A.J. Brown (WR, TEN) - Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues

OWNED IN: 20% of Leagues

ANALYSIS: After three moderately good performances with Ryan Tannehill manning the Titans as the new starting QB, A.J. Brown had a game to forget in Week 10 against Kansas City. He was targeted four times but could only catch one pass--although he turned it into a 17-yard play. No matter what, Brown finished the day with a paltry 2.7 fantasy points in his second-worst game of the year (yes, you read it right, second-worst).

Truth be told, Brown has been his best and most steady self since Tannehill took over. Prior to the Week 10 game against the Chiefs Brown had logged fantasy performances of 12.2, 9.1, and 12.1 points. He has caught 13 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown in his last four games before going on a bye this past weekend. So far so good, and the volume is as high as it has ever seen for Brown, who has been targeted 22 times in his past four matches and never fewer than three times.

For a rookie as he is, his 446 yards on 27 receptions and three touchdowns aren’t bad. He has only dropped two balls and is averaging 9.9 yards per target on a mediocre offense as the Titans’ has been all year. In fact, only five other rookie wideouts have more yards than Brown through 10 games played, and his Y/Tgt mark leads all rookie receivers targeted at least 35 times except Terry McLaurin (10.11). 

Although Brown is probably still a few months (and probably seasons) away from reaching his ceiling and becoming a fantasy league winner, he’s still a player worth considering adding through waivers in any regular-size league. The Titans will face a couple of average defenses against wide receivers next, but the fantasy playoffs schedule will be quite soft as Tennessee will play the 22nd-, 25th-, and 19th-best defenses in the league against the position. If you don’t want to risk playing Brown the next couple of weeks but have room to keep in him in your roster, I’d advise doing it and have him ready as a go-to weapon in the playoffs taking over your flex spot if you have a hole there.