Antonio Brown's Updated Fantasy Outlook After Bucs' Week 1 Game vs. Cowboys

Antonio Brown might be about to have a monster season. 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout got off to a fast start with five receptions for 121 yards and a touchdown during Thursday's season-opening 31-29 win over the Dallas Cowboys. He was targeted seven times. 

That could make him one of the best values in fantasy this year. In ESPN leagues, AB had an average draft position of 112.4. And he looks like he could be a legitimate WR2. 

The argument against Brown was that he's 33 and the Buccaneers have two excellent wideouts on the depth chart in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Many people assumed that Brown would be the third option. 

But there are a few clues to suggest that a bigger role is in the cards. For one, it was Brady who advocated for the Bucs to sign Brown last season. He clearly believes in AB as a player. 

Brown also is the type of player Brady likes. He runs excellent routes, is fast out of his breaks and can hurt teams after the catch. Imagine a far more talented and versatile version of Julian Edelman, and you get the idea. 

And the two have a natural chemistry. In nine games together between the New England Patriots in 2019 and the Bucs last year, Brown has caught 49 passes for 539 yards and five touchdowns. 

If you translate that per-game production to a 17-game season, you get 92 receptions for 1,018 yards and nine touchdowns. Break it down further, and you're looking at 13.5 fantasy points per game in PPR formats with that level of production. 

Obviously you don't want to overreact after one game. Evans (70 catches for 1,006 yards and 13 touchdowns last year) and Godwin (65 catches for 840 yards and seven scores in just 12 games last season) are going to get theirs. 

And Brown is 33. Injuries are always a concern as players age, and he hasn't played a full season since 2018.

But you have to consider Brown a viable option for your flex spot each week. It seems clear he's going to have a sizeable role in Tampa's offense.