Who Should I Start? A.J. Brown or Ricky Pearsall

Monday, February 10, 12:36 AM

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown caught three of his five targets for 43 yards during Sunday's Super Bowl win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Brown had a quieter start to the playoffs, but he eventually came on strong with nine catches, 139 yards, and two touchdowns over his final two contests. The 27-year-old has shown an ability to produce in a crowded offense, compiling 1,079 yards and seven touchdowns in the regular season despite fighting to earn opportunities over stars like Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert. There are certainly many mouths to feed in Philadelphia, but Brown has shown that he can be the primary receiving option en route to ranking as a strong WR1 for fantasy purposes.

Thursday, May 29, 6:04 PM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (hamstring) is dealing with a hamstring injury and likely won't return to practice until training camp at the end of July, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan. It doesn't sound like it's a serious injury for Pearsall, the but Niners won't take any chances with last year's first-rounder after he also dealt with hammy issues going into his rookie season in 2024. The 24-year-old pass-catcher then suffered a gunshot wound to his chest and didn't make his NFL debut until Week 7. He's expected to have a key role in the offense in his sophomore season with Deebo Samuel Sr. no longer in town and Brandon Aiyuk (knee) unlikely to be ready for the start of the season, but Pearsall is going to lose valuable reps this offseason to gain chemistry with quarterback Brock Purdy. Pearsall could still be ready for Week 1, but this news doesn't do anything to dispel the notion that Pearsall is injury-prone.