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Friday update: A.J. Brown returned to practice on Friday, per Turron Davenport. He is overcoming digestive issues, but was able to play through them last week and appears to be on track to play against the Chiefs this week.
Thursday update: A.J. Brown wasn’t at practice again on Thursday, per ESPN’s Turron Davenport. It appears he is still recovering from his bout with food poisoning, but he’s likely to suit up against the Chiefs this week.
The Tennessee Titans returned to practice on Wednesday to open Week 7 and wide receiver A.J. Brown sat it out. He is recovering from a bout of food poisoning that downgraded him to questionable this past Monday. He said at the time he had been getting fluids via IV all day to get him ready for the game. He ended up playing 79% of the team’s offensive snaps and caught seven of nine targets for 91 yards.
After the game, Derrick Henry let the media know he had been on toilet paper duty, and one has to wonder if that’s carried over into this week.
Derrick Henry was asked after the game about whether he was concerned about A.J. Brown's availability after he popped up on the injury report late due to an illness:
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) October 19, 2021
“I just made sure we had enough toilet paper for him.”
Fantasy football implications
Brown looked fine in spite of the illness. One has to imagine the Titans are going to be conservative with him so he can recover his strength, but expect him to play. Barring a turn for the worse, Brown showed he can play through even when his strength is sapped by food poisoning.
Prior to Monday it had been a quiet season for Brown. He had ten catches for 130 yards and a touchdown in four games prior to Monday before the breakout performance. This weekend, he faces a Chiefs defense that ranks 31st in pass defense efficiency, but only gives up the 11th fewest fantasy points to wide receivers. It’s worth noting however that Julio Jones is sidelined with a hamstring injury and is likely to be questionable at best for Sunday. Brown is a must-start either way this weekend, but gets a boost if Jones can’t play.