Deshaun Watson's injury could be a boon for the Browns' fantasy football

We have to clarify this right from the start: We wouldn't wish an injury on any player. That's not the point of this piece.

But… it might sometimes seem like it is in the room below, because the fallout (dropping?) from Deshaun Watson's broken Achilles is wonderful for fantasy managers. Simply wonderful!

No, we know it's not wonderful for Watson. We understand that. He has an arduous journey back ahead of him.

But…he was a terrible quarterback. Not just in fantasy, but also in real life. As any good fantasy manager will tell you, we don't care if our fantasy QBs win games in the NFL. We just want those juicy fantasy points. Interceptions hurt less than touchdowns on fantasy boxscores.

So yeah, we're excited to have someone else join the Browns at quarterback. And no, it's not because of… um… all that other stuff. Look, the madman certainly isn't the only one who believes Watson is supposedly a terrible person. But…that doesn’t have to be the reason we’re happy. Because we wouldn’t wish an injury on anyone. We're lucky because he was bad at football – and worse, bad at fantasy.

As if that wasn't enough, he was also the most overpaid, and Cleveland sent a treasure trove of draft picks to trade him for the right to overpay him. And after all that, he was one of the worst at his job. So there is that too.

We have all sorts of reasons to be happy. We don't have to focus on being happy that he's hurt because we never would.

And make no mistake, we love the fantasy effect.

Watson was terrible as a fantasy QB. He only had one week as a top-12 QB this season, and that was as QB11. He had a QB average of 19. That's even worse than last year when he had a QB average of 16 before a shoulder injury.

There's a story for a post-Watson fantasy boom. Last season, Joe Flacco stepped in and averaged a QB8 in five games – his worst week was QB13, and his last two were both in the top five.

Jameis Winston has long been a less-than-ideal NFL QB, but he's also been a fantasy activist – certainly more fantasy-friendly than post-scandal Watson.

Sure, Winston is capable of a terrible week – think Watson-level bad. But he also had a much higher ceiling — something Watson has lacked since arriving in Cleveland.

Don't expect anything big from Winston. He's never been great, he hasn't played complete games since the start of 2022, and his receivers are…well…not good.

After trading Amari Cooper, the Browns are left with Jerry Jeudy, David Njoku and (who?) Cedric Tillman. None of them are great, but Winston isn't afraid to try them out. With Watson gone, all these guys are going to be in a tizzy – even Elijah Moore.

Since Winston loves to throw the ball away, the defense will have to defend against the deep ball, which should create more space for newly returning running back Nick Chubb.

Wow! It's like win, win, win, win, win! Except Watson. It's not good for him and we would never advocate for anyone to get hurt.

Now, if the Browns, being the Browns, decide to use Dorian Thompson-Robinson at QB instead… well… at least DTR doesn't have all the off-field baggage. But when it comes to fantasy (or real-world) implications, we don't think it makes a meaningful difference statistically. Therefore, everyone's fantasy setting would remain static.

So we can be at least a little happy – not because Watson is injured, because we wouldn't wish that on anyone, but because there's now a path to a brighter fantasy future for other Browns players.

Rejoice!

The future is bright

Romeo Doubs WR, Packers

Led the team in targets (10) for the week after two touchdowns. In a strong offense with a good QB, I was surprised at how many leagues there are where he is available.

Ricky Pearsall WR, 49ers

Has gone from literally being a shot in the preseason to playing in a real game to being a fantasy squad hopeful. With Brandon Aiyuk out and Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings nursing issues, Pearsall could have raised his targets going forward.

DJ Turner WR, Raiders

Someone other than Brock Bowers needs to catch some passes in Vegas. Turner is on the radar as a deep bench option behind Tre Tucker. Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew at QB don't change our outlook.

Jonnu Smith TE, Dolphins

Once Tua Tagovailoa returns, Smith may disappear. But until then, expect him to continue getting targets from the timid quarterback of the day.

There are dark days ahead

Tank Bigsby RB, Jaguars

Use his monster in a trade in Week 7. When Travis Etienne is healthy again, there's a good chance Bigsby will split the work again. Even D'Ernest Johnson is now a workload threat on any given week.

Betting on the NFL?

Chuba Hubbard RB, Panthers

He’s fifth among all RBs – fifth! But rookie Jonathan Brooks should make his debut in the next week or two, at which point Hubbard's monster volume will take a huge hit.

Michael Pittman Jr. WR, Colts

QB Anthony Richardson returned and Pittman's fantasy production predictably evaporated. I can't trade him, and there's probably no one better to take on waivers. Keep it in your bank as an emergency option.

Sam LaPorta TE, Lions

In a slim position, we overlooked his poor performance. But we're almost halfway through the season and he only has 14 receptions. Fourteen! Ranked as TE19 and if you take away one catch (a 52-yard TD in Week 6), he's TE32. Put him on the bench if you haven't already.