Fantasy Football Injury Impact: AJ Brown Goes Down In The Opener, And Drake Maye Looks Awful Without Him

The latest update on AJ Brown's injury suffered on opening night.

New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown (1) reacts after an injury during the third quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Opening night of the season between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks was a brutal night for injuries. While Sam Darnold going down with an injury was unfortunate, not many fantasy owners were starting him, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba did just fine without him. It was AJ Brown getting knocked out of the game that made this night miserable for fantasy owners.

Brown went down in the third quarter with what looked to be an ankle injury and was not able to return. The Patriots' passing game fell apart after the injury as Romeo Doubs looked like he should be trying to go play for LSU rather than an NFL team. Now we fantasy owners have to hold our breath and wait for official word on Browns' status moving forward. The good news is that after playing on Wednesday, he does have extra time to heal up before the Pats' Week 2 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

#Patriots WR AJ Brown has been ruled OUT for the rest of tonight’s game vs. the #Seahawks due to an ankle injury.

Brown went in for X-rays. He finishes with 3 catches for 26 yards in his Patriots debut. https://t.co/5sUBQr0bpq pic.twitter.com/SlGRBuxPU1

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 10, 2026

Fantasy Impact

WR AJ Brown, New England Patriots

Assuming this is an ankle injury, the severity and location of the sprain will determine how much time, if any, Brown misses. Brown is a fantasy WR1 who will be tough for fantasy owners to replace if he misses any time. When Brown exited the game, he was leading the Patriots in receiving.

All we can do now is wait for the results of the testing on Browns' injury. We will be monitoring this situation closely and will be sure to give you an update as soon as any further information becomes available. There is no wide receiver in New England that we are interested in for fantasy purposes.

QB Drake Maye, New England Patriots

The tough matchup certainly played a role in Maye's second-half struggle, but it's possible to ignore how much worse this offense looked after Brown exited the game. Without Brown, the Pats have maybe the worst WR corps in the NFL. Even worse than last season because Doubs is a downgrade from Kayshon Boutte. While it's unlikely you are going to bench Maye next week, he's a significantly worse start if Brown is unable to suit up.

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