A.J. Brown vs Ashton Jeanty

“There’s no doubting Brown’s talent; however, I do wonder if the way to replace a slot receiver (Diggs) that was the key piece of your offense is to add a physical outside receiver like Brown. There are also my concerns about his knee in the long term.”

“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.”

“Brown gives Drake Maye the true alpha this offense needed. Now he climbed into Maye's draft pocket, and while he can still pay off pick 16, the price feels closer to stacking tax than pure value.”

“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.”

“Repeating a first-place ranking in both categories is unlikely, and it will be even more challenging if the offensive line can't take a step forward in protecting Maye, even with A.J. Brown added to the receiver room.”

“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.”

“I was not burned on Ashton Jeanty last season as BEAST DOME ranked him lower than any site last season, but he was so awful last year I could not imagine spending a 1st or 2nd Round pick on a guy who played like an RB3 at best in 2025.”

“I nearly clicked Zay Flowers with my second pick, and probably should have because he is in line for a huge 2026, but I instead grabbed my first running back in Ashton Jeanty, who should benefit from an upgraded offensive line and an offense-minded head coach in Klint Kubiak.”

“Ashton Jeanty (RB – LV) I could not have been more hyped for Ashton Jeanty heading into the 2025 season”

“With Klint Kubiak in town, Fernando Mendoza or Kirk Cousins at the helm, a healthy Brock Bowers , and improved blocking up front, Jeanty could be poised to post a strong RB1 season in his second season.”

“Ashton Jeanty had 100% of the backfield rushes from inside of the 5-yard line as a rookie, but he only had 9 rushes from that area of the field.”

“Ashton Jeanty will be seen as a disappointment for fantasy managers exiting his rookie season. It wasn’t a failure, but you can make the argument that, because of his talent and the hype, it didn’t live up to lofty expectations. Jeanty was the RB15 in fantasy points per game, finishing with 321 touches and 1,321 total yards.”

“Ashton Jeanty is entering his sophomore season with an improved situation. First and foremost, the Raiders hired Klint Kubiak as head coach, giving them one of the best play-callers in the NFL.”

“Last season, Jeanty was fifth in snap share at running back and first in backfield opportunity shares. If this usage continues, all we need is for the offense to take a step forward to have a huge season.”

“He now has a new head coach in Klint Kubiak, one of the rising offensive minds in the NFL. More importantly, the Raiders also bolstered the offensive line by adding All-Pro Tyler Linderbaum (BAL). If Jeanty was able to produce average numbers in a dysfunctional offense, he should be capable of producing above-average numbers in a functional one.”

“Ashton Jeanty may be the player I'm most excited to see on the field again. Jeanty was a can't-miss prospect who had a tumultuous first season. Despite the circumstances, Jeanty still finished as a high-end RB2, averaging 14 FPPG.”

“Ashton Jeanty will be seen as a disappointment for fantasy managers exiting his rookie season. The ecosystem surrounding Jeanty stunk. The Raiders were 31st in red zone scoring attempts per game and 30th in yards per play.”

“Last season, Ashton Jeanty eventually finished as the RB12, but he started slowly and, after the first three weeks, was the RB33.”