Who Should I Start? A.J. Brown or Nico Collins
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14.8 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 4.9 | 70.0 | 0.5 |
A.J. Brown News
Thursday, July 30, 11:17 AM
New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown and quarterback Drake Maye struggled to get their connection going in the early days of training camp, with Maye going 4-for-9 with an interception when targeting Brown. However, in a padded practice on Thursday, the two started to turn things around, with Maye matching that production and hitting Brown four of five times, according to Mark Daniels of MassLive.com. One of Brown's catches came against star cornerback Christian Gonzalez, with another one coming against Charles Woods for a touchdown. Thursday's practice could be a sign of things to come for Brown and Maye as they begin to build their chemistry for the 2026 regular season. The Patriots suddenly have a pretty crowded WR room with Romeo Doubbs, Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, Kyle Williams, and Efton Chism, but after the Pats sent the Philadelphia Eagles a first-rounder, Brown should be the unquestioned alpha WR1 in New England. Brown showed signs of decline in 2025 in Philly's stagnant offense, averaging a career-low 12.9 yards per catch, but he also had his sixth 1,000-yard campaign. In what should be a more explosive Patriots' passing game, Brown should be considered a low-end WR1, at worst.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13.9 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 4.7 | 69.7 | 0.3 |
Nico Collins News
Tuesday, July 21, 8:49 AM
Houston Texans Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins was limited in organized team activities this spring, but he explained that he wasn't dealing with any injuries, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Sports. "Not at all, not at all. They did that. I listened to the coaches, listened to the GMs, saying yes sir. And they told me to be ready for camp, yes sir," Collins said. The 27-year-old former third-rounder in 2021 out of the University of Michigan has been a Pro Bowler in each of the last two years and has three straight 1,000-yard seasons under his belt, but he has yet to play a full season in his five years in the NFL due to injuries. He missed time last year with head injuries, and he missed five games in 2024 with a hamstring issue. When healthy, he's Houston's clear WR1 for QB C.J. Stroud, and he had 71 catches on 120 targets for 1,117 yards and six touchdowns in 15 regular-season games in 2025. Collins should continue to see a large target volume, but there remain questions about the Texans' offense as a whole, and both second-year wideouts Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel should have bigger roles in 2026. Collins should still be considered a WR1 in fantasy, he's on the lower end in RotoBaller's rankings in Tier 3.
A.J. Brown vs. Nico Collins
Still trying to decide between Brown and Collins? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that A.J. Brown is projected to score 14.8 points this week while Nico Collins is projected to score 13.9 points.
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