Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown has missed the last two weeks with a hamstring injury. With DeVonta Smith potentially out due to a concussion, will Brown be able to return to the lineup in Week 4? Here’s the latest update on Brown’s status.
What’s the Latest on A.J. Brown’s Injury?
Brown won’t be available when the Eagles face the Buccaneers on Sunday in a rematch of their Wild Card game from last year’s playoffs.
Brown was able to practice in limited fashion on Friday, which got some Eagles fans and fantasy managers excited about a potential return sooner than expected. However, he ultimately wasn’t able to make it back for Sunday’s game.
AJ Brown is here at Eagles practice and has a helmet
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) September 27, 2024
The fact that he was back on the practice field is a great sign, though, as it means he should be back for Week 6 when the Eagles play the Cleveland Browns.
The Eagles have their bye next week, which is another reason why it didn’t make sense to rush Brown back from his injury. Philadelphia has championship aspirations, so pushing Brown to play in an early-season contest instead of playing the long game doesn’t make sense.
The bye week comes at the perfect time for Philly, as they’ll be without their top three wide receivers today when they face the Buccaneers. In addition to Brown, DeVonta Smith is still dealing with a concussion that he suffered in Week 3 against the New Orleans Saints and WR3 Britain Covey is expected to miss six to eight weeks with a broken bone in his shoulder.
After Brown injured his hamstring during practice, he expected it to be a multi-week injury. During the Eagles’ Week 2 contest against the Atlanta Falcons, he told ESPN’s Lisa Salters that he expected to be out for “a couple of weeks,” and he was right about that timeline.
Who Will Step Up in Brown’s Absence?
With Brown, Smith, and Covey all sidelined, the Eagles enter today’s game with just four available WRs: Jahan Dotson, Parris Campbell, John Ross, and rookie Johnny Wilson. They have totaled 36 yards on six catches this season, as FOX Sports Bucs beat writer Greg Auman noted.
Dotson was acquired in a trade with the Washington Commanders prior to the start of the season, but he has struggled to make an impact thus far with Philly.
According to TruMedia, Dotson has run 94 total routes through the Eagles’ first three games. Despite running the third-most routes on the Eagles, Dotson has been targeted by Jalen Hurts just three times.
Dotson has hauled in three of his five targets for just 14 yards. Considering that the Eagles traded a future third-round pick for Dotson, he’ll need to take a significant step forward with Philadelphia’s wide receiver room decimated by injuries.
SEE MORE: Philadelphia Eagles Depth Chart
Aside from Dotson, rookie Johnny Wilson is the only other wide receiver remaining on Philadelphia’s active roster. Wilson has shown flashes of dominance as a blocker, but he hasn’t made many plays as a pass catcher.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni was asked about Wilson’s progress during his press conference on Monday.
“I just think he’s really tough, first and foremost,” Sirianni said. “Talent is just the beginning. It’s about how tough you are if you’re going to reach your ceiling. Obviously talented and unique. He has unique traits with how big and strong he is.”
While the Eagles have continued to praise Wilson for his uniqueness since selecting him in the 2024 NFL Draft, it’s time for him to show it as a pass catcher. If Philadelphia’s top three wide receivers are out in Week 4, Wilson will likely receive the first start of his NFL career.
Considering that Covey is reportedly set to miss at least six weeks, the Eagles will likely place him on injured reserve. In that scenario, veteran WR Parris Campbell will likely be signed to Philadelphia’s active roster.
Campbell was elevated to the active roster in Week 3 and made two receptions against the Saints. In 27 total routes against New Orleans, Campbell was targeted twice by Hurts and hauled in both receptions for 13 yards.
Although the much-needed bye week is approaching in Week 5, the Eagles could be forced to play without the team’s top three wide receivers against the Buccaneers. Philadelphia’s starting wide receiver trio could be Dotson, Wilson, and Campbell down in Tampa Bay.
Fantasy Impact
Brown’s hamstring injury is unfortunate, as it has now cost him the first three DNPs of his career as an Eagle. His being ruled out came as no surprise after admitting before Week 2 that he’d likely need a few weeks to get right. He did get in a limited practice on Friday, so that’s a good sign.
With Brown and Smith both out, not to mention Saquon Barkley thriving, I’m not expecting this to be Hurts’ best fantasy performance. He’s failed to throw multiple touchdown passes in seven of his past eight games as a road favorite, but with an implied total approaching 25 points and his athletic profile, he’s still an easy start in all formats this weekend.
The argument this summer when taking an anti-Hurts stance was largely built on Barkley’s impact. Well, Barkley is pacing toward being the RB1 overall, yet Hurts has more carries gaining over 20 yards this season than last regular season. This is a strong offense that will be far better than the 36 points they’ve totaled over the past two weeks.
If there’s a chance to acquire Hurts for anything less than a Tier 1 price tag, I wouldn’t hesitate. Philadelphia goes on bye next week – coming out of that, I’d expect them to be the high-functioning offense we assumed we’d see all season long.
This is a tough game to predict fantasy-wise given how many injuries the Eagles are dealing with. The best bet is to avoid all Eagles’ wide receivers since it’s unclear who will emerge as Hurts’ top option. With that said, expect Barkley and tight end Dallas Goedert to be very involved and receive more targets than usual.
Barkley has at least four catches and 95 rushing yards in consecutive games. It’s been six years since the last time we saw a back record three straight such games.
As for Goedert, what he did in Week 3 was very surprising. We are talking about a tight end that didn’t have a 40-yard catch in three of six seasons entering 2024. Seasons. He did it twice in essentially three quarters in New Orleans last week.
Of course, that’s nothing you can bank on, but he does have back-to-back-to-back top-10 finishes at the position and is the only tight end who can claim that. Goedert has a catch gaining more than 15 yards in all three contests, a skill set that doesn’t feel sticky, but any semblance of upside, even on limited volume, is worth your while at TE.
With Brown and Smith out, Goedert’s stock is trending up and deserves to be locked in with reasonable confidence this week.