A.J. Brown
vs Amon-Ra St. Brown

“At 28, Brown is a big upgrade for a Patriots passing game that ranked fifth in the league, a huge improvement from the Eagles’ 27th-ranked unit.”

“A.J. Brown was the round two pick, built on a significant situational upgrade. His new offense ranked ninth in neutral passing rate last year, compared to his old offense’s 15th-ranked mark, and that gap could widen further with continued quarterback development, a new star receiver alongside him, and a tougher schedule that should force more passing.”

“Even in a “down” season, Brown topped 1,000 yards receiving on a run-first offense and scored seven touchdowns. In ESPN’s open score and PFF’s receiving grade — both metrics that seek to evaluate a wide receiver’s performance even if he’s not targeted on a passing play — Brown ranked No. 9 and No. 13 out of over a hundred wideouts.”

“Getting AJ Brown, who was the WR5 over the final seven games of 2025, cannot hurt Maye. All three Ballers think he is a receiver who could truly finish as the WR1 overall.”

“Andrew Erickson isn't worried about A.J. Brown's "down" season. He believes it created a buying opportunity. Despite modest touchdown totals last year, Brown still produced at a high level while commanding an elite target share. Erickson expects Josh McDaniels to feature Brown as the unquestioned focal point of New England's passing attack. If that happens, Brown could easily return to top-three fantasy wide receiver production.”

“A.J. Brown and Dallas Goedert each missed just one game due to injury. Brown has since been traded.”

“Since entering the league in 2019, Brown has consistently demonstrated an ability to rack up massive yards after the catch (YAC) numbers, but has never been a true volume-based receiver. If one were to remove his totals for the 2023 season (which was an outlier), Brown averaged fewer than 70 receptions per season.”

“The analysts believe fantasy managers may be underestimating just how much upside exists in A.J. Brown's new situation. Derek Brown pointed to improvements in offensive philosophy and red-zone passing opportunities as reasons for optimism, and there was confidence that Brown remains one of the league's premier target earners.”

“In a putrid Eagles' passing attack last season, Brown was ninth in target share, 13th in air yards and eighth in red-zone target share. Now he moves to a team with an ascending passing quarterback and an offense that targets its receivers downfield.”

“A.J. Brown was involved in a trade that prompted rankings updates from the Fantasy Footballers.”

“We still have a strong sample of Brown playing at a high level last season, and he is going to play more snaps than Diggs did in this offense, with an upgrade in a complete offensive environment, keeping him firmly in play as a high-end fantasy WR1 for 2026.”

“Brown got off to a quiet start Sunday afternoon, but eventually was thrust into the spotlight, with Detroit trying to fend off New Orleans from pulling a massive upset. The “Sun God” led all Lions receivers with 14 targets, securing 10 receptions for 67 yards and two touchdowns. Even though he operates so close to the LOS, ARSB is a volume-based PPR monster who has one of the highest point floors of any receiver each week.”

“WR1 Amon-Ra St. Brown remains one of the league’s premier receivers, while Detroit’s offensive structure continues to create opportunities through the passing game.”

“I would argue that the safest player to draft is St. Brown. While he isn’t the WR1 in my redraft rankings, St. Brown is the top guy in my guillotine rankings.”

“St. Brown is arguably in the most stable offensive environment in the NFL. He plays 12 games indoors, and Detroit rarely takes the foot off the gas offensively.”

“St. Brown caught 117 receptions for 1,401 yards, and 11 TD’s. The wide receiver for the Lions has played at least 16 games or more in five seasons. Not only are we getting a player that can average 20 or more each week, the reliability is there as well.”

“The Detroit Lions are an interesting case, because everyone is pretty much where they should be: Jahmyr Gibbs is a top-two pick, Amon-Ra St. Brown is a fringe first-rounder, Jameson Williams is a WR2, and Sam LaPorta is a backend TE1 (and Jared Goff goes too late).”

“Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown was voted as the fifth-best receiver in the NFL in a poll by execs and coaches around the league: “Savvy, knack for getting open, plays faster than his timed speed,” an NFL coordinator said.”

“Amon-Ra St. Brown is consistently viewed as a tier above Puka Nacua, Ja'Marr Chase and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. In half-PPR formats, St. Brown has finished as the WR3 for three consecutive seasons.”

“St. Brown has been a paragon of consistency.”

“Perhaps the ceiling gets capped slightly if Jameson Williams trends upwards and Sam LaPorta is healthier, but the Lions were bad last season, and the most important thing is that they might have a competent play-caller once again in Drew Petzing. The team has said they want to lean into what Jared Goff does best by using play-action passes heavily. That would be a bonus for St. Brown, who has consistently led the team in first-read target share on such plays.”

“Amon-Ra St. Brown falling to the turn on Sleeper is one of the biggest values in early drafts. While many drafters chase youth and upside, they are overlooking one of the safest elite assets in fantasy football. St. Brown has delivered elite volume and consistency for three straight seasons, thriving on heavy target share, red-zone usage and his chemistry with Jared Goff.”

“St. Brown is the unquestioned alpha in the passing game, averaging 159 targets during that span. Detroit's offense has been one of the league's best over the last three seasons, and there isn't really a reason to think that will slow down.”