Getty Gallery: 6/11
No. 6 Deshaun of the Dead
This name has made its rounds, but it is too good to pass up. Deshaun Watson may be coming back from a serious injury, but that is not stopping fantasy owners from buying into his sophomore season. We are in an era where owners are waiting to draft quarterbacks, but that is not the case for Watson. According to Fantasy Pros, Watson is going off the board as the second quarterback in drafts trailing only Aaron Rodgers. Watson has an ADP of 39.2, which means he is going in the third round in most 12-team leagues. For as much as I like Watson, this is a steep price to pay for a second-year quarterback coming off an injury. This means he won't be on many of my redraft teams, but I can see why people are buying into Watson.
According to Fantasy Pros, Watson scored 30 or more fantasy points in three of his last four games before suffering a season-ending injury. Watson is lethal with his legs, giving you a few extra points each week thanks to his rushing stats. For those concerned about Watson's injury, it appears neither Watson or the Texans share this concern. Texans coach Bill O'Brien spoke with The Washington Post about what he has seen from Watson in his return.
“I’m very pleased with how he goes about his business every day,” O’Brien told The Washington Post. “He’s really attacked that rehab to put himself in position to be able to be out here and practice. I think having, unfortunately, done it before, he had a real good understanding of the timetable for the rehab to be able to be ready to practice. And he’s gone out here and been able to do everything we’ve asked him to do...I think we do a good job of monitoring his reps and guys are doing a good job of not getting near him on the pass rush and things like that. But he’s been full-go.”
If you want Watson on your team, it looks like you are going to have to draft him in the first four rounds. Given where other quarterbacks are going, this is a high price to pay, but if you are willing to take the risk there is a chance it pays off based on the limited sample size we saw from Watson in his rookie year. It helps that Watson has a legit WR1 in DeAndre Hopkins to take off some of the pressure the quarterback has as he shakes off the rust.
"It felt normal," Watson told ESPN. "It felt natural. It didn't really bother me at all. I didn't really think twice about it. I'm just kind of going out there and performing, playing and practicing."
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