A.J. Brown is the Alpha WR Worth Investing In

Photo: Eric Hartline, USA Today Sports

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The Philadelphia Eagles took the league by storm in 2022, dominating teams on a weekly basis on their way to Super Bowl LVII. They came extremely close to a championship were it not for the greatness of Patrick Mahomes II and Andy Reid. Their offense clicked on all cylinders, led by a superstar leap season from quarterback Jalen Hurts. But before all of this, there was an offseason event that changed the trajectory of the season and was the catalyst for the offensive explosion in Philadelphia. On draft night in 2022, the Titans shockingly traded superstar wide receiver A.J. Brown to the Eagles for just the 18th and 101st overall picks. Seemingly the one missing piece, Brown slid in seamlessly as the alpha WR1, paired with the elite talent of DeVonta Smith in his own right, an up-and-coming superstar quarterback, and an elite offensive line. As they say, the rest is history. Despite the offensive coordinator change from Shane Steichen to Brian Johnson, continuity remains as Nick Sirianni continues to steer the ship, and Johnson was the Eagles' QB coach last year. Expectations remain extremely high for the Eagles as a team, as an offense, and for fantasy football. And Brown is one of the main reasons for their expected continued success. Let's dive into why:

The Titans Made a Mistake

First, it's important to acknowledge this trade was shocking because it was rare. Very few elite talents at wide receiver get traded after their first three seasons of posting hyper-efficient production in the passing league that is the NFL these days. And it was rare because teams smartly hold onto their homegrown talent when they hit big. Simply put, the Titans made a mistake by trading Brown. Let's take a look at his production in Tennessee while playing in a low-volume passing offense.

Brown was productive right away in the NFL, and he was able to be because his elite talent allowed him to produce big plays and be highly efficient. yards per route run is a good statistic to measure efficiency for receivers as the data is more robust since all routes, and not just the ones where a target is earned, are taken into account. And naturally, the more yards being covered per route, the more efficient and explosive a player can be. As you'll see in the table below, Brown was elite in yards per route run all three years he was in Tennessee. He even flashed immense big play upside as a rookie in 2019, ranking third in the entire NFL in yards per reception (20.2).

Transcendent Talent

Of course, we all know by now what happened once Brown joined the Eagles last year. He immediately took the league by storm in Philadelphia just as he had done three years earlier as a rookie. Paired with Jalen Hurst, Brown's elite yards per reception ability returned as he ranked third (17.0) in the league. Those big plays allowed him to rank fourth in receiving yards (1,496) despite only catching 88 passes. He also tied for third in receiving touchdowns (11). In fact, he was elite in just about any statistic imaginable in 2022. These statistics in the table below highlight that Brown was elite in being efficient with his route running, picking up additional yards after the catch, getting open, earning targets, and earning targets deep down the field.

Hurts and Brown showed they had solid on-field chemistry all season long, and Brown's athleticism and playmaking ability certainly didn't hurt. None of this data should be a surprise. Brown is simply one of the most transcendent and alpha talents at the wide receiver position in the NFL, and quite frankly, he has been since his arrival in the league.