Week 7 at Indianapolis Colts
Deshaun Watson posted another solid performance in the win at Kansas City last Sunday. He finished with 280 yards and a TD through the air and ran for 42 yards and two scores. In the past two contests, Watson has accounted for 795 yards and eight touchdowns. In four of the Texans first six games Watson has produced multiple scores, totaling 17 so far. At Indy this week, he’ll be facing a defense that surrenders more than 350 yards per game. Of course, Watson should remain in your starting lineup.
Week 6 at Kansas City Chiefs
What a career day Deshaun Watson had last week at the expense of the Falcons. He threw for 426 yards and five TDs, with three of them going to Will Fuller and two to TE Darren Fells. As if that weren’t enough, he also ran for 47 yards in the victory. While Watson and top WR DeAndre Hopkins have only teamed up for two scores this season, the QB is finding other pass-catchers, as five Texans players have caught at least one touchdown.
Unfortunately for Watson owners, the even weeks of ’19 haven’t been kind so far, with all 11 of his TD passes coming in Weeks 1, 3 and 5. Two of his three rushing scores have come during Weeks 2 and 4, however. Watson has a favorable matchup this week versus a Chiefs defense that allows nearly 400 yards per game.
Week 5 vs. Atlanta Falcons
It was another down game for Deshaun Watson and the Texans offense last Sunday at home versus the Panthers. In the passing game, in addition to being sacked six times, he finished with just 160 yards and no TDs. It wasn’t a completely unproductive day, as Watson scored the team’s lone touchdown on a one-yard run. He’s been a good fantasy QB every other week so far this season, so things should improve, but he’ll be facing an Atlanta defense that is tied for seventh versus the pass.
Week 4 vs. Carolina Panthers
After struggling against the Jaguars in Week 2, Deshaun Watson got things going versus the Chargers last Sunday. He finished with 351 yards and three TDs through the air and another 18 yards rushing. With the Texans ground game not doing much, Watson was able to move the team with his arm, tossing the three scores to his TEs. Back at home this week he’ll be facing a Carolina defense that has been solid at stopping the pass, but there’s no way you can start your backup QB over Watson.
Week 3 at Los Angeles Chargers
It was a disappointing outing last Sunday for Deshaun Watson versus the Jaguars. He threw for only 159 yards and was sacked four more times. It wasn’t a complete loss for owners though, as he scored the Texans lone TD on a fourth-down scramble. At Los Angeles this week, Watson will be facing a Chargers defense that has been strong versus the pass but not so good at stopping the run. Expect a better performance from Watson and the Houston offense in what will likely be a neutral crowd.
Week 2 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
On Monday in New Orleans Deshaun Watson took a beating, injuring his back on a touchdown dive early in the second quarter and getting sacked six times. Despite the rough night he finished with nearly 270 passing yards, 40 yards on the ground and accounted for four scores. He should be good to go at home on Sunday versus a Jaguars defense that had all sorts of trouble slowing down Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense. Watson is again a top QB this week.
Week 1 at New Orleans Saints
Coming off his first full NFL season, in which he threw for over 4,000 yards, Deshaun Watson will have all his weapons available for the Monday nighter. He accounted for 31 TDs and posted five 300-yard games in ’18. The Saints pass defense was one of the worst in the league last season, so Watson should get off to a good start. There’s no question he’ll be your starting QB in the opener.
Fantasy Upside
Deshaun Watson's second NFL season left the Texans as intrigued with their young quarterback's potential as the rest of us are. Watson made significant strides despite being sacked more than anyone else in the league. In fact, no quarterback with at least 200 dropbacks was pressured more often than Watson last year (or in 2017), yet still, Watson excelled. "There's a ton of upside with Deshaun, great kid, great skill set," former GM Brian Gaine said at the NFL scouting combine. "Upside" is an interesting notion considering the production we've seen to date. Watson threw for 4,165 yards and 26 touchdowns with nine interceptions. He also rushed for 551 yards and five touchdowns. What helped Watson's fantasy numbers was his lack of interceptions. As Pro Football Focus recently noted, the second-year signal-caller from Clemson had a 10-game stretch to finish the season where he chucked only two picks.
Fantasy Downside
The Texans haven't done Watson many favors with regard to the offensive line this offseason, and their efforts in this year's draft were somewhat suspect.
2019 Bottom Line
That said, what is working in his favor? A receiving corps led by DeAndre Hopkins. If Hopkins, Will Fuller and Keke Coutee can remain on the field together all season, Watson will have as strong a group of pass-catchers as any QB in the league and his chances at living up to our ranking seem all but certain.
Wild Card vs. Indianapolis Colts
Deshaun Watson is plenty familiar with the Colts defense. In the two regular season games versus Indy, he threw for 642 yards and three TDs and ran for 76 yards and another score. In the home loss in Week 14, Watson was 27-of-38 for 267 yards. He’s done a great job of not turning the ball over, finishing the season without an interception during the final six games. Look for a solid outing from Watson on Saturday.
Week 16 at Philadelphia Eagles
At the Jets last Saturday, Deshaun Watson threw for 294 yards and two scores. He also led the Texans with 26 rush yards, as Lamar Miller left the game with an ankle injury in the first quarter. It was Watson’s highest passing yardage total since early October. It was the seventh time this season he’s thrown for multiple scores. Miller should be healthy on Sunday at Philadelphia, so expect a more balanced attack from Houston. Watson should be considered a low QB1 play versus the second-worst pass defense.
