Week 10 at Baltimore Ravens
Deshaun Watson returned to action last week against the Cardinals and went 19/30 for 219 yards and two touchdowns. The offense didn't have to do much as the defense swarmed Clayton Tune and the Cardinals' offense in a 27-0 win. Watson faces arguably the best defense in the NFL in the Ravens. Watson did not play the first time these teams met in Week 4. If Watson is healthy, he can produce some upside as a QB2, but it's far from an easy matchup, so we wouldn't fault you for trying to find a better option this week.
Week 9 vs. Arizona Cardinals
Deshaun Watson is back from his shoulder injury and will start this week against the Cardinals. It’s a good week to come back. Arizona is in the middle of the pack against the pass and his legs will continue to boost his fantasy value. Amari Cooper and David Njoku will also benefit greatly from Watson returning.
Week 7 at Indianapolis Colts
It looks like Deshaun Watson is going to play Sunday, which gives the entire Browns offense a boost. He already has the well-established connection with Amari Cooper and he’s been clicking more with Elijah Moore. He gets a favorable matchup this week. The Colts have the league’s 23rd-ranked passing defense, so Watson May jump right back into the pool. He’s an intriguing streaming option and a QB2.
Week 4 vs. Baltimore Ravens
Week 3 was Deshaun Watson’s best performance in some time, certainly this season. It was his first multi-touchdown game as well as his first game without an interception. He continued his strong connection with Amari Cooper and has begun building one with Elijah Moore as well. The passing game is growing following the loss of Nick Chubb. They need that to continue in what is a huge game this week against the Ravens for the AFC North lead through four weeks. Watson remains a fine QB2 for fantasy purposes.
Note: Watson is questionable for Sunday's game. If he can't go, it would be rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson getting the call for the Browns.
Week 3 vs. Tennessee Titans
It's still early in the season, but so far, we're starting to realize maybe Deshaun Watson won't ever return to his old form. And now that Nick Chubb is out, the offense as a whole takes a hit. That said, the Titans have allowed back-to-back 300-yard passers to start the season in Derek Carr and Justin Herbert. That gives some hope to the Browns and Watson in the passing game. He also will still give you a few rushing attempts each week. He's a borderline QB1 this week.
Week 2 at Pittsburgh Steelers
The run game and the defense were all the Browns needed to stifle Joe Burrow and the Bengals in Week 1. That run game did include Deshaun Watson, who picked up where he left off last season in that department with five rushes for 45 yards and a touchdown. Now we'll see if Cleveland can pick up the passing game. Watson only had 154 passing yards. But with that rushing ability, Watson gets pushed up boards. He's a high-end QB2 with QB1 upside this week against the Steelers who are now without Cam Heyward for at least eight weeks.
Week 1 vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Deshaun Watson has now had a full offseason with the Browns and is set to play a full season for the first time since 2020. Cleveland is looking to throw the football more this season now that Watson isn't as rusty and he can still use his legs to get yards as well (at least 20 rushing yards in all six games he played in 2022). One of those games was against the Bengals, where Watson threw for 276 yards and a touchdown in Week 14. Watson isn't quite in the QB1 tier yet but has the upside to get there as Cleveland hopes to expand their offense.
Fantasy Upside
One piece of upside with Deshaun Watson is obvious. He's around for a full season following a 2022 season where he was suspended 11 games following sexual assault allegations and sitting out the entire 2021 season due to his frustrations with the Texans. After coming back and playing in the final six games, Watson was a mid-QB2 at best. 2023 will be Watson's first full season since 2020. He should be a little less rusty and there's potential Cleveland could throw the ball more in 2023 with Amari Cooper and Donovan Peoples-Jones still around plus the acquisition of Elijah Moore from the Jets.
Fantasy Downside
The downside is that Cleveland doesn't throw the ball more in 2023 and just feeds Nick Chubb and the other running backs. The other downside is that Watson simply doesn't regain his old form that made him so fantasy-effective in Houston. Fantasy managers seem to think he can with an ADP near the top 70.
2023 Bottom Line
Can Watson regain his 2018-2020 form? Hard to say, but he should be a little better than he was in 2022. Perhaps that was just rust, but temper expectations regardless for a team that loves to run the football with one of the best backs in the league in Nick Chubb. But Cleveland has a talented enough passing offense that should keep Watson fantasy-viable.
Week 17 at Washington Commanders
The numbers through the air certainly haven't been what the Browns were hoping for thus far from Deshaun Watson through four games. He has three games with under 200 passing yards and two with under 150. He also only has two passing touchdowns and added his first rushing touchdown last week. He faces a very tough Washington defense that is fighting to make the playoffs while the Browns are officially out of the running. Watson is a low-end QB2 for the fantasy finals and a tough sell at that.
Week 16 vs. New Orleans Saints
There may still be rust, but Deshaun Watson hasn't been as explosive as some may have thought he would be when he returned to action in Week 13. He has under 200 passing yards in two of his three games, but does at least add some rushing value. He has at least 20 rushing yards in all three games. With all that said, Watson's numbers show he's not yet back to being a full-fledged fantasy starter, even in a decent matchup against the Saints. He's a low-end QB2.