Deshaun Watson

Will we ever again see the early-career version of Deshaun Watson -- the one who was a top-five fantasy quarterback in each of his first three full seasons as an NFL starter? Watson has struggled to recapture the magic of his run with the Texans from 2018 to 2020. He was understandably rusty when he made his Browns debut late in the 2022 season after serving an 11-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal-conduct policy. Watson wasn't significantly better in six 2023 starts for the Browns before a shoulder injury ended his season. In each of his two abbreviated seasons with Cleveland, Watson has averaged 15.1 fantasy points per game. He's completed 59.8% of his passes over the last two years and has averaged 6.5 yards per attempt. Watson turns 29 at the beginning of the 2024 season, and it's seeming less and less likely that he'll ever recapture the electrifying form he showed when he first burst onto the NFL scene. Approach with caution.

Deshaun Watson might not participate in team drills at Browns practices until June.

Fantasy Impact

Watson is continuing to rehab and slowly work his way back from his shoulder injury last year. He has been throwing every other day at OTAs, taking the first snaps in all the individual drills and the full offense walkthrough at practice on Thursday.