Maye and A.J. Brown Click in Pads as Patriots Camp Heats Up
After four flat practices, Drake Maye hit A.J. Brown on a 40-plus-yard shot and multiple red-zone scores once the pads came on.
WR11 in a rising offense with a QB feeding him targets — window closing.
- Brown: 78 rec, 1003 yds, 7 TD in 2025 (220 PPR)
- Maye: 31 pass TD, 4394 yds, 354 PPR in 2025
- Maye 4-of-5 to Brown in Thursday red-zone work
- 40+ yard Maye-to-Brown deep ball on Friday
- Brown acquired via trade June 1
It took four training camp practices for Drake Maye and A.J. Brown to find each other, and then it took roughly one day in pads for the whole thing to snap into place. On Thursday in high red-zone work, Maye went 4-of-5 targeting Brown, including a pair of would-be touchdowns on slants. It was the first real sign that a duo assembled by a June 1 trade might be worth the buy-in.
Friday sealed it. Maye's first full-team throw of the day was a deep shot down the right sideline that Brown reeled in for a gain of more than 40 yards, beating Christian Gonzalez on a double move. Maye then hit Brown on back-to-back completions in the low red zone. For a receiver who posted 78 catches, 1,003 yards and 7 touchdowns (220 PPR points) in 2025, that's the exact usage profile fantasy managers want to see reported out of camp.
Maye made it clear he's not going to overthink this. He said he won't shy away from Brown, that he'll keep feeding him whether it's the first play or the fifth in a row, because of what Brown can do with the ball in his hands. Quarterbacks say versions of this every August, but the tape from padded work backs it up.
Why the Chemistry Matters
Maye credited the off-field relationship the two have built since Brown arrived, going over old routes and the looks Brown likes to run. That kind of detail work is what separates a receiver who gets fed from one who gets forgotten. Maye's own arrow is pointing up regardless: he threw for 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns against just 8 picks last season, adding 450 rushing yards, and finished as our QB3 with 354 PPR points.
Friday wasn't just the Brown show, either. Maye found Hunter Henry, DeMario Douglas and Mack Hollins for touchdowns and connected downfield with Eli Raridon, Romeo Doubs and Kayshon Boutte. Henry (60-768-7, our TE9) and Douglas (our WR63) both live off this passing game, so a Maye who rarely lets the ball hit the ground is good news across the depth chart.
The Fantasy Takeaway
Brown sits at WR11 in our rankings (No. 47 overall) with his form trending up — the last five games of 2025 ran +4 fantasy points above his season average. If a manager in your league still sees Brown as a risky new-team acquisition, that's your opening: buy low now before this camp chemistry becomes the consensus narrative. Maye and Henry are holds at their current values, and Douglas stays a bench-depth flier until the target share firms up.
