Philadelphia Eagles WR A.J. Brown is questionable for Monday Night Football with a hamstring concern, which has fantasy managers scrambling for news. It’s hard not to draw parallels to Christian McCaffery in Week 1, and trying to replace your WR1 on Monday is a tough call.
Getting prepared early is key, so let’s take a look at what we know about Brown’s questionable status so far:
A.J. Brown Injury Update
A.J. Brown popped up on the Eagles injury report after being limited in practice on Friday with a “tight” hamstring. He didn’t practice at all on Saturday, which could be precautionary, or it could be a sign of something worse. Impossible to be certain just yet.
HC Nick Sirianni spoke to reporters on Friday and gave the following update:
“We’ll see how that goes,” he said. “Tight in practice. We took a precaution there with him.”
This doesn’t really help fantasy managers, so it is time to consider your options. If Brown is cleared, obviously play him against the Atlanta Falcons. If not, or you want to start someone today, it gets tricky.
For leagues of 10 or fewer players, you might just be able to replace him with a bench option, by utilizing your flex or finding a WR2 with potential upside like Jakobi Meyers or Jameson Williams.
Also read: Can Jameson Williams do it again in Week 2? Q status & fantasy outlook explored for Lions WR
Realistically, you are better off waiting to see if Brown gets cleared, which means you are looking at the MNF matchup for potential replacements. In bigger leagues, there is almost no chance you can get DeVonta Smith or Drake London as options if Brown can’t play. So what can you do?
Plans A-C in case A.J. Brown can’t go on Monday
Plan A – Jahan Dotson
Jahan Dotson is the obvious backup plan, as while he may not be able to replicate A.J. Brown’s ceiling, he is the best option potentially available and will see more action if Brown is absent.
Sirianni spoke about the newly acquired former Commander on Friday (via SI):
“That guy gets unfairly judged because he doesn’t have the opportunities that other people get. I feel really good about Jahan [Dotson]. I mean, first-round pick, obviously we traded for him and feel really good about him.
“He’s a smooth route runner, everything like that. I just think sometimes that position is unfairly judged at times just because they don’t get the opportunities these other guys are gonna get.”
“He’s had some really good practices. I’m excited for his opportunity as a third receiver, a second receiver, whatever it may be for each week. I’m excited for him whenever he gets his opportunity because he will make some big plays that will help us win some games.”
Dotson didn’t really get the QB play to be fairly judged in Washington, so he has the potential to go off against Atlanta and is the best option to pursue.
Plan B – Darnell Mooney
Darnell Mooney is another WR who is hoping for more QB TLC, having left the Chicago Bears in the offseason. While Mooney did have his fair share of important drops, his target volume wasn’t as high as a receiver of his talent might expect.
The Falcons had a rough Week 1 in the home loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and will be looking to bounce back against the Eagles. The Packers got their receivers in the endzone three times in the 34-29 loss, so this could be a good game for Atlanta WRs.
Mooney is the WR2 at the Falcons, and with Kirk Cousins’ debut out of the way and playing against what appears to be a more vulnerable defense, Mooney could benefit. He got only one catch for 15 yards in Week 1 (3 targets), but the whole Atlanta offense was stifled.
Plan C – Ray-Ray McCloud III
Ray-Ray McCloud could have better upside than Darnell Mooney in this matchup. For the same reasons listed above he didn’t exactly ball in Week 1, but he did have four catches from seven targets for 52 yards and 7.20 points in HPPR leagues.
Another potential boon is that McCloud is the kick returner for Atlanta, and you just never know with the new rules.
Week 2 bounce-back candidates: Drake London, Evan Engram, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Javonte Williams.