Deshaun Watson

2022 Fantasy Upside
Now that the NFL has decided to appeal the six-game suspension given to Deshaun Watson, who knows what the status of Watson will be. But if we currently base this on his six-game suspension, 11 games of Watson still provides plenty of upside. We've seen how effective the Browns' offense was even with Baker Mayfield at quarterback. Watson expands on that potential. Not to mention, he has Amari Cooper to throw to and Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt out of the backfield. The Browns also like rookie David Bell and just extended TE David Njoku. There's excitement on the field if Watson plays.

2022 Fantasy Downside
Obviously, that is a huge "if". The NFL is appealing the suspension and there are still so many questions. Will the suspension stick at six games? Will it be extended? Will Watson even play at all? And since the league will now have control over the suspension, there is a very good chance the suspension at least, say, doubles to 12 games, if not the entire season.

2022 Bottom Line
You had to figure the NFL would appeal the suspension. They pushed for a season-long suspension. How quickly the appeals process takes will play a factor. If the appeal lingers into the regular season, Watson would be able to play. But the NFL is expected to expedite the process, so we should get an answer before the season starts. And there's no doubt many of you will not draft Watson out of personal beliefs, which is absolutely understandable. At this point, we probably shouldn't expect to see Watson in a game for at least a few months, if not more.