Antonio Brown

Fantasy Upside
Antonio Brown had a strong impact for the Bucs last season despite joining a crowded receiving corps. He averaged 7.8 targets per game in the eight regular-season games he appeared in, and that includes three games where he played less than 50% of the offensive snaps. Brown turned those targets into production, finishing 45-483-4, or 11.8 fantasy points per game (half-PPR). He resigned with the Bucs and will now get a full season of production in a pass-happy offense led by Tom Brady.

Fantasy Downside
The obvious downside to Brown is his wildcard nature, which landed him with the Bucs in the first place. One wrong move and coach Bruce Arians has a short leash on the troubled receiver. Brown’s age (33) will also play a role as he’s facing the downturn of his career. Aside from that, Brown will be playing in a crowded offense featuring Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Rob Gronkowski. The Bucs also added Giovani Bernard, who could eat into some of those short passes Brown was reliant on in 2020.

2021 Bottom Line
Brown averaged more targets per game (7.8) than Godwin (7.0) and Evans (6.8) last season, which shows he played a bigger role than some might have realized. While we like Evans and Godwin more, there isn’t as big of a separation between the three as their ADPs might suggest. But while Brown sees high volume, his yardage isn’t quite there as he averaged a career-low (outside of his rookie season) 10.7 yards per catch. Brown is a solid late-round pick up in half or full PPR formats.