Fantasy Impact Week 6: A.J. Brown Latest Injury Update; Romeo Doubs Fantasy Value Plummets
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After suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 1, WR1 for the New England Patriots, A.J. Brown, has a possibility of returning in Week 6. Here is his latest injury update and the impact it has on fantasy football this week.
A.J. Brown Latest Injury News
With many fantasy managers utilizing one of their first two picks in 2026 fantasy football drafts on Brown, their team may be a bit behind in their league standings. However, they can let out a sigh of relief as help appears to be coming.
Brown participated in Patriots Practice on both Wednesday, Oct. 14, and Thursday, Oct.15. Brown said the following on Thursday. “I felt pretty good. It’s one step at a time.”
Here’s A.J. Brown running pic.twitter.com/prqn6hMQcP
— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) October 15, 2026
New England Patriots Insider for NBC Sports Boston, Phill Perry, gave some insight on evaluating how Brown has looked at each of the two Patriots' practices. He said the following on X: “AJ Brown was a little more active today than he was yesterday, based on what we’ve been able to see during media-availability periods. Saw him open it up and sprint early in today’s fully padded session. Looked OK. No spat on the ankle.Injury report later this afternoon.”
Brown’s Week 6 Fantasy Outlook If He Plays
New England’s offense through the first three weeks of the 2026 season was way off from the level they were at a season ago. The main reason for that was the play of their QB, Drake Maye. Through the first three games, he was averaging 195.0 passing yards per game and had a TD-to-INT ratio of 1-6.
Since that rough start, Maye has turned things around, averaging 321.5 passing yards per game and has had a TD-to-INT ratio of 7-1 over New England's two games. His improved play should give fantasy managers all the confidence to go ahead and plug Brown into starting lineups in Week 6 if he is available and does not have a notable limited workload against the New York Jets.
The Jets have been an above-average passing defense, allowing 175.0 passing yards per game, which is the fourth-lowest average in the NFL. They are also allowing the ninth-fewest PPR points in the league to opposing WRs. In their last three games, opposing WR1s have averaged 53.0 receiving yards and 4.3 receptions, and have a combined two TDs against the Jets.
Week 6 Patriots WRs Fantasy Outlook If Brown Does Not Play
If Brown ends up sitting out against New York, fantasy managers can look at a couple of WRs as potential stream plays: Romeo Doubs and Efon Chism III. Doubs had a down week in Week 5, logging just one reception for 16 yards, but had the highest snap share of any Patriots WR for a second week in a row. That leaves the window open for him to have a breakout fantasy performance if Brown is out. In Week 4 against the Buffalo Bills, he had six receptions for 58 yards and two TDs.
Chism III's fantasy value continues to trend up. In Week 4, he caught his first career TD, logging two receptions on four targets for 42 yards to go with it. In Week 5, he had five receptions on six targets for 57 yards and played in the second-highest percentage of snaps of any WR, 76%, just trailing Doubs, who appeared in 83% of snaps.
If Brown does return, Doubs fantasy value will take a massive hit, and he should not be seen as a possible starting option in fantasy moving forward until he proves otherwise. In Week 1, when Brown did play before later getting injured, Doubs had his worst game of the season, recording zero receptions on three targets. Chism III would also not be a possible stream play in Week 6 and moving forward if Brown returns.
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Gray Deyo is a Nashville-based sportswriter who graduated with a sports management bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He has covered prep sports, college sports, the WNBA, and the NBA for the past four years. In addition to writing for SI, Gray also currently contributes to Prep Girls Hoops