Coming into this NFL season, you knew what risk you were taking when selecting the Eagles WR duo. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith have struggled to consistently produce in this Eagles offense since the addition of Saquon Barkley.
Philadelphia has no desire to open up the offense as long as they are winning. You can't necessarily blame them, but it is frustrating to watch a team with such immense talent be so uncreative on offense.
This season has started far worse than we could have anticipated. Both options have fantasy managers scratching their heads and wondering what to do.
Week 5 Fantasy Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | D/ST | PK
Should you trade A.J. Brown in fantasy leagues?
This might not be timely advice, but you should have traded Brown after Week 3. This week, Brown was targeted 10 times and caught 6 of them for 109 yards and a touchdown. He finished as the WR4 overall and had the highest value.
In the other 3 weeks, Brown has finished as the WR101, WR67, and WR94. The only silver lining is the fact that after his 1 target on opening night, Brown was targeted 8 times in Week 3 and 9 times in Week 4. However, these were not good targets.
All 9 of AJ Brown’s targets yesterday:
— Philadelphia Eagles Central (@pheaglescentral) September 29, 2025
What do you notice? pic.twitter.com/OUM1EiLYYm
At this point, it's going to be tough to find someone who even wants Brown. It's not like he's been bad; he's been atrocious for fantasy football. Brown is the WR44 overall going into Week 5; he's behind players such as JuJu Smith-Schuster and KaVontae Turpin.
If you can trade Brown for a decent return, then absolutely do it. However, I'd advise holding for another decent performance from Brown and then try to sell high.
FANTASY LINEUP TIPS: Week 5 Start-Sit | Week 5 Sleepers | Week 5 Busts | Week 5 Waiver Wire
Should you trade DeVonta Smith in fantasy leagues?
Heading into Week 5, Smith is the WR39 overall, so a bit better than Brown. There's also not as much panic because you drafted Smith three rounds after Brown.
Smith has had virtually the same sort of season as Brown. Smith's best fantasy performance also came in Week 3. With 8 targets, Smith had 8 receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown. He finished as the WR9 overall.
However, the following week, he finished as the WR70 overall.
The inconsistency plagues Smith just like it does Brown. The difference is that Brown's name carries more weight in trades.
Similar to Brown, I'd hold Smith until he pieces together a few competent fantasy outings. Then, you sell high and hopefully get a good package back.
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