A.J. Brown vs De'Von Achane

“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.”

“This is where I tell you that I am in on De’Von Achane, their only player going inside the top-130 by average draft position. Some fear him, but his downside is baked into his cost. I have him as my RB3 and I actively recommend him.”

“Achane has had a major downgrade in team context. For one, Mike McDaniel is no longer calling plays.”

“Players such as Christian McCaffrey , Jahmyr Gibbs , Bijan Robinson and De’Von Achane all cleared 60 receptions last season. They produce in every phase of the game.”

“For those who are worried about De'Von Achane and the Miami offense struggling so much that he will not be productive, maybe just look back at 2025, when the Dolphins struggled… and he wasn't one of the most consistent RBs in fantasy; he was THE most consistent RB in fantasy. Achane can get it done on the ground and in the air, so regardless of game script, he is a blessing for most fantasy teams.”

“Achane is one of the best backs in the league and just got a massive payday.”

“Another pleasant surprise was having De'Von Achane fall to me. Having him fall to the second half of the second round, with his average draft position (ADP) anywhere from 10-15, is crazy.”

“Among 43 running backs with at least 150 touches last season, De'Von Achane was second in yards per touch (6.0), sixth in scrimmage yards (1,838), and first in runs that gained 10-plus yards (16.8%).”

“It's hard, though, not to be concerned that his numbers in the receiving game could dip significantly without Tua Tagovailoa, having averaged five targets per game with him and 2.45 without him. The offense has no weapons, and if they can't move the ball and stay on the field, it could be catastrophic for Achane's value.”

“Last season, De'Von Achane exceeded his previous career-high 907 rushing yards by 443 rushing yards (1,350). He surpassed 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his career while hitting 85+ targets for the second consecutive year. It's hard, though, not to be concerned that his numbers in the receiving game could dip significantly without Tua Tagovailoa, having averaged five targets per game with him and 2.45 without him.”

“Malik Willis, however, could impact Achane's targets due to his propensity to break from the pocket. This tendency will rob Achane of the checkdown volume that he enjoyed with Tua Tagoviloa under center.”

“We would be kidding ourselves if we didn't consider Achane to be the centerpiece of the Dolphins' offense and our fantasy rosters. Stacking this receiving production on top of the leader of 40+ yard rushes since 2023 feels like cheating, but because of this, he will be the highest-scoring Dolphin for fantasy this year.”

“Achane is certainly talented enough to overcome these obstacles, but the concerns around him aren't factored into his early second-round average draft position (ADP). I'm not projecting him to fall into RB3 territory, but an RB2 finish is certainly plausible, which would be a major disappointment.”