Injuries continue to rear their ugly head across the NFL. No team is aware of that imposition more than the Eagles, who find themselves down not one but two Grade-A pass-catchers three weeks into the season.
A.J Brown has been unable to participate thus far in the regular season, felled by a hamstring issue he suffered ahead of Philadelphia's season opener against the Packers in São Paulo, Brazil.
He appeared on the precipice of returning to the field in Week 4, even garnering a momentary upgrade on his injury status in the days leading up to Philly's clash with the Buccaneers on Sunday night.
Here's what you need to know about Brown's injury status for the Eagles' matchup with the Bucs in Tampa Bay.
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Will A.J. Brown play this week?
Brown's status for the Eagles' Sunday afternoon clash with Tampa Bay appeared to be up in the air, particularly after he was listed as questionable on Friday afternoon. That designation appeared to open the door to a potential return to the field after Brown missed out on Philadelphia's first three contests due to a hamstring ailment.
Friday's announcement, though, proved something of a smokescreen. On Saturday, Philly downgraded Brown to out, ensuring that he'll miss out for a fourth time this season. The team listed Brown as inactive on Sunday's final report, guaranteeing Brown won't suit up against the Buccaneers.
There were a lot of things to consider to determine whether Brown will or won't make the grade for Sunday afternoon. The Eagles would certainly welcome his services if he was fully fit, especially with surrogate No. 1 wideout DeVonta Smith slated to miss out on the action with a concussion.
But the hamstring is a notoriously fickle muscle. If Brown were to re-aggravate his injury in any sort of way, he would likely face an even lengthier spell on the sidelines.
With a bye week on the horizon, it seems that the prospect of Brown having another two weeks of unimpeded recovery was too enticing for the Eagles to pass up.
Eagles WR depth chart
With Brown and Smith missing out, Philadelphia will have to get creative when figuring out its receiving core Sunday.
Jahan Dotson is expected to move into the X on Sunday. The former first rounder arrived in the City of Brotherly Love via trade in the offseason and hasn't made much of an impact thus far, fielding just three passes for 14 yards in three appearances this season. He leads a motley crew of prospective pass-catchers the Eagles will enlist against Tampa. Johnny Wilson and Parris Campbell are also expected to play serious minutes in Brown and Smith's absence.
Here's a closer look at the depth chart:
| Rank | Player (injury status) |
| 1 | A.J. Brown (out) |
| 2 | DeVonta Smith (out) |
| 3 | Jahan Dotson |
| 4 | Britain Covey (IR) |
| 5 | Parris Campbell |
| 6 | Johnny Wilson |
No. 1: A.J. Brown
Brown will not play vs. Tampa Bay in Week 4, leaving Hurts without his top two wide receivers.
Brown has been dealing with a hamstring injury that's now left him out of three-straight games. However, when he's on the field, Brown is one of the NFL's top talents. In Week 1, he had 119 yards and a touchdown, and last season, he totaled 1,456 yards and seven touchdowns.
No. 2: DeVonta Smith
While Smith won't play in Week 4 against the Buccaneers, he's a model of consistency at his position when healthy.
In each of his first three games this season, Smith finished with exactly seven catches and at least 76 receiving yards. With he and Brown sidelined, Hurts will likely be turning toward RB Saquon Barkley and TE Dallas Goedert much more often, but he'll also be giving the Eagles' receiving depth pieces more opportunities.
No 3: Jahan Dotson
Dotson was a first-round pick of the Washington Commanders in the 2022 NFL Draft. He played in 29 games for Washington, but they decided to move on from him and traded him and a draft pick to Philadelphia for three draft picks. He's had big games in the past and should be a solid fill-in with more opportunities.
No. 4: Britain Covey
Covey will not play in Week 4 after being placed on IR by the Eagles after last week's win. He'll be getting surgery on his shoulder, which is estimated to keep him out around six weeks.
It's another unfortunate injury for Philadelphia's receiving room, especially after Covey started to step up over the past two weeks. Against the Falcons in Week 2, he had six catches for 23 yards.
With three of Hurts' top WR options — Brown, Smith and Covey — all out vs. the Buccaneers, the Eagles brought in some reinforcements.
No. 5: Parris Campbell
Campbell was a second-round pick by the Indianapolis Colts in 2019 out of Ohio State. He played out his rookie deal with the Colts and then signed with the New York Giants in 2023. After one season, Campbell signed another one-year deal with Philly, but he was cut and then added to the practice squad.
No. 6: Johnny Wilson
Wilson is a rookie that the Eagles drafted in the sixth round of this year's NFL draft. He played at Arizona State and Florida State in college. The 6-6 WR/TE hybrid hasn't had many opportunities, but he could be a red-zone weapon, if nothing else.
WEEK 4 FANTASY ROSTER MANAGEMENT ADVICE
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A.J. Brown fantasy football outlook
Brown was a top wide receiver in the 2024 fantasy football drafts. His average draft position was WR6, ninth overall in half-PPR scoring formats. Losing your likely first- or second-round pick is never a good thing for your roster. You may have decent depth at the position, but it isn't likely that you can slot in someone who will get the kind of points you'd expect from Brown. He's a hold (or buy low) until he gets back.
Smith gets a boost as the WR1 in the offense, but after that, it could be a week-to-week hot hand on the Eagles. Hurts likes to scramble, so he could target just whoever can get separation from the defense. If you had to go with someone from Philly, the next man up would likely be Dotson, but that will be a dice roll until Brown returns.
With injuries to Deebo Samuel, Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua (among other WRs), there should be some value on the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams. Los Angeles wide receiver Demarcus Robinson is rostered in 35.6 percent of ESPN leagues and has had at least four targets in each game so far this season. San Francisco's Jauan Jennings also has at least four targets in each game and is rostered in 80.3 percent of ESPN leagues, although that number is surging following Jennings' impressive 175-yard, three TD outburst against the Rams in Week 3.
