The Philadelphia Eagles’ dynamic receiving duo of A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith presents contrasting fantasy football narratives heading into the 2025 season. While Brown’s injury-shortened 2024 campaign has dropped his ADP to more palatable late second or early third-round territory, his ceiling remains capped by the Eagles’ multi-faceted offensive approach.
A.J. Brown Fantasy Outlook
Call me a hater — it’s fine — but I’ll typically avoid AJ Brown at ADP. That was the case until this year, when he now looks far more valuable. For a while, he was near the top of the competition with CeeDee Lamb, but his ceiling wasn’t and wouldn’t be as high as that of any of the elite receivers.
That doesn’t mean Brown can’t be incredible, but in this offense, he just struggles with bouts of inconsistency that the other guys don’t.
That’s just to be nitpicky, which I think is fair when you’re an elite draft pick. After an injury-shortened season, his ADP has dropped to around the late 2nd or early 3rd, a far more reasonable price to pay for him. The fact of the matter is, the Eagles’ offense does not rely on him like other receivers are. That’s a blessing and a curse.
When Brown gets hot and the offense is in a flow state, he’s borderline unstoppable. However, if Brown is banged up or they face a strong CB1, the Eagles do not need him to find success.
Still, Brown’s floor remains incredibly high. He surpassed 1,000 yards last season in 13 games and matched his 2023 touchdown total of seven. If the Eagles can rest Saquon Barkley after an insane season, Brown stands to be the primary beneficiary. While I don’t see his ceiling having much more than his 1,400-plus yard seasons, he could very well have the massive TD season that he hasn’t quite yet. Finally, his ADP sits in a great spot.
– Mason LeBeau, Fantasy Football Analyst
DeVonta Smith Fantasy Outlook
DeVonta Smith is a fantastic NFL receiver who has defied his size and become an excellent threat. Still, I have never considered drafting him, even when he started to slip in my drafts. His part in the Eagles’ offense is truly what makes it unfair, an extremely well-rounded threat that could be most teams’ top option, that gets to feed on lesser cornerbacks. Unfortunately, that role doesn’t translate to fantasy.
The only way for Smith to become a legit fantasy asset is for AJ Brown to miss significant time. The Eagles’ offense simply does not rely on a high volume of passing output, ranking 32nd, 21st, and 24th in attempts over the last three seasons.
DEVONTA SMITH ONE-HANDED TD 😱
WHAT A CATCH ON 3RD & 22 ‼️
(via @NFL)
pic.twitter.com/kUvbYD1gEb— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 3, 2024
Brown is the primary target here, while TE Dallas Goedert gets his fair share of touches. QB Jalen Hurts is incredibly mobile, and that’s after RB Saquon Barkley gets fed. Smith works into that equation, but it’s slim pickings after those elite options get theirs first.
Even though Smith will put up reliable numbers throughout the season, they come in inconsistent bursts. He had four top-10 finishes in 2024, weeks 8, 9, 15, and 17. Between that, he had five finishes at WR35-plus, including WR155, 74, 64, and 53 finishes throughout the season. There’s little reason to play the feast-or-famine game on a mid-round receiver with limited upside.
– Mason LeBeau, Fantasy Football Analyst
