WR4, WR14, and WR4 in the previous three seasons. An offense that calls for fewer hitches and more crossers and gos would help out, and Brown could be more energized to make plays on the margins. Let's not forget Brown had a training camp hamstring injury that really made him look lethargic in September. He's healthy right now. That said, Brown did look maybe 10% less dynamic than his mid-career peak, at least turning the corner. There are reports of long-term issues with his knee, which makes the risk on New England's end greater the closer we get to this 2028 1st-round pick. Still, Brown's elite athleticism has room to fall, and he's only 28 years old right now. Over analyzing his decline is asking to be left off the party invitation. Brown could match the CeeDee Lamb to Nico Collins tier if things go well, and it doesn't take a genius to say former All Pro WR linking with MVP runner up could pan out well. Brown is an upside WR2 and easy target in Round 3 after re-examining his tape.
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Hayden is a fantasy football analyst for The Underdog Football Show, covering 2026 fantasy football with PPR and Half-PPR rankings, ADP comparisons, and weekly start/sit analysis. Rankings are updated regularly throughout the season. Hayden's "Best Bet" designations highlight players ranked higher than their ADP consensus, while "Fade" designations flag players the ranker believes are overvalued by the market.
By Hayden · The Underdog Football Show · Updated 2026-07-06