{"id":70219,"date":"2019-08-10T08:20:16","date_gmt":"2019-08-10T12:20:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/?p=70219"},"modified":"2019-08-13T06:46:28","modified_gmt":"2019-08-13T10:46:28","slug":"antonio-brown-fantasy-football-outlook-helmet-foot-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2019\/08\/10\/antonio-brown-fantasy-football-outlook-helmet-foot-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Antonio Brown Fantasy Football Outlook After Helmet, Foot News"},"content":{"rendered":"

The NFL\u2019s strangest wide receiver has outdone himself this time. After dealing with an entire off-season of weird Antonio Brown<\/a><\/strong> news, the star wideout is at it again. Since the start of training camp, news broke that Brown has frostbite on his feet after a mishap with a cryotherapy session and he might retire if he can\u2019t wear his old helmet. Brown always came with his share of off-field issues, but he\u2019s always been one of the most dependable wideouts in terms of on-field production. Brown\u2019s draft stock is falling across every platform \u2013 is this the time to buy low on Antonio Brown in fantasy, or should you stay away from the newest Raider?<\/p>\n

Fantasy Football Draft Headquarters<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Antonio Brown Fantasy Football Outlook<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Latest News<\/h3>\n

In case you\u2019ve been living under a rock, Antonio Brown is making all the wrong news in training camp. First off, the wide receiver posted an image of his frostbitten feet (it\u2019s disgusting, I\u2019m not linking it) and isn’t practicing at training camp. Additionally, Brown is currently in a battle<\/a> with the NFL over the use of his old helmet. For whatever reason, Brown loves this helmet and said he\u2019d retire if he cannot wear it. As if all that wasn\u2019t enough, some reports indicate that the Raiders themselves don\u2019t know what Brown\u2019s doing. WPXI\u2019s Chase Williams<\/strong> reported that Brown has gone \u201cradio silent\u201d on the Raiders organization, although Raiders beat reporters have yet to confirm this report.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start by breaking down the foot injury. The circumstances behind Brown\u2019s frostbitten feet are certainly strange, but he\u2019s not the first athlete to undergo something like this. Back in 2011, US Olympic sprinter Justin Gatlin<\/strong> suffered a similar injury<\/a> and said it took him \u201cmonths\u201d to reach full strength. Gatlin added that his foot looked similar to Brown\u2019s, so it\u2019s safe to assume a similar recovery time for Brown. This means he\u2019s likely missing regular season time in the upcoming season.<\/p>\n

This alone is a huge red flag, but Brown is also threatening retirement over his helmet. Normally, you\u2019d just assume this was a bluff, as no sane person would turn down tens of millions of dollars over a helmet. However, this is Antonio Brown we\u2019re talking about. Logic doesn\u2019t apply to this man, so he\u2019s probably serious. As of this posting, nobody definitively knows why Brown is so attached to the helmet. However, this helmet clearly means a lot to him, and there\u2019s a very real chance he won\u2019t be playing if the NFL won\u2019t let him use his old helmet.<\/p>\n

Update: he’s not retiring<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

On-Field Reasons for Worry<\/h3>\n

Brown\u2019s off-field problems are legitimately worrisome, but there are on-field factors which should also give you pause. For one, Brown is joining a new team with a downgrade at quarterback. Say what you will about Ben Roethlisberger<\/a>, <\/strong>but he\u2019s a significantly better quarterback than Derek Carr<\/a><\/strong>. Roethlisberger led the league in passing attempts last season, and Carr won\u2019t be doing that in 2019. The longer Brown sits out, the less time he\u2019ll have to develop a rapport with his new quarterback.<\/p>\n

Even if Carr could feed Brown at the same rate as Roethlisberger, there are plenty of reasons to believe he\u2019ll regress in 2019. Brown finished as the WR4 in half-point scoring last season, but nothing about his success was sustainable. He was one of the most inefficient receivers in football, posting an 88 passer rating and 49% success rate when targeted. Brown owed his entire success to a ridiculously high target count and a career-high 15 touchdowns. Both the targets and touchdowns will go down in 2019, meaning that he\u2019s due for his worst season in quite some time.<\/p>\n

Normally, buying low on a talented player is a good way to win your fantasy football leagues. However, this is the exception to the rule. All of Brown\u2019s red flags are very real, and you should stay away at all costs. Both on and off the field, all signs point towards Brown not being worth the gamble in 2019. Unless he falls into the late rounds, you\u2019re better off drafting somewhere else.<\/p>\n

Fantasy Football Draft Headquarters<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Main photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>