Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson has showcased elite fantasy football play at times, but he hasn’t been a consistent option since his days with the Houston Texans. With his ADP (average draft position) reflecting public pessimism, is now the time to invest in this uniquely gifted signal caller?
Should You Select Deshaun Watson at His Current ADP?
ADP: 157th Overall (QB21)
Both the potential and the downside are well known. Plenty of fantasy managers have been seduced by the athletic profile over the past few seasons and subsequently burned. Could that happen again?
Of course, it could, but it’s not going to sink your roster. Watson isn’t consistently being drafted in one-QB leagues, nor should he be. The position’s depth is as impressive as it has ever been, so there is no real need to take on this level of risk for an upside that, for all we know, is a thing of the past.
Having said all of that, what do you have to lose? I talked about my preferred QB sleepers earlier this summer, but what’s to stop those waiting to address the position from drafting Watson and New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr with their final two picks?
Your plan can be to start Watson from the jump and pivot to a high-floor option if need be. Carr faces the Atlanta Falcons when Watson goes on bye in Week 10, making him a viable option to hold down the fort should that be the only week you need him.
More importantly, this duo gives you some interesting options during the fantasy postseason. If the Browns are cruising with Watson, great … they are going to be asked to score plenty with a Kansas City Chiefs/Cincinnati Bengals/Miami Dolphins/Baltimore Ravens finishing stretch.
If you’re uneasy with handing the keys to the season to Watson at this point, the Saints get the New York Giants, Washington Commanders, Las Vegas Raiders, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the final month of the season (in addition to a Monday-nighter at Green Bay).
We are still four or more months away from that stretch, but I’d be tempted to think that at least one of Carr/Watson will be a viable option at the tail end of the season, and that’s a must-have if you’re punting the position this year.
Watson’s Fantasy Profile for the 2024 NFL Season
If the greatest ability is availability, Watson has been terrible of late. He holds the title as the only player in NFL history to throw for 4,800 yards and rush for 400 yards in a single season (he did so for the 2020 Texans), but in the three seasons since, he has appeared in just 12 total games.
Deshaun Watson to David Njoku and the Browns score the first TD in Pittsburgh!!!
🐶 👷🏻#NFL #ForDamar #CLEvsPIT#Browns #HereWeGo pic.twitter.com/CzPAqb5EB6— Sportskeeda Pro Football (@SKProFootball)
Health is rarely something that improves with time (Watson turns 29 in mid-September), but with him being midway through a near quarter-billion-dollar contract, I think it’s fair to say that the team will be aggressive in getting him on the field.
To a degree, the Browns have doubled down on their investment in Watson. They spent two of their first three picks in April’s draft to help this passing game (guard Zak Zinter out of Michigan and receiver Jamari Thrash from Louisville) and added Jerry Jeudy via a trade with the Denver Broncos.
Combine those pieces with the two-star pass-catchers already in place (Amari Cooper and David Njoku), not to mention the hopeful return of Nick Chubb, and we could be looking at an offense that sneaks into the top third of the AFC.
At this point, the argument in Watson’s favor is one focused on price point.
