Fantasy football: Where to draft Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson

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We head into the 2024 NFL season, and fantasy managers are mixed on where Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson should come off the board.

Watson was one of the league’s brightest stars during his time with the Houston Texans, but off-field issues and a lengthy suspension caused a giant backslide. He has also dealt with nagging injuries since returning to the league with the Browns, and he just hasn’t been able to reach the tremendous heights from early in his career. Still, while it seems like he has been around forever, Watson is just 28 years old, and he still has a rather high ceiling.

Below, we look at Deshaun Watson’s 2024 fantasy football average draft position (ADP) and where you should draft him.

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Deshaun Watson’s ADP: 123.21

(ADP data courtesy of MyFantasyLeague.com; last updated at time of this publishing – ADPs continually change as more drafts occur)

Watson has tumbled down the ADP rankings, down to 123.21, which puts him on the brink of undrafted free-agent status in leagues of 12 or fewer teams. Ironically, his ADP is just slightly higher than the guy he replaced, Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield (124.11).

Among quarterbacks, Watson’s ADP puts him 26th at the position. The Rams’ Matthew Stafford (121.98) is 25th ahead of Atlanta’s Kirk Cousins (118.36), the New England’s Joe Milton (115.09), the Chargers’ Justin Herbert (114.52) and the Jets’ Aaron Rodgers (110.39).

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Deshaun Watson’s 2023-24 stats

Games: 6

Passing yards: 1,115

Completions | attempts: 105 | 171

Passing touchdowns: 7

Interceptions: 4

Carries | rushing yards: 26 | 142

Rushing touchdowns: 1

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Where should you draft Watson?

Watson has 2 seasons with 4,000+ passing yards under his belt, including a league-best 4,823 yards in 2020-21. He also had career highs of 70.2% completions, 33 TDs and a 112.4 QB rating that season, which was his final run with Houston. However, off-field issues knocked him off the rails, and he was traded to the Browns.

The Browns backed up the Brinks truck for Watson, but so far he has played just 12 games with 2,217 passing yards, 14 TDs and 9 interceptions in 2 seasons. He was suspended for 11 games 2 seasons ago and suffered a shoulder injury which also limited him to just 6 games last season.

Cleveland fans have been wringing the collective hands, wondering if the team made a giant mistake mortgaging a ton of money for Watson. This season, it might be do-or-die for Watson. He is still young and still has a 4,000-yard arm. Watson needs to stay healthy, but that’s easier said than done.

This preseason, he has been dealing with arm soreness, and fantasy managers wonder if that’s a sign of things to come.

Watson has QB1 ability, but he is being drafted as a low-end QB2, or he is even going undrafted in leagues of 12 or fewer teams. He is worth a late-round flier as a backup as he has the potential to catch fire and win you a fantasy championship.

However, he certainly is no longer worth considering as a QB1. But with WR Amari Cooper, TE David Njoku and a handful of more top-notch skill position players, if Watson can stay healthy, and lock in, he could still reach Pro Bowl heights. Just make sure you have insurance if Watson flops.

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