We need to get this out of the way rigą½§ht off the bat: We would never wish injury upon any player. That isnāt the point of this piece.
But … it might seem like it at times in the space below, because the fallout (fall up?) of Deshaun Watsonās ruptured Achilles is wonderful for fantasy managers. Simply wonderful!
No, we know, it isnāt wonderful for Watson. We understand that. He has ź¦a grueling road back.
But … he has been an awful quarterback. Not just in fantasy, but in real life, too. As any good fantasy manager will tell you, we donāt care that much if our fantasy QBs win games in the NFL. We just want those juicy fantasy points. Interceptions hurt less than touchdowns help on fantasy boxscores.
So yes, we are happy that someone else will be quarterbacking the Browns. And no, it isnāt because of … um … all the other stuff. Look, the Madman surely isnāt alone in thinking Watson is a terrible person, allegedly. But … that doesnāt have to be why weāre happy. Because we would never wish injury upon anyone. We can be happy because he has been bad at football ā and, worse, bad at fantasy.
If that werenāt enough,ą¦ he also was the most overpaid, and Cleveland shipped a treasure trove of draft picks to trade for the righš¹t to overpay him. And after all of that, he was one of the worst at his job. So, thereās that, too.
We have all kinds of reasons to be happy. We donāt have to focus on being happy that he isź¦ injured, because we wouldą¼ŗ never do that.
And make no mistake, we are ecstatic about the fanź§tasy impact.
Watson was miserable as a fantasy QB. He had just one week as a top-12 QB this season, and that was as QB11. He averaged QB19. That is even worse than last year, when he averaged QB16 before a shouldšer injury.
There šis historyš¬ for a post-Watson fantasy bump. Last season, Joe Flacco stepped in, and he averaged QB8 over five games ā his worst week being QB13, and his last two were both in the top five.
Jameis Winston has a long history of being āa less-than-ideal NFL QB, but he also has been a fantasy asset ā certainly more fantasy-friendly than post-scandal Watson.
Sure, Winston is capable of a terrible week ā think Watson-level bad. But he also had a much higher ceiling ā something Watson hš as lacked since arriving in Cleveland.
Now, donāt expect the world out of Winston. He has never been great, he hasnāt played a stretch of complete games since early 2022, and his receivers are … well … not good.
After trading Amari Cooper, the Browns are left with Jerry Jeudy, David Njoku and (who?) Cedric Tillman. None are great, but Winston is not afraid to sling it. So all those guys get a bump up with Watson gone ā even Elijšah Moore, too.
Because Winston likes to chuck it, defenses will have to defend against the deep ball, so that should create ļ·½more rooį¦m for newly returned running back Nick Chubb.
Wow! This is like win, win, win, win, win! Except for Watson. It isnāt great for him, and we would never rootš for someone to get injured.
Now, if the Browns, being the Browns, decide to instead start Dorian Thompson-Robinson at QB … well … at least DTR doesnāt have all the off-the-field baggage. But in terms of fantasy (or real-world) impact, we donāt think he delivers any meaningful difference statistically. So everyoneās fantasy outlook would remain static.
So we can be at least a little happy ā not because Watson is injured, because we would never wishź¦ that upon anyone, but becausše there is a path to a better fantasy future now for other Browns players.
Rejoice!
Futures are bright
Romeo Doubs WR, Packers
Led the team in targets (10) the week after scoring two TDs. In a stroš¼ng offense with a quality QB, surpriseą²d how many leagues there are where he is available.
Ricky Pearsall WR, 49ers
Has gone from literally being shot in preseason to playing in a real game to fantasy roster hopefulš. With Brandon Aiyuk out, and Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennā¤ings nursing issues, Pearsall could have increased targets in his future.
D.J. Turner WR, Raiders
Someone besides Brock Bowers has to catches some passes in Vegašs. Turner is on the radar behind Tre Tucker as a deep bench option. Aidan OāConnell to Gardner Minshew at QB doesnāt change our outlook.
Jonnu Smith TE, Dolphins
Once Tua Tagovailoa returns, maybe Smith disappears. But until then, expect him to continue to get targets from whoź¦ever the timid QB of the day is.
Dark days ahead
Tank Bigsby RB, Jaguars
Parlay his monster Week 7 into a trade. Chances are, when Travis Etienne is healthy, Biš§øgsby starts splitting the work again. Even DāErnest Johnson is a workload threat in a given week in the meantime.
Betting on the NFL?
- Read our expert guide on how to bet on the NFL
- Check out the best NFL betting sites
- Get the BetMGM Bonus Code
Chuba Hubbard RB, Panthers
He ranks fifth among all RBs ā fifth! But rookie Jonathan Brooks should make his debut in the next week šor two, at which point Hź¦”ubbardās monster volume will take a huge dip.
Michael Pittman Jr. WR, Colts
QB Anthony Richardson returned, and predictably Pittmanās fantasy production evaporated. Canāt trade him, and likely no one on waivers better. Stash him ošØn your bench as an emergency option.
Sam LaPorta TE, Lions
At a slim position, we have looked past his paltry production. But weāre almost at midseason, and he has just 14 receptions. Fourteen! Ranks as TE19, and take away oneā catch (a 52-yard TD in Week 6) and he is TE32. Bench him ifš you havenāt already.