Welcome to our new feature where we recap a particular player’s journey in the 2022-2023 NFL Fantasy Football Season. This article features preseason expectations, draft expectations, overall season production, and critical moments during the season. We will do this for all 32 teams as we highlight a player per team.
PRESEASON EXPECTATIONS
Philadelphia needed a WR 1 in order to take a leap with Jalen Hurts. A.J. Brown was a WR 1 in Tennessee, which ran a run-heavy offense with Derrick Henry. In the offseason, a shocking trade changed the landscape of the NFL. The Eagles were able to acquire AJ Brown to fortify their offense and give Jalen Hurts another weapon. People were excited to see how the Eagles would grow with a legitimate top wide receiver.
DRAFT EXPECTATIONS
Coming into the draft, AJ Brown was slotted with an ADP of 40. This ADP gave him the 10th WR on average to be taken. Looking at the WRs ahead of him, this seemed like a good spot for him as the elite WRs and consistent WRs were slotted above him. The WRs after him were more of the solid WR 2 of their teams. AJ Brown was generally drafted from the 3rd-4th round.
OVERALL SEASON PRODUCTION
AJ Brown proved to be more than a spark for the Philadelphia Eagles. His presence gave the Eagles life as they were the top team in the NFC finishing first in the conference. In fantasy, AJ Brown finished as the 6th best receiver and 19th overall player in fantasy football. His trade may end up being the best trade of the season.
In terms of snap percentage, AJ Brown was active in at least 74% of the snaps for the entire year and missed no games. Eight of his games ended up with him as a top-15 WR in the week. He ended the season with 1496 yards and 11 TDs. Both were career-highs in his young career.
CRITICAL MOMENTS DURING THE SEASON
Week 1 vs Detroit Lions
AJ Brown’s story in Philadelphia started out with a BANG. In his first game as an Eagle, they faced the Detroit Lions on the road. Jalen Hurts found him early and often. AJ Brown caught 10 passes for 155 yards. This would be a sign for the future as Hurts looked very comfortable passing it to his new WR 1. He had 25.50 FP in his Eagles debut.
Week 8 vs Pittsburgh Steelers
Coming off a bye week, the Steelers were the next opponent for the Philadelphia Eagles. They entered the game undefeated at 6-0. The Pittsburgh defense was no match for Brown. AJ caught six passes for 156 yards and three TDs. He caught a 39-yard TD in the 1st quarter and a 27-yard and 29-yard TD in the second quarter. He made his mark in the game after just one half. AJ scored 39.60 FP this game and was the WR 1.
Week 13 vs Tenessee Titans
This matchup was circled on AJ Brown’s schedule ever since the schedule came out. A lot of headlines focused on AJ and his meeting with the Titans. He made them regret their decision of trading him. AJ came in hot with eight catches and 119 yards and two TDs in the Week 13 matchup. He outscored the Tennessee Titans as the Eagles won 35-10. Brown scored 31.90 FP and was the WR 3 for that week.
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