Philadelphia Eagles franchise quarterback Jalen Hurts is good enough to support multiple pass catchers in this offense, featuring their top target, AJ Brown.
However, their second half of the year was more up and down than recent seasons despite having him, who reshaped their offense after he was traded from Tennessee in 2022.
The former second-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft from Ole Miss has been drafted late first or early to mid-second round in 2022 and 2023. Now, he’s a top-ten pick in redraft leagues based on expert consensus rankings.
Will Brown be able to repeat his top-five status as a wide receiver in fantasy football for 2024?
AJ Brown Production and Stats
AJ Brown went from 88 catches to 106 receptions in the last two seasons for the Eagles, setting career highs in his first year. The former All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler for Philadelphia has only had one year under 1,000 in 2021 with the Titans in five seasons total.
Brown getting back to 11 or more touchdowns in 2022 would send him over the top closer to the top five receivers overall in fantasy.
I don’t see their other depth pass catchers being impactful for fantasy football, but Dallas Goedert and Devonta Smith have taken some production with and without Brown in the lineup.
While Smith has had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, along with Goedert with ranges from 500-800 yards, Brown has eclipsed 1,4000 yards last two years.
AJ Brown 2024 Fantasy Outlook
The Eagles have new additions on offense, the biggest being running back Saquon Barkley, giving them another potential pass catcher out of the backfield.
Their depth chart at wide receiver now has two veterans, Parris Campbell and Devante Parker, with two rookies they drafted, Johnny Wilson and Ainias Smith. Not to mention Devonta Smith, who they extended this offseason.
Philadelphia has reliable tight end Goedert along with veteran CJ Uzomah backing him up. This is on top of having the best offensive line in the NFL, with them re-signing key pieces to help protect Hurts. Their blindside protector also was extended and a high-upside swing tackle was also added after the NFL Draft.
Smith is the 21st receiver taken around round four, and Goedert is the 11th-ranked tight end, usually taken in round ten. The number two target at wide receiver finished as the 22nd-best receiver, having some good weeks mixed in with below-average weeks in 2023, according to FantasyPros.
The Eagles starting tight end missed a chunk of time but was the 16th-best tight end last year. According to FantasyPros, Brown’s ADP is 10th and the sixth-best receiver, among receivers like Puka Nacua and Garrett Wilson.
With the receiving volume spread out more potentially in 2024, the highest-paid receiver, according to Spotrac, will have to be efficient on touchdown equity to pay off his ADP. Both receivers AJ Brown and Devonta Smith ended 2023 with the same amount of receiving touchdowns with seven.
Final Thoughts on AJ Brown
Next to Tyreek Hill, who’s a top-three pick based on ADP as of now, AJ Brown was almost like no other for the first half of the season according to FantasyPros. However, from Weeks 9-18, the number one target for Hurts was the 31st-ranked receiver including the bye week.
Due to injuries forcing him to miss some time, an inconsistent connection with his quarterback, and their other weapons stepping up, the alpha receiver had a quiet finish but was still a top-five fantasy receiver in 2023 as the fourth-best despite those issues.
He was extended this offseason to a new three-year deal a week after another top wide receiver rated similarly from the Detroit Lions, Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Just cause of the high-powered offense he is in and the quarterback he’s tied to with the Philadelphia Eagles, I think AJ Brown is at worst still a top-ten receiver with the potential to get into the top five in fantasy football.
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