Fantasy Reaction: A.J. Brown Trade Rumors (Fantasy Football)

Tennessee Titans WR A.J. Brown‘s name has been in the news the last couple of weeks as his name has been linked to possible trade rumors. However, those rumors appear to be put to bed after Tennessee GM Jon Robinson reportedly stated the team has “no interest” in trading the former 2nd Round NFL Draft selection. ESPN’s Dianna Rusinni has also confirmed the term intends to keep Brown on the roster “for the long term.” Brown, who turns 25 in two months, is entering the final year of his rookie deal. It seems inevitable that Brown will secure a long term deal at some point in the near future. According to Spotrac, the Titans rank 30th in available cap space for the 2022 season, suggesting it’s possible the team waits until next season to ink Brown to a multi-year extension. After trading for former Rams WR, Robert Woods, and cutting Julio Jones, the Titans currently only have three WRs signed through the 2023 season: Woods, Racey McMath, and Mason Kinsey – WHO?!

Brown exploded onto the scene in his first two years in the league, posting WR15 and WR11 finishes in half PPR formats in 2019 and 2020, respectively. 2021 was a down year for the former Ole Miss wide out, who only played in 13 games a year ago due to a hamstring and chest injuries, finishing as fantasy’s WR32. Brown was a 2nd round selection in the majority of 2021 fantasy drafts, but he only turned in four top-24 weeks on the entire season. Even so, the underlying metrics for Brown suggest he’s a solid bounce back target for 2022 fantasy leagues. Brown’s 8.1 targets per game were a career high, and he ranked 4th among qualified WRs in yards per route run (2.72) ahead of fellow superstars Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase and Tyreek Hill. The identity of the Titans offense will continue to be Derrick Henry and the ground game, but Brown has proven in his three years in the league that he can win with efficiency. He’s ranked top 5 in both yards per route run in each of his first three seasons in the NFL and has averaged over 17 yards per reception in his young career. If he can stay on the field in 2022, the underlying usage suggests a big season could be on the horizon for Brown in fantasy football leagues.