When excluding quarterbacks from the conversation, there is a case to be made for A.J. Brown as the most valuable player in the NFL. The Eagles look like a night-and-day different team when Brown is on the field, and this is especially clear in the production of Jalen Hurts.
Philadelphia traded for the star pass catcher ahead of the 2021 season. Throughout his career, Hurts has played 34 games with Brown and 33 without.
In games with Brown, Hurts has completed 65.7% of his passes and has thrown for 8,101 yards (238.3 per game), 49 touchdowns and 23 interceptions.
In the games without Brown, Hurts has completed 60.8% of his passes and has thrown for 4,857 yards (147.2 per game), 24 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.
The 2022 and 2023 seasons have marked the best two years of Brown’s career as he has combined for 2,952 yards and 18 touchdowns. He finished last season with the fifth-most receiving yards in the NFL and was fourth in 2022. He also ranked third in receiving touchdowns in 2022 and was tied for 18th last year.
As the Eagles look to find their identity as a team, the best performances for Brown are still to come. The three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver suffered a hamstring injury following the first week, which kept him out for three games and the bye week. He has recorded 11 catches for 235 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the two games he has played.
While Brown has been good in the two opportunities he has been on the field, expect this to be only the start and for him to make his case for being the top wide receiver in the league for the remainder of the season.
A.J. Brown 2024 Season Outlook
The fantasy football production of A.J. Brown speaks for itself. He leads all wide receivers with 26.2 fantasy points per game based on DraftKings scoring. This is also tied with Lamar Jackson for the most among any player.
Looking at the rest of the wide receivers, Malik Nabers is second in fantasy points per game with an average of 24.4 points per game. Nico Collins is the only other wide receiver within 4.5 fantasy points of his average, as the Texans pass catcher has produced 23.1 points per game.
The biggest change within the Eagles that impacts Brown this season is Kellen Moore joining the organization as the offensive coordinator. While it is unclear how much of a role head coach Nick Sirianni has in the offense and play call, the offense has taken steps in the right direction following last season’s collapse. However, there is still a ways to go in getting Brown fully adjusted and expanding his route tree.
Regardless, Brown is still having success. His ability to track the deep ball rivals any wide receiver in football and Hurts is willing to take his chance with the star wide receiver a few times per game.
Looking around the rest of the NFL, there are more notable concerns with just about all the top pass catchers. Malik Nabers is a rookie with Daniel Jones throwing him the football. Nico Collins missed the previous game with a hamstring injury and is in a crowded Texans wide receiver room. Tyreek Hill’s production has tanked following the injury to Tua Tagoavailoa and Justin Jefferson will need Sam Darnold to sustain this level of play, which he has not done at any other point in his career.
Brown is on the same page with Hurts and is a foundation point of the Eagles’ offense this year. It is no coincidence that the two games Philadelphia has produced the most offense and its highest-scoring performances were when Brown was on the field.
Last season, Brown had six consecutive weeks with 127+ yards receiving through the air. While this is a high standard, he can reach this level again. With an improved playbook, more chemistry built with Jalen Hurts and Brown returning to full health, expect this to be only the start of a monstrous season.
The 27-year-old checks every box you look for in a wide receiver. He is a talented route runner with great physicality and big-play potential. The Eagles will use him for tough first downs and also give him opportunities to take the top off an opposing defense. Brown is active in the red zone and at every stage of the field leading up to it.
Expect the star pass catcher to build off of this level of production. A.J. Brown deserves to be mentioned among the NFL’s most elite wide receivers and we very well could be talking about him as the top performer in the league. Expect this to ring true from a fantasy football and NFL-wide perspective following the season.
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