A.J. Brown Dealing With Hamstring Injury, Absent From Eagles Practice Thursday
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The Philadelphia Eagles are eagerly awaiting a positive update for one of their best offensive players entering their Week 8 matchup. Star wideout A.J. Brown has missed time dealing with a hamstring injury that has lingered since the offseason.
On Wednesday, Brown missed Philadelphia’s practice, followed by an absence for Thursday’s session. After missing back-to-back practices, his status is up in the air entering the Eagles’ matchup versus the New York Giants. Philadelphia previously suffered a loss in its first divisional showdown with New York and will look to continue building momentum following a Week 7 win over the Minnesota Vikings.
Brown dominated versus the Vikings last weekend, hauling in four catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns, setting a new season-high mark for receiving yards. The Eagles will hope to be at full strength offensively, but could be forced to operate without their All-Pro wide receiver versus the Giants. Entering Week 8, he ranks second among Eagles pass-catchers with 29 catches for 395 yards on a team-high 51 targets.
Despite his lingering injury, he’s yet to miss a game this season, but could be forced to his first absence of the season thus far. Here’s a fantasy football outlook for the remainder of Philadelphia’s offense amid Brown’s hamstring issue:
Eagles Fantasy Outlook Amid A.J. Brown’s Absence From Practice
Leading up to Sunday’s game, DeVonta Smith leads the Eagles offense in yards, receptions and yards after catch. After a slow start to the season in fantasy, Smith has carved out solid production in three of his last five games. Coming off a 33.3-point outing among PPR leagues in Week 7, he’s managed three top-10 finishes among fantasy receivers.
While his production has wavered at times during the season, he’s been the offense’s most consistent weapon amid a 5-2 start. Matched up versus the Giants, Smith makes a great case to start for fantasy lineups in Week 8.
Behind him, Brown has carved out two consecutive notable fantasy performances, including a 28.1-point performance in Week 7, marking a season-high outing in PPR. Should he miss Sunday’s game, Smith likely becomes a must-start with an elevated ceiling for volume without his counterpart in the passing game.
Star tight end Dallas Goedert would also likely see a bump in volume if Brown is unable to suit up Sunday. Goedert, like his fellow pass-catchers has struggled to sustain consistency, but has managed several significant outings over seven games this season.
In the run game, reigning OPOY Saquon Barkley has struggled in an inconsistent Eagles offense, averaging just 3.3 yards per carry to this point of the season. Still, his volume has helped him carve out notable fantasy production, despite down weeks over the last two games.
The Eagles will hope for a positive update on Brown on Friday, but his status for Sunday remains unclear.
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Ethen Hutton is a MLB, WNBA, College, and Fantasy contributor at On SI. Previously, he's covered the NBA, WNBA and NFL for Sportskeeda. Hutton is also a passionate fantasy football player and an immense music lover.