AJ Brown Headed to IR

The Patriots are placing AJ Brown on injured reserve with a high ankle sprain, sidelining him for at least four games after he went down in Wednesday's opener against Seattle. Sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter the IR move is coming. An MRI confirmed the sprain Thursday, and the earliest New England can get him back is Week 6 against the Jets.

That locks the floor after Thursday's four-week outlook. Brown caught three passes for 26 yards on four targets before Nehemiah Pritchett's knee landed on his ankle in the third quarter. Drake Maye threw three fourth-quarter interceptions after Brown left, and the Patriots blew the Super Bowl rematch.

Who New England misses next

Brown will miss the Sept. 20 home opener against the Steelers, then road games at Jacksonville (Sept. 27) and Buffalo (Oct. 4). The Raiders visit Oct. 11 before the Jets. New England traded a 2028 first and a 2027 fifth to Philadelphia for Brown this offseason. Losing him for a month is a gut punch for a Maye offense that just watched Romeo Doubs go catchless on three targets in the debut and Mack Hollins lead the remaining group with four catches for 51 yards.

Demario Douglas saw seven targets for 20 yards. Kyle Williams played only 12 snaps. Hunter Henry and rookie Eli Raridon (who scored the opener TD) suddenly sit higher in the target tree while TreVeyon Henderson nurses his own ankle. Efton Chism III was inactive for the opener and now becomes a candidate to dress once Brown hits IR and the roster needs another body.

Maye's next month

X-rays did not show a fracture, which is the one clean piece of news. High ankle sprains still eat weeks, and IR is the roster tool that buys New England a free practice-squad elevation while Brown heals. Mack Hollins already stepped into the primary role Wednesday after Brown left. He is a coach favorite as a blocker, but he has never been a true volume WR1, and Doubs needs a bounce-back after that debut.

Fantasy boards should park Brown until Week 6 at the earliest and bump Hollins, Douglas, Henry, and Rhamondre Stevenson for short-term volume. Patriots fans wanted Brown as the clear WR1. Instead they get an IR stamp, a thin room, and a brutal four-game stretch without the trade's centerpiece. The ankle decides when he returns. Until then, Maye has to cook without him.