A.J. Brown
vs Rashee Rice

“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.”

“Watching him live, Rice looks slow and stiff as he gets through his routes. Rice grabbed seven of his nine targets, but he should’ve had the other two as well. One of them was a drop that turned into a Miami interception.”

“Rashee Rice was never as talented as his fantasy production would indicate. He racked up points over the last few years thanks to the Chiefs’ half-functional offense. Now that Kansas City has a real running game, Rice’s PPR scam days seem over.”

“Rashee Rice ‘s expected fantasy points is a woeful 5.6 per game.”

“Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy . Rice has since turned heads for the wrong reasons in training camp, looking slow. Meanwhile, Worthy sprained his shoulder in early August and returned to practice one week later .”

“Rashee Rice (WR – KC) Unfortunately, Rice has been in the news for all the wrong reasons this offseason. He served a 30-day sentence for violating his probation.”

“Second, he hasn’t been on the field enough over the last two seasons to justify his current average draft position (ADP), which hasn’t accounted for several factors. Currently ranked as the WR13 in expert consensus rankings (ECR), Rice is being treated as a low-end WR1.”

“3.02: Rashee Rice (WR – KC) Probably the most uncomfortable pick you can make this year is Rashee Rice because you have no idea what you are going to get with him. But Rice’s upside is through the roof.”

“Rice has commanded targets every time the Chiefs have given him a full-time role. Season Period Target Share 2023 Final 10 games with full-time snaps, including playoffs 24% 2024 Three complete games 31.5% 2025 Eight games 26.5%”

“In eight games last season, Rice recorded: 78 targets 53 receptions 571 receiving yards Five receiving TDs 20 rushing yards One rushing TD That comes out to 9.8 targets and 15.5 half-PPR points per game.”

“Round 2: Rashee Rice (WR – KC) Rashee Rice is certainly a bit risky with his off-field issues, including serving time in jail earlier this offseason, but when he was on the field last season, he had a staggering 37.”