Will the Eagles be without wide receiver A.J. Brown against Buccaneers?

Game status: A.J. Brown is INACTIVE for Week 4 vs. the Bucs.

After injuring his hamstring back in Week 1, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown will be looking to make his return on Sunday. Brown injured his hamstring in practice prior to Week 2 and has not played since. With a big game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4, Brown returning to the lineup would provide a huge boost to the Eagles offense.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Brown is officially being listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers. For the first time since injuring his hamstring back on September 13 preparing for Week 2, Brown was able to practice in a limited capacity. While he was unable to practice fully, testing the hamstring the practice before a game is a positive sign. Now, it will depend on how Brown’s hamstring responds and if he feels good heading into the game on Sunday.

While Brown would certainly provide a boost to the offense, hamstring injuries have been proven to linger throughout a season. It’s possible that the Eagles could play it safe with Brown as they have their bye next week. This would give their star wide receiver an extra week to ensure that his hamstring is 100 percent.

Brown started the season as many would have expected in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers. He had five receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown, finishing the week as the WR7. However, Brown has been unable to play since and the Eagles offense hasn’t been the same without the wide receiver in the lineup. Philadelphia lost without Brown to the Atlanta Falcons and then snuck out a win against the New Orleans Saints last week, scoring just 15 points.

The added twist here is that the Eagles will also be without wide receiver DeVonta Smith on Sunday as he is recovers from a concussion. If Brown is unable to go in Week 4, the Eagles would be down their top two wide receivers. That would make Jahan Dotson and Johnny Wilson the starters at wide receiver.

Prior to the beginning of the season, the Eagles traded for Dotson, a former first-round pick, from the Washington Commanders. This would be a huge opportunity for the wide receiver out of Penn State.

Still, it’s hard to know if Dotson would have any fantasy relevance. When Smith left the game last week, Hurts leaned heavily on tight end Dallas Goedart. Goedart finished with 10 receptions for 170-yards. That would likely be the case against the Buccaneers as well.

The Eagles also seemed to find something last week with running back Saquon Barkley. Barkley scored on a 65-yard touchdown run against the Saints and had 17 carries for 147 yards. Without their top two wide receivers, the Eagles could rely heavily on Barkley and Jalen Hurts in the game. In last week’s loss to the Denver Broncos, the Buccaneers allowed running back Tyler Badie to rush for 70 yards on nine carries. Quarterback Bo Nix also had 47 rushing yards.

When Brown has missed time in the past, the Eagles offense hasn’t been the same and Hurts has struggled to develop chemistry with his other receivers. If there are two Eagles players to start this week, they are Goedart and Barkley.