Week 16 at Detroit Lions
Antonio Brown had his most productive game as a Buccaneer last week, finishing 5-93-1 on seven targets. It set a season-high in receiving yards for AB, and it was his first touchdown of the season. The interesting part is the fact Brown only played on 47% of the offensive snaps. It's the third time this season he's played below 50% of the snaps, but he's remained productive practically in every game. Expect another solid game from Brown this week in a favorable matchup against the Lions (No. 23 aFPA). We like Brown as a strong WR3 play in Week 16.
Week 15 at Atlanta Falcons
Antonio Brown finished 5-59 on five targets last week. His five receptions led the team as the Bucs went with a run-heavy approach. With a favorable matchup against the Falcons, we'd expect the Bucs to return to a pass-heavy approach this week. Brown has averaged 6.8 targets in his five games with the Bucs, which is pretty solid considering how many weapons the Bucs have on offense. Expect a similar catch-heavy game from Brown in Week 15. He'll be a lower-end WR2, or a strong WR3 play in Week 15 against a Falcons defense allowing the second-most receiving yards to WRs this season.
Week 14 vs. Minnesota Vikings
Antonio Brown was the odd man out in the Bucs' last game, finishing 2-11 on just three targets. The week before, Brown saw a team-high 13 targets. Despite the low production, Brown actually played quite a bit (73%), more than he had played in the Bucs' previous two games. With so many weapons in this offense, dud games are bound to happen here and there. Overall, Brown is still a solid play as a high-end WR3 in PPR and more in the WR4 range in standard. He gets a somewhat favorable matchup against the Vikings (No. 20 aFPA) this week. Brown's stock could rise if Mike Evans (hamstring) misses time.
Week 12 vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Antonio Brown led the team in targets last week with 13. He had a reception-heavy game, finishing with eight receptions for 57 yards. He was the only receiver of the main three without a touchdown. It's interesting to note Brown saw so many targets in a tough matchup as the Bucs get another tough matchup against the Chiefs this week. The Rams are No. 1 in fewest yards allowed to WRs this year, and the Chiefs are No. 2. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Bucs throw often to Brown again, especially in a game that could see a lot of points with two high-powered offense. We like Brown as a mid-tier WR2 in PPR formats and more of a WR3 in standard.
Week 11 vs. Los Angeles Rams
Antonio Brown played on fewer snaps (from 78% to 49%) in his second game, but was more productive overall, seeing season highs in targets (8), receptions (7) and yards (69, nice). He also received a rushing attempt, but it went for negative three yards. Brown's eight targets show he's a featured member of this offense, even if he's not in every play. However, Brown may struggle to find production this week against the Rams. The Rams have allowed the fewest total receiving yards to WRs, and the fewest touchdowns (4). Godwin is in the WR2 range for Week 11. Brown should be viewed as a WR3 in Week 11.
Week 10 at Carolina Panthers
Antonio Brown made his debut for the Bucs last week, and played a healthy 78% of the offensive snaps. Brown finished with five targets, catching three passes for 31 yards. As expected, Brown has emerged as the No. 3 WR behind Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. However, he'll also be fighting with Leonard Fournette and Rob Gronkowski (who each had six targets) for shares of the football. Brown is certainly worth a roster spot, but he's not much more than a low-end WR3 play this week against the Panthers.
Week 9 vs. New Orleans Saints
Antonio Brown makes his NFL return this week as a member of the Bucs. A lot of his value will ride on whether or not Chris Godwin (finger) plays. If Godwin is inactive, then Brown will likely pick up that reception-heavy role. If Godwin does play, then it's a wait-and-see approach to see how Brown, Godwin, Mike Evans and Gronk all play together. Even if Godwin is active, we've all seen what Brown can do. He's a talented player with a good quarterback in a good offense. We like Brown as a strong WR3 this week in a favorable matchup against the Saints. We're projecting around 60 yards for AB in Week 9.
Week 3 vs New York Jets
It didn't take long for Antonio Brown to see valuable targets in his Patriots debut, as he was the target for Tom Brady's first three passes of the game. Brown was used in a variety of ways, but with an aDOT of 11.5, his primary usage was in the intermediate range downfield. He was targeted five times in the red zone, which he turned into 28 yards and a score. He's now tied for third among all receivers in red-zone targets through two weeks despite playing in only one game.
Brown was still being implemented into the offense in Week 2, playing in only 24 of New England's 72 total snaps, and that snap share will almost certainly increase in Week 3. The Jets have allowed the 10th-most 0.5 PPR fantasy points per game to wide receivers, while Brown's 0.67 PPR points per snap were the highest among all offensive Patriots players in Week 2. He may not yet see enough target volume on Sunday to make him a no-doubt WR1, but he's a must-start as a WR2 with a good shot at WR1 numbers if his snap share increases faster than expected.
Week 2 at Miami Dolphins
Antonio Brown was assigned number 17 at practice today in New England, making him an official member of the roster, and it appears that he'll be suiting up on Sunday. Brown isn't likely to jump into his first game with the Patriots in Week 2 and immediately command target volume commensurate with other top-end fantasy WR1s. The Patriots offense is notoriously difficult for wide receivers to master, and with only a few days of practice, Brown's usage may be more basic than it will be further along in the season. Brown also likely won't be the target vacuum that he was in Pittsburgh due to the depth of New England's offense and Tom Brady's tendency to spread the ball around.
That being said, Brown is one of the most talented wide receivers in NFL history, so valuable fantasy production from him in his Week 2 matchup against Miami is probably still in the cards. He's startable as a top-24 wide receiver with serious touchdown upside against a poor Miami secondary.
Week 1 vs. Denver Broncos
The sky is falling for Antonio Brown. First the frostbite on his feet, then the helmet issue and now an altercation with Raiders GM Mike Mayock. There is a lot of speculation in Oakland but right now we know Antonio Brown is not expected to play against the Broncos in Week one, per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.
