Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson’s fantasy football outlook in 2024 will hopefully prove to be more promising than his performances over the past two seasons.
There are a couple of solid fantasy team names you can use with his name, like “Watson Your Wallet?”
Whether you decide to use his name in your fantasy football team name or not, I’ll examine his value in 2024 and determine if he’s worth a draft pick.
Deshaun Watson’s Fantasy Profile for the 2024 NFL Season
Waiting on a quarterback can be a promising fantasy football strategy, and Watson, going as the QB22, could fit that mold. He’s also going No. 159 overall.
According to TruMedia, Watson completed 105 of 171 passes for 1,115 yards, seven touchdowns, and four interceptions in six games last season. He completed less than 60% of his passes on first and third down. He was most successful on second down, completing 66.7% of his passes for 421 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions.
Since joining the Browns, Watson has played in 12 games. He’s 8-4, and he’s completed 304 of 341 passes (59.8%) for 2,217 yards, 14 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.
He’s simply not been productive since before his off-field issues arose. He didn’t play in 2021.
Watson has an excellent cast around him, including Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy, David Njoku, and others. However, besides Jeudy, he had those guys and more in 2023 and still couldn’t perform.
Here were Watson’s weekly performances in 2023:
Week 1: QB5
Week 2: QB27
Week 3: QB10
Week 9: QB7
Week 10: QB14
In terms of average points scored per game, Watson was QB26, but he did have one game with -0.8 points, leaving early due to injury. There’s a lack of consistency in his performances.
The Browns have a Week 10 bye week.
Is Deshaun Watson a Good Fantasy Pick?
While he had some promising performances fantasy-wise in 2023, Watson is an inconsistent player. He hasn’t been good since arriving to the Browns.
The team did add Jeudy, and running back Nick Chubb will look to return from a brutal knee injury.
MORE: Fantasy League Names
It’s hard for me to recommend a player who has completed less than 60% of his passes since joining a team and whose performances seemingly hinge on random rushing production.
Oh yeah, Watson is coming off a shoulder injury that made him miss the majority of last season. He’ll start in the preseason finale, so we’ll see how he does there.
I could see taking Watson along with another later quarterback like Aaron Rodgers to use them in platoon roles, but Watson as your sole starting quarterback would be an aggravating experience.