Deshaun Watson’s Fantasy Football Value Craters After Another Injury-Plagued Season

Deshaun Watson's fantasy stock has plummeted following multiple injury setbacks and continued regression as a passer heading into 2025.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) throws a pass during the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Once one of the NFL’s most electrifying dual-threat quarterbacks, Deshaun Watson has now endured three straight seasons of disappointing production, capped by a torn Achilles in 2024. With the Cleveland Browns financially tied to him and his Week 1 status in doubt, Watson enters the 2025 season as a major fantasy question mark.

Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns

Over his final three seasons with the Texans, Watson went 25-22 with two winning years (11-5 and 10-5). His completion rate (68.7) and yards per pass attempt (8.3) were exceptional, but he ranked below the league average in pass attempts per game (32.9). 

Watson had his best fantasy season in 2020 (he led the NFL in passing yards – 4,823) while delivering 36 combined touchdowns. He was active in the run game from 2018 to 2020 (99/551/5, 82/413/7, and 90/44/3). His most significant obstacle to success came from sacks (62, 44, and 49) during this span.

In 2022, Watson wasn’t worth Cleveland's investment. He had 31 or fewer passes in five of his six starts, leading to fewer than 170 yards passing in four games and only two matchups with more than one score. Watson maintained his form in the run game (36/175/1) but showed weaknesses in his completion rate (58.2% – 67.8% over his previous 1,748 pass attempts) and yards per pass attempt (6.5 – 8.3 before 2022).

The following year, Watson only had one game (305/2) of value. He struggled to pass the ball over his first two starts (154/1 and 235/1) while gaining only 5.6 yards per pass attempt. A right shoulder injury led to him missing almost all of his next four games, followed by surgery in late November. Watson failed to impress in his other two starts (219/2 and 213/1).

The fading Watson added another losing chapter in 2024. Over seven starts, he went 1-6 while failing to pass for over 200 yards in any matchup. Defenses sacked him 33 times, leading to more regression in his yards per pass attempt (5.3). Watson has about the same player running the ball (31/148/1). His season ended in Week 7 due to a torn Achilles, which required two surgeries. 

What's next for the Browns and Deshaun Watson? 👇 pic.twitter.com/1I6PTijT5h

— FantasyPros (@FantasyPros) March 31, 2025

Deshaun Watson Fantasy Football Outlook

Cleveland can’t escape the contract of Watson without a massive cap hit. They’ve already paid him over $44 million this year for a restructuring bonus. The Browns don’t expect him to be ready for Week 1, putting him in lame duck status in 2025 unless he somehow revives his career.