For a long time this week, it looked as though Christian Watson would not be playing in Week 17. However, fans of the Green Bay Packers and fantasy football managers will have been delighted to see Watson back at practice Friday and listed as questionable.
The question now is whether Watson will be able to play in Week 17 against the Minnesota Vikings, and if he does, can fantasy managers trust him in their lineups?
Update: Watson is active in Week 17.
Is Christian Watson Playing Today?
Since Watson returned to practice on Friday, it was always shaping towards him being a game-time decision for Week 17. We got confirmation that Watson is considered a true game-time decision on Sunday from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Watson was only able to practice once this week. Even then, that was only in a limited fashion on Friday.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network provided more context to the situation with Watson. He added that Watson will work out ahead of the game to determine his availability. The reason for this is that Watson reportedly did not take a single full-speed rep in practice this week.
This now leaves fantasy managers in a really tricky situation for Week 17. The Packers’ game against the Vikings is a 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff, so we likely not find out for sure about Watson’s status until after the first slate of games begins on Sunday. If Watson then ends up being active, fantasy managers would have a much-reduced pool of options to consider this week.
Even if we knew Watson was going to be active going into Sunday, there would be some questions about starting him. The reason for that is the chance of Watson aggravating the injury. Hip injuries can be tricky, especially with receivers needing to lay out to make catches at times. If you start Watson and he aggravates the injury early, it could leave a huge hole in your fantasy lineup.
MORE: Top Week 17 Start/Sit Recommended Plays
However, he has also been a superb fantasy producer recently. While Watson has only managed 7.25 fantasy points per game in half-PPR scoring over the last two weeks, he had been a dominant force before that. In the previous four weeks, he averaged 22.9 fantasy points with 78.25 yards and 1.75 touchdowns per game in that stretch.
Therefore, the decision for fantasy managers will really rest on what else they have on their roster. If you have solid bench options that are set to play in the 4 p.m. ET window or in the prime-time games, then you can run the risk of waiting for news on Watson. However, if all your prime starting options this week play in the 1 p.m. ET window, then you either have to look to use options or consider adding a later window option on the waiver wire.
Before you make your decision, be sure to check out the Week 17 WR fantasy rankings and Week 17 Flex rankings from PFN’s Senior Fantasy Analyst Tommy Garrett. He has Watson as his WR35 this week, reflecting the question marks he faces coming into the week. Therefore, you may find that you have other options on your roster that are a safer start this week than Watson.
If you are looking for a home-run hit option in the final rounds of deep Underdog Fantasy Best Ball drafts, Watson is intriguing. Although, the uncertainty over whether he will play in Week 17 means that outside of a deep, late-round, speculative shot, Watson is likely someone to fade this week.
