When Deshaun Watson came into the league and was drafted by the Houston Texans in 2017, fans everywhere were excited to watch one of the potential up-and-coming great quarterbacks. He was entertaining to watch on the field and was great for fantasy football as he placed a QB5 finishing position for three straight years from 2018 to 2020. That was until March 16, 2021, when the first civil lawsuit was filed by Attorney Tony Buzbee. Since that day, it has been a downward spiral.

The Latest on Watson

After choosing to take his talents to the Cleveland Browns on March 18, 2022, just under three months later, a 24th lawsuit is occurring, and this one could be significant. It began with what seemed to be a normal massage appointment for Watson but it quickly turned into a legal nightmare. While only being covered by a small towel during the massage, Watson got an erection and the plaintiff immediately stopped the session. Watson then began to masturbate in front of her, continued to do so while the plaintiff stood away left speechless, and eventually, Watson finished masturbating leaving ejaculate on the plaintiff’s face and chest. She says she quit massage therapy as a profession shortly after these events.

These horrific acts are going to be headed to the courts just three short months after a grand jury returned nine “no” bills on nine criminal complaints against Watson, concluding any criminal proceedings against him. With the information that was presented back in February and March, as well as this breaking news, I cannot begin to imagine that 24 women, all with similar stories and examples, are lying.

What Does This Mean for Watson’s Fantasy Value?

As a fantasy football analyst, I take a lot of pride in my rankings. I want them to be the most accurate they can be and I want fantasy managers to be able to make drafting plans based on my rankings. Therefore, I will be removing Deshaun Watson from all my rankings, as I do not believe he plays for the NFL in 2022 and possibly ever again after being indicted or banned by the NFL. This leaves many questions on the Browns’ offensive roster because most players were drafted or traded for assuming that Watson would be the starting QB. Let’s take a look at their fantasy values.

The Rest of the Team’s Fantasy Value

QB – Unknown

With Watson likely being suspended, banned, or indicted and Baker Mayfield not wanting to play for Cleveland anymore, we really have no clue how this could play out and who could be slinging the ball on Sundays for the Browns. The depth charts say the next man up would be Jacoby Brissett.

RB – Nick Chubb & Kareem Hunt

Both RBs gain a little bit of value with the off-field issues that Watson is facing. Nick Chubb is looking to have a bounce-back year after struggling with some injuries/COVID, TD regression from the prior year, and minimal receiving work. Kareem Hunt is the perfect counterpart to Chubb, and vice-versa. I am hoping to see a lot of Hunt through the air as well as on the ground to try to help this offense in some way. I would be looking to draft these two both at or above their current average draft position (ADP) of RB12 & RB29 respectively.

WR – Amari Cooper, David Bell, & DPJ

All three of these WRs take a large hit in value, Amari Cooper being the biggest. In his seven seasons, Cooper has finished as a WR1 only one time. The 2022 season was supposed to be huge for Cooper, especially with Watson as his QB. Now I definitely do not want him at his current ADP of WR17. If I am out on Cooper, that means I am certainly not going after David Bell and Donovan Peoples-Jones. I do however view Bell as the better WR and easy choice for the team’s WR2.

TE – David Njoku

David Njoku recently signed a four-year extension valued at $56.7 million and is said to be featured heavily in the offensive scheme. That’s great and all, but here is the thing. He was drafted to be the featured role, finished as the TE9 once, and then since then has not cracked the top 24. That does not really excite me, especially since Watson is not going to be the QB. I am not staying clear of Njoku.

Final Thoughts on Watson

Deshaun Watson is likely done for. As of the early afternoon on June 6, 2022, even more reports have surfaced about him messaging over 66 masseuses on Instagram. On top of that, the Houston Texans gave Watson resources such as hotel rooms and nondisclosure agreements to make appointments with more women than the number previously released to the media. If the justice system does not step in, I can definitely see the NFL stepping in and at the very least suspending him for the entire 2022 season if not longer. I cannot fathom anyone is actually still supporting Watson, aside from the Cleveland Browns who were quick to give him a guaranteed $230 million while investigations were still pending (eye-roll).

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