Things have not gone as planned when it comes to AJ Brown’s first season with the Patriots. Brown suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 1 of the Patriots season and did not return until Week 6 against the Jets.
In the Jets game, Brown had multiple drops on solid passes from quarterback Drake Maye. The following week against the Bears, Brown looked noticeably slow against the Bears and had a lackluster game overall.
Brown has sat out the last two Patriots games, due to ankle and knee injuries, but it is looking like he is nearing a return.
Patriots fans and fantasy football owners are now wondering if Brown will play this week against the Detroit Lions in Munich, Germany.
Below, we will dish out a Brown injury update.
AJ Brown fantasy football injury update: Is he playing this week against the Lions?
Brown is in Germany with the Patriots. If there was little chance he was going to play this week it is near certain that he would not have made the overseas flight with the team.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Friday that Brown has “a good chance to play” Sunday morning against the Lions.
NFL teams must declare whether or not a player is active or inactive at least 90 minutes before kickoff.
Kickoff for Sunday’s Lions versus Patriots game is set for 9:30 a.m. ET.
Germany is 6 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time in the US, so right now the Patriots are already in their hotel rooms resting ahead of the game.
We likely will not get an active or inactive designation on Brown until Sunday morning in the US.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter expressed serious concern about Brown’s knee issues earlier this month.
Schefter said that Brown has a degenerative knee issue and that teams like the LA Rams were hesitant to trade for the WR this past offseason because of the knee.
“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,” Schefter said.
The 5-4 Patriots have a bye week following this Sunday’s game against the Lions.
Here is a look at New England’s upcoming schedule.
- Week 10 Sunday, November 15: Lions vs. Patriots
- Week 11 Sunday, November 22: Bye Week
- Week 12 Sunday, November 29: Patriots at Chargers
- Week 13 Sunday, December 6: Bills at Patriots
- Week 14 Thursday, December 10: Vikings at Patriots
AJ Brown fantasy football update
Brown has just 9 catches for 101 yards in three games played this season. He has not yet scored a touchdown for the Patriots.
The veteran WR had a fantasy football ADP of 24 overall this past summer. He was around WR9.
Brown has had at least a 1,000-yard receiving season in every season but one so far in his career. It came in 2021, while a member of the Titans, when he missed several games with a chest injury.
Patriots odds
The Patriots are +2.5 underdogs at Fanatics Sportsbook against the Lions.
New England has +3000 Super Bowl odds and has a current win total of 9.5. Mike Vrabel’s squad is +650 to win the AFC East.
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