Who Should I Start? A.J. Brown or Brian Thomas Jr.

Wednesday, January 7, 10:09 AM

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown really took fantasy managers for a roller coaster ride in the 2025 regular season. For the first 11 weeks of the season, including the Eagles' Week 10 bye, Brown scored three or fewer fantasy points in three of those 10 games played. However, from Week 11 on, which was seven games played for him, he had 595 receiving yards and four touchdowns. On the season as a whole, Brown eclipsed 1,000 yards with 1,003 and seven touchdowns, finishing as the WR14. Although frustrating given his second-round ADP coming into the season, he was much better in the second half than in the first, and the Eagles are hoping that carries into the playoffs to help them make a run. From a playoff fantasy perspective, the Eagles have the third-best odds, according to Novig (+465), to win the NFC, and are favorites (-4.5) against the San Francisco 49ers in Wild Card weekend. What this means is that fantasy managers drafting for these leagues may want to invest in Eagles players, such as Brown, as they have a better chance of continuing to score points as the team goes deeper into the playoffs. The 49ers' defense has been horrible against receivers of late, making Brown an excellent round one play.

Monday, January 5, 10:46 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. had a disappointing year relative to preseason expectations in 2025, recording 48 receptions for 707 yards and two touchdowns on 91 targets across 14 games played. Down the stretch of the regular season, Thomas Jr. appeared to slide down the pass-catcher pecking order in Jacksonville. The 23-year-old recorded just nine catches for 106 yards and zero touchdowns on 15 targets over his final three contests. Thomas Jr. also played fewer than 80% of Jacksonville's offensive snaps in five out of his team's six final games. The Jaguars are now set to face the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the AFC playoffs. In the regular season, Buffalo allowed the fewest passing yards (2,894) of any defense in the NFL. Fantasy managers in playoff leagues may find Thomas Jr. tough to trust given his difficult matchup and diminished role in Jacksonville.