Fantasy Football fallout: Can you trust A.J. Brown after Week 1?
It wasn’t the game from A.J. Brown fantasy football owners were expecting. The Dallas Cowboys offloaded one of the best pass rushers in the NFL so this was a game for the Philadelphia Eagles to exploit the Cowboys’ biggest weakness right? Well in a way they did, just not through actually passing the ball.
Jalen Hurts torched the Cowboys with his legs and their inability to contain him in an eclectic first half that saw four-straight touchdown drives, split between the two teams. But Hurts was nonexistent as a thrower and there’s a couple of reasons that point to that. For one, Brown being taken out of the game was probably less about the system and more about how the Cowboys played against Brown.
According to a few Eagles players, the Cowboys did a good job of taking away their first options, which is probably why Hurts defaulted to scrambling instead of passing. That said, will that become a pattern this season and if so, will that mean Brown's production will drop?
Here’s what Brown’s Week 1 says about his potential this year with fantasy football.
History shows that A.J. Brown will still have a solid season in fantasy football
I know some of you fantasy football owners are ready to throw the towel in on A.J. Brown and see how to finesse your fantasy league for a decent return, but it ain’t worth it. History shows Brown will still have a solid season. Though this is the slowest start he’s had, I wouldn’t be fielding offers unless you get one too good to pass up.
Brown has averaged at least 13 points per season since he was drafted in 2019 and the last three seasons in Philadelphia he’s averaged 17 points per season. That’s consistency, not worth giving up on. In each of his last three seasons, he’s had just two other games with less than five points.
The only alarming thing is he was targeted just once on his only catch for eight yards on Thursday night. But that has less to do with Brown himself rather Hurts just not looking his way. If that’s a repeated sign, then maybe start shopping him in trades, but for now, hope the rest of your team carries the weight Week 1 because he’s not one to have many disappointing outings.
Don’t give up on A.J. Brown yet, but monitor the first couple weeks
The Eagles have the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams and then the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the next three games. I wouldn’t give up on Brown just yet, simply because he could get more targets than he did against the Cowboys. I think Week 1, Hurts simply didn’t want to force any passes with him being able to keep the offense going with his legs.
The Cowboys did a good job of taking Brown out of the game, which is why Jahan Dotson is able to get a 50-yard reception in the game. This was a game that was largely controlled by the running game so I wouldn’t hold that against Brown. That said, if he doesn’t start contributing in the early part of the season, it might not be worth keeping him around.
Rash decisions this early in the season do no one any good so for now, stand pat on Brown and see what he does against the Chiefs, which he had 43 receiving yards and a touchdowns in the Super Bowl; the LA Rams, which he erupted for over 100 receiving yards and a touchdown in their regular season meeting last year; and the Buccaneers a team that doesn’t have elite cornerbacks.
The next three weeks will be a good barometer for whether you can truly believe in Brown this season. For now, hold onto him and maybe even move him to the bench if one of your bench guys erupts for a big Week 1, but don’t give up on him just yet, you’ll regret it.
Philadelphia Eagles passing struggles should have fantasy football owners worried about A.J. Brown production
I would be worried about Brown’s production in the first game of the season, but I wouldn’t panic just yet. The Eagles brought in a new offensive coordinator and thus things aren’t going to necessarily be smooth Week 1. That said, the fact that Hurts really didn’t hurt the Cowboys as a passer is slightly alarming.
Hurts isn’t the type to only hurt you as a passer, but he could have looked better. If he struggles to actually get his receivers involved over the next few weeks, that’s when I would start to panic. For now, though, I would just keep in mind it’s still early in the season and a lot has to be decided.
Last year, Kellen Moore was able to engineer an offense built around elite running while not neglecting the passing game, largely due to his experience working with elite receivers. Kevin Patullo, his replacement in Philadelphia, doesn’t have nearly as much experience. Give him a chance to learn this team better throughout the season and allow him to open up the playbook a little bit.
With a coaching change, there’s always a learning curve and Patullo is in the middle of his. The good thing is, the next few weeks should give him some chances to experiment more with getting all the receivers involved more in the offense.
Tyreek Hill Set to Reunite with Chiefs After Miami Struggles and Injury Drama
Is Tyreek Hill unhappy in Miami?
He was at one point and now was visibly frustrated in the Dolphins blowout loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
At the same time, his former home, where he won a Super Bowl, has lost three receivers to injuries or suspensions, and could be open to a reunion with the 31-year-old.
Speculation abounds on Tyreek Hill-Chiefs Reunion
The Kansas City Chiefs bringing Hill back into the fold has NFL writers, hosts, and insiders speculating.
“If Miami keeps losing, the Tyreek Hill/Chiefs rumors will get louder every week,” said podcast host Steve Palazzolo on X.
“Office pool idea: On which day between now and the deadline will Tyreek Hill be traded back to the Chiefs?” wrote the ProFootballTalk account, run by insider Mike Florio.
“Difficult to watch this Dolphins game and not wonder about Tyreek Hill given Friday night’s injury to Xavier Worthy,” wrote Pete Sweeney with The Kansas City Star. on X.
The Kansas City Chiefs Have Three Receivers Out
In some ways, it does make sense.
The Chiefs are without Rashee Rice the first six games for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. Rice, 25, was involved in a multi-vehicle crash in Dallas in March 2024 and fled the scene of the six-car pileup. He later accepted a plea deal that includes five years of probation and 30 days in jail, according to the Kansas City Star.
Fourth-round pick Jalen Royals was listed as inactive for Week 1 with a knee injury, while Worthy injured his shoulder in Friday night’s game when he collided with star tight end Travis Kelce.
The Chiefs have five other receivers on the roster: Hollywood Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton, Nikko Remigio and Jason Brownlee.
Brown, who was coming off a foot-ankle injury, performed well in the opener. He had 10 catches for 99 yards and was targeted 16 times.
Smith-Schuster had five catches for 55 yards, while Kelce grabbed two receptions for 47 yards and touchdown. Lastly, Thornton had two catches for 41 yards.
Chiefs could stand pat if they continue to get production from the current roster. There’s been no indication that either injured receiver suffered a long-term injury.
Tyreek Hill Visibly Frustrated on Sideline
Hill’s top two total receiving yards seasons came during his first two seasons in Miami, but he put up impressive seasons in Kansas City, too, and was a scoring machine.
In Week 18 last season, Hill removed himself from the Dolphins’ lineup and suggested he was ready to move on, saying he didn’t view Miami as a legitimate contender.
“This is the first time I haven’t been in the playoffs,” Hill told reporters in January. “I just gotta do what’s best for me and my family. If that’s here or wherever the case may be, I’m gonna open that door for myself. I’m opening the door. I’m out, bro.”
But headed into the season, Hill said he was content with his situation in Miami. He had a team-high 40 receiving yards with four catches on Sunday.
He did let his frustration boil over on the sideline.
Sideline frustration is natural in the middle of a blowout, but Hill’s visible reactions to the Dolphins’ struggles will draw extra scrutiny—particularly if the team doesn’t turn things around soon.
The Dolphins move to 0-1 and host the New England Patriots (0-1) next Sunday.
