Marquise Brown

The NFL season kicks in under one week, as the Baltimore Ravens are set to take on the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, and Andy Reid has clarified the status of Samaje Perine, Juju Smith-Schuster, Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Hollywood Brown. Both Perine and Smith-Schuster are recent additions with Perine being claimed off of waivers from the Denver Broncos and Smith-Schuster signing off the street earlier this week, but they are both acclimated and available to take snaps in needed on Thursday against the Ravens. Unfortunately for Hollywood Brown, the shoulder injury he suffered week one of the preseason will keep him out of week one of the regular season. Clyde Edwards-Helaire was placed on the NFI list and will miss at least the first four games to start the season.

Perine projects to compete for back up running back touches with Carson Steele, but the veteran has a lot of experience in both catching out of the backfield and pass protection. It’s entirely possible Perine carves out a role similar to what Jerick McKinnon used to bring the team ,but don’t count on that right out of the gate. As for Smith-Schuster, his familiarity with the offense is a plus as far as getting him up to speed goes, but still don’t expect his snap counts to be substantial unless the Chiefs receivers get decimated by injuries.

Brown suffered a dislocated sternoclavicular shoulder joint in the Chiefs week one preseason game and was originally slated to miss 4-6 weeks. The Chiefs opening game comes just shy of four weeks from the initial injury so his lack of availability at the moment should come as no surprise. Weeks two and three however become interesting and will be worth monitoring. Luckily for Brown and the Chiefs, they get 10 days to rest up for their week two game. Brown’s absence gives an immediate boost to Travis Kelce and Rashee Rice as both have chemistry already built with Patrick Mahomes and he can lean on both as Xavier Worthy grows and Holloywood Brown works his way back.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquise Brown suffered a significant shoulder injury on the first play of the Chiefs’ preseason. The dislocation was dangerously close to critical blood vessels, which forced an immediate hospital trip. Given the severity and the fact that Tyreek Hill missed four games with a similar injury, Brown’s availability for the regular season opener is in serious doubt.

This setback significantly impacts the Chiefs’ high-powered offense, though Rashee Rice and rookie Xavier Worthy are poised to step up. Worthy, in particular, stands to benefit from increased targets, especially on deep passes. Fantasy football managers should expect Brown’s ADP to plummet as his recovery timeline opens the door for Rice and Worthy to build chemistry with Patrick Mahomes.

Hollywood Brown has long been considered a highly valuable asset in dynasty leagues. He amassed over 1,000 receiving yards in 2021 and is still only 27 years old. While he has experienced fluctuations in performance over the past few years, he has consistently been productive when healthy and supported by solid quarterback play.

Now in a prime situation, Brown has signed a one-year deal worth up to $11 million to play with Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes has recently praised Brown as a complete wide receiver, not just a speedster. Brown’s ability to command a solid contract in free agency, his ideal landing spot, and the potential for a lucrative long-term deal if he performs well this year make him an intriguing dynasty asset entering the prime of his career. Fantasy managers aiming to win now and willing to accept some risk for high reward should consider targeting Brown in dynasty leagues.