A.J. Brown's Fantasy Outlook, Top Waiver-Wire WRs After Patriots Reportedly Place WR on IR

New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown has been placed on injured reserve after suffering a high-ankle sprain last Wednesday against the Seattle Seahawks, meaning he will miss at least the next four games.

From a fantasy football perspective, here's a look at some potential waiver wire additions for players who need to add a wideout to their roster ahead of Week 2.

Cleveland Browns WR Denzel Boston (34 percent availability in leagues, per Fantasy Pros )

Houston Texans WR Kayshon Boutte (21.1 percent)

Indianapolis Colts WR Keenan Allen (27.0 percent)

Las Vegas Raiders WR Jalen Nailor (23.1 percent)

Las Vegas Raiders WR Tre Tucker (33.2 percent)

The key trend for the five listed players is that they should have target opportunities right out of the gate.

Cleveland Browns wideout Denzel Boston, a second-round pick in this year's draft, is listed as a starter on the depth chart . Although there's reason to be pessimistic about the Cleveland offense with Deshaun Watson, who has struggled during his Brown tenure as QB1, the table is still set for Boston to be featured in the passing game.

The 6'4", 215-pound wideout presents a massive target, as he did for Washington, where he amassed 20 receiving touchdowns over 2024 and 2025.

Houston Texans wideout Kayshon Boutte is aboard via trade from the New England Patriots after Jayden Higgins suffered a season-ending ACL tear. There's a path for Boutte to be the Texans' No. 2 wide receiver behind star wideout Nico Collins, and if so, he can see a good amount of targets. Boutte had 33 catches for 551 yards and six scores on 46 targets last year.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Keenan Allen signed with the team on a one-year deal in August. He'll be one of the team's starting wideouts alongside Josh Downs and Alec Pierce. Allen had 81 catches for 777 yards and four touchdowns last season for the Los Angeles Chargers, and it's conceivable he can be a great safety blanket for quarterback Daniel Jones.

It's not entirely clear who the Las Vegas Raiders' top wideout will be this year, although tight end Brock Bowers should be the No. 1 target. Bowers is out for a "game or two" with a meniscus trim but figures to be back soon enough.

Still, a Raider wideout can step up. Tre Tucker had 57 catches for 696 yards and five touchdowns last year. Jalen Nailor had 29 catches for 444 yards and four scores on just 53 targets with the Minnesota Vikings. It's certainly possible he'll get more looks in Vegas.