Antonio Brown Fantasy: How Often WR Reportedly Will Play In Bucs Debut

Don't hesitate to put Antonio Brown in your fantasy football lineups this week.

The star receiver, who hasn't played since September 2019, will make his Buccaneers debut Sunday night when Tampa Bay hosts the New Orleans Saints. According to CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora, Bucs quarterback Tom Brady plans to get Brown involved right away.

From his column published Sunday:

There is a strong sense among many in that organization that Brady will be featuring the former All Pro "early and often" against the Saints this weekend. Brady is uniquely invested in Brown's production, as the driving force behind his signing there, and has personally vouched for the oft-troubled player's behavior as well, sources said, vowing to keep a close eye on him as he lives in Brady's guest house.

Brown's issues are long and well documented but he shined in one game with Brady in New England last year and Brady has wanted to reunite with him since. Several sources indicated they anticipate Brown being featured frequently when he gets on the field with Brady looking to establish him in that offense.

"He's going to be involved early, bank on it," a source told La Canfora. "BA (Coach Bruce Arians) might have a pitch count in mind, but we'll see how that goes."

So, what should fantasy owners do with Brown?

Despite the optimism of people in the know, it probably still would be wise to temper expectations. It's hard to envision a monster performance from a player who's been out of action for over a year.

However, we wouldn't hesitate to slot Brown in as a FLEX. We even could justify a WR2 start for fantasy managers with receivers either injured or on a bye.