The New England Patriots have designated star wide receiver AJ Brown to return from injured reserve. This opens up his 21-day practice window, and he is pushing to return to practice this week. This gives him a legitimate shot to play this week; however, that is far from a sure thing, and it's probably more likely he doesn't play in Week 6.
The #Patriots are opening the practice window for WR AJ Brown, coach Mike Vrabel told reporters. Brown, who remains on IR, has been pushing to practice this week. May be a bit early to return from a high-ankle sprain, but he’s trying. pic.twitter.com/eWHTUCsTDd
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 14, 2026
What makes this tricky is the Patriots' schedule. They will play the New York Jets on Sunday, then have a quick turnaround against the Chicago Bears on Thursday. So there is also a real possibility he doesn't play until Week 8. Nevertheless, both Weeks 6 and 7 are now in play for Brown returning to action.
Fantasy Impact
WR AJ Brown, New England Patriots
This is huge news for Brown and his fantasy owners who have been without him for essentially the whole season. While it could take him a week or two to round back into form, he should step into a true WR1 role with the Patriots.
We expect him to be a weekly WR1 option and a potential league-winner in the back half of the season. Any fears we had about Drake Maye's struggles have been erased over the past two weeks. This is an incredible player returning to an incredible situation, and he should be fantastic for the remainder of the season.
WR Romeo Doubs, New England Patriots
It's time for Doubs, Pop Douglas, Mack Hollins, and all the other Patriots wide receivers to take a back seat to Brown. None of them were consistently productive without him, and they will only become more volatile once he returns. You can consider keeping Doubs on your bench for a week or two to see how the targets are distributed and to make sure Brown is healthy, but otherwise he will likely end up on the waiver wire.
QB Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Maye has already bounced back and has been the best quarterback in fantasy football the past two weeks. With that being said, he's still lacking a true WR1. We expected Brown to put Maye over the top as an MVP-caliber quarterback this season, and that's exactly what we expect from this duo for the remainder of the season. Both should be auto-starts every week once Brown is back on the field.
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