A.J.

Brown

Brown woke up the stat sheet after combining for just 3/24 across the Eagles’ first two playoff games. The Eagles finally got their sideline passing attack going, and Brown was obviously the primary beneficiary. His score was an end zone roasting of Mike Sainristil shortly after he drew an end zone DPI on Marshon Lattimore. Something close to a repeat performance will be needed for Super Bowl LIX regardless of who wins the AFC Championship Game.

No surprises here as the Eagles have been managing Brown’s knee issue for weeks. It hasn’t given him any issues recently and he even told reporters earlier this week that he was feeling better. The Eagles will likely stick with their run-heavy approach this week. However, if the Commanders can push them on offense, Philly will be forced to throw more, keeping Brown in play as a high-ceiling DFS option on the short slate.

Brown was limited on Wednesday but said he was feeling better. That appears to be the case, as the Eagles’ star receiver was upgraded to a full participant in Thursday’s practice and has a chance to be removed from the injury report entirely by Friday. The Eagles have been managing Brown’s injury for the last several weeks in hopes of having him at his best come game day. He’ll be ready to go for Sunday’s NFC Championship Game against the Commanders.

Brown told reporters today he was feeling better. He has been taking Wednesdays off in recent weeks, so a limited designation, even for a walkthrough, does suggest he is trending in the right direction. Brown has totaled just 60 yards over his past three appearances, though the Eagles haven’t been forced to pass much during that stretch. If the Commanders can push Philly’s offense with some points of their own, Brown should return to form for DFS players on Sunday.

In a game that was not at all conducive for the passing game, Brown managed just 14 yards despite leading the Eagles with seven targets on the afternoon. Brown’s most memorable play on the day was the one he failed to make, as he dropped a wide-open pass that would have gone for nearly 37 yards and likely resulted in a touchdown if he was just able to secure it. Brown ended the day with two drops, per PFF, and will look to bounce back in next week’s NFC Championship Game against the Commanders. Brown totaled 8-97-1 on 15 targets against the Commanders in Week 17.

Brown practiced in full on Friday after practicing in a limited capacity on Thursday. The promising upgrade bodes positively for his involvement although his knee issue should not be overlooked. Brown’s presence makes life easier for the rest of the Eagles’ skill position players regardless of his productivity.

Last week, Brown’s practice participation went from limited, to absent, to full as the week progressed. He caught 1-of-3 targets for 10 yards. The Eagles are evidently handling things differently this week; Brown began Divisional Round practices by taking Wednesday off before logging a limited session on Thursday. The bottom line is this: Brown’s play is clearly hampered by the knee issue but it is not stopping him from playing. The immensely talented wide receiver bagged his third straight, second-team All-Pro nod last week, accurately reflecting his game-breaking ability. If he is on-field, as expected, the Rams’ defense will have to account for him.

The Eagles have limited Brown’s practice and in-game participation whenever possible as he manages an ongoing knee issue. Unfortunately, the plan has yet to pay dividends; Brown has caught just 4-of-8 targets for 46 yards in his last two games and was given the week off in Week 18. The Eagles will need Brown to contribute against the Rams this week if they hope to keep pace with the Rams’ potent offense. The Eagles later confirmed Brown did not practice at all on Wednesday.

He was caught reading a book on the sideline while the defense was on the field — we can’t blame him after watching the Packers offense — and was the target on an incomplete shot play off a faked tush push. These weeks are on the table for the Eagles and Brown’s fantasy football standing comes and goes with how their offensive design measures up to the task. He’ll look to rebound next week against the lower of the two NFC seeds to survive the 3-6/4-5 games. Maybe he’ll read some Cioran on the sideline for his fantasy managers next week.

The team’s Friday injury report has not yet been released but Brown’s practice participation on Wednesday and Thursday was brief, to say the least. Brown reportedly exited Wednesday’s practice after less than 10 minutes, a development that the team characterized as a pre-planned precautionary measure. Brown was then given the day off on Thursday. In speaking with reporters Friday, Brown stated that he will indeed play while acknowledging that he is “banged up, but everybody is.” The Eagles should have their No. 1 WR on-field this weekend.