The worst-kept secret in the NFL has finally come to fruition: A.J. Brown has been traded from the Philadelphia Eagles to the New England Patriots in exchange for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder.
Below is a breakdown of how the trade affects the key fantasy contributors on each team.
New England Patriots
A.J. Brown -- Business as usual
Brown was a heavily targeted No. 1 pass catcher in a good Eagles offense and the expectation is that he'll be the same with the reigning AFC champion Patriots. Brown has finished no lower than seventh among wide receivers in target share in each of the past seven seasons and he finished in the top 15 in fantasy points per game in each of his four seasons with the Eagles. His quarterback situation is a bit better, as Drake Maye paced the NFL in both completion rate (72%) and yards per attempt (8.9) last season (compared to 65% and 7.1 for Jalen Hurts). There's always a bit of uncertainty when a player changes teams, but Brown is in his prime at 29 years old and well positioned for another run at a WR1 fantasy campaign.
Brown's 2026 projection: 130 targets, 86 receptions, 1,216 yards, 7 TDs
Drake Maye -- Slight upgrade
Maye finished last season second among quarterbacks in fantasy points per game and he tied top scorer Josh Allen with a position-best 10 top-10 fantasy weeks. Maye also finished in the top five among quarterbacks in completions, passing yards, passing TDs, carries and rushing yards. That said, it's hard to expect much more from Maye, though the addition of Brown certainly could help make another leap. The 24-year-old's schedule will be a bit tougher this season, but he has elite passing upside and is also a high-end contributor with his legs (league-high 62 scrambles last season). Maye is a top-five fantasy quarterback with elite upside.
Maye's 2026 projection: 355-of-520, 4,094 yards, 27 TDs, 11 INTs;
101 carries, 532 yards, 4 TDs
Romeo Doubs and other Patriots pass catchers - Downgrade
With Brown likely to demand at least one-quarter of New England's targets, the rest of the team's pass catchers will naturally take a big hit. That includes newcomer Doubs, who remains ticketed for an every-down role but now may struggle to achieve his first top-30 finish in targets, catches, yards or fantasy points. He's worth consideration only in the later stages of your draft.
The likes of Kayshon Boutte, DeMario Douglas, Mack Hollins and Kyle Williams were already mostly irrelevant in fantasy in 2025, so with Brown and Doubs now atop the depth chart, that group is well off the draft radar. Meanwhile, Hunter Henry hasn't finished in the top 12 among tight ends in fantasy PPG since 2020. While he'll remain a reliable secondary option for Maye, he's likely headed for a dip in targets and should be viewed as no more than a midrange TE2.
Doubs' 2026 projection: 88 targets, 60 receptions, 763 yards, 6 TDs
Philadelphia Eagles
DeVonta Smith -- Moderate upgrade
With so many eyes on Brown, Smith -- a former Heisman Trophy winner -- has flown under the radar in recent years. That will change this season. Smith is the Eagles' clear top receiver for the first time since his rookie season. His target share has been pretty respectable throughout his career (22% to 29% all five seasons), so we should expect only a mild increase in that department. Of course, if we add that to a bit of a boost in scoring (he had four TDs in 2025 after seven-plus the prior three seasons), Smith will have a good shot to improve from consistent WR2/3 production (he's finished between 14th and 29th in fantasy PPG each of the past four seasons) to fringe-WR1 output.
Smith's 2026 projection: 128 targets, 90 receptions, 1,127 yards, 6 TDs
Makai Lemon -- Big upgrade
Had Brown shockingly stayed in Philadelphia, Lemon would have been in for a de facto redshirt rookie season. With Brown gone, the No. 20 pick in April's draft has a shot for a full-time role in a good Eagles offense. The undersized slot man isn't going to come close to Brown's 26% target share, but he could push for 20%, which would place him in the weekly WR3/flex discussion. Lemon will first have to fend off newcomers Dontayvion Wicks and Hollywood Brown for the No. 2 gig, so while there's certainly some risk of short-term irrelevance here, Lemon has enough upside to warrant draft consideration in the middle rounds. Wicks and Brown will see additional work, but neither is likely to emerge as a consistent fantasy starter unless one beats out Lemon.
Lemon's 2026 projection: 98 targets, 62 receptions, 883 yards, 5 TDs
Jalen Hurts -- Slight downgrade
Hurts is a tricky evaluation, as he's coming off a season in which he tossed a career-high 25 touchdowns but fell to eighth in fantasy PPG (after three straight top-five seasons) due to a big dip in rushing production. Brown's departure could very well lead to a dip in passing production, so Hurts would need to offset that by rushing more often. That appears unlikely to happen considering that, while his scramble rate didn't change much, Hurts saw a massive drop in designed rushing attempts last season -- something that may not change with Sean Mannion now calling the plays. Hurts did still finish second among quarterbacks in carries last season, so while he may not have quite the fantasy upside he had in years past, his supporting cast is still strong. He remains a midrange fantasy QB1.
Hurts' 2026 projection: 328-of-499, 3,780 yards, 24 TDs, 9 INTs;
106 carries, 438 yards, 9 TDs