Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson could find himself with a larger role on offense going forward. The Chiefs are going to be shorthanded for some time after Rashee Rice (knee) went down on Sunday. The expectation is that rookie Xavier Worthy and tight end Travis Kelce are going to be the focal points in the receiving game. However, Watson might end up seeing more work as well. He hauled in two of his three targets for 27 yards during Sunday's win. Watson knows the offense well and finished with nearly 500 yards in a part-time role last season. It wouldn't be shocking to see the Chiefs give Watson more responsibility with the team limited on offensive weapons. Fantasy managers shouldn't rush to add Watson, but keep him on their radar, especially in deep leagues.
Oct 1, 2024 9:51 PM EST
The early beneficiary of Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquise Brown's (shoulder) injury in training camp practices has been Justin Watson, who is taking many of the snaps that would have gone to Brown. Watson last year was tied for second among the team's receivers in catches with 27. With Brown's status up in the air for Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens, KC may have to keep seven receivers to open the year. Others competing for roster spots include Mecole Hardman, Skyy Moore, Nikko Remigio and Justyn Ross. Hardman, Moore and Ross played for the Chiefs last year, but none of them were very consistent. Watson will see increased chances with Brown out, but rookie Xavier Worthy will be asked to be the team's big-play wideout, and he's the much better late-round target for fantasy managers.
Aug 14, 2024 1:22 PM EST
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson (foot) left training camp practice early on Wednesday with a foot injury, according to multiple reporters on the scene. The 28-year-old wideout is entering his third year with the Chiefs. He finished third on the team in 2023 with 460 yards on 27 receptions while scoring three touchdowns, and he should once again be a key offensive piece for quarterback Patrick Mahomes, especially with second-year pass-catcher Rashee Rice facing a potential lengthy suspension. With rookie first-round wideout Xavier Worthy (illness) missing his third straight practice on Wednesday, the Chiefs are a little short-handed at the position early in camp. While Watson has been reliable when on the field for KC, he can be left to the waiver wire to begin the year in most fantasy leagues.
Jul 24, 2024 1:18 PM EST
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson looks set for an expanded role in the regular-season finale versus the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chiefs have ruled out top wideout Rashee Rice (hamstring) for Week 18, and Travis Kelce probably won't be out there for his usual amount of playing time. 2023 has easily been Watson's most productive season, banking career-high figures in targets (52), catches (27), yards (460), and touchdowns (three). The 27-year-old's calling card is his ability as a vertical threat, ranking second in the league in average yards of target distance (17.8) and fifth in yards per reception (17.0). Watson has played just 52.3% of K.C.'s offensive snaps this year, but he could be in line for his largest workload as a dart-throw DFS option with the team shorthanded on Sunday.
Jan 7, 2024 12:28 AM EST
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson was expected to have a bigger role in the passing attack in the Week 17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals with Kadarius Toney (hip) sidelined for the second straight game. Watson ended up catching one of his three targets, although it was a big play and went for a gain of 41 yards to put him second behind rookie Rashee Rice (127) in receiving yards on the day. With Toney out in last week's loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, Watson caught four of six targets for 38 yards and a touchdown. It's been really hard to trust any Chiefs pass-catchers in fantasy this year not named Rice or Travis Kelce. Watson has had career-highs in catches (27), receiving yards (460) and touchdowns (three), but he's also caught one or fewer passes in seven of his 15 games played.
Jan 1, 2024 4:07 PM EST
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson (illness) did not participate in the team's practice on Wednesday. Watson is currently dealing with an illness, but he still has four days to recover before the Chiefs take on the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17. The 27-year-old wideout is coming off a solid game, where he caught four passes for 38 yards and one touchdown last week. The four catches and 38 receiving yards are his most since Week 11. If the five-year vet recovers from the illness and suits up this weekend, he should only be considered in fantasy in extremely deep formats.
Dec 28, 2023 12:18 AM EST
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson was not targeted at all in the team's 27-19 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night. In recent weeks, the 27-year-old seemed to be carving out a role in this offense that's devoid of strong wide receivers. He scored in each of the last two games and earned 11 targets two weeks ago against the Eagles. Rookie Rashee Rice led the wideouts on Sunday, but Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Richie James, and Skyy Moore all saw more looks than Watson. His snap shares didn't take a hit. He was just unable to get open. Watson is avoidable in the majority of leagues and the Chiefs prepare to host the Buffalo Bills.
Dec 4, 2023 10:01 AM EST
One week after Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson came out of nowhere for 11 targets, he took a tumble with just three in Week 12's 31-17 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Watson's snap and route rates have stabilized around the 60% range in each of the last three outings, while Marquez Valdes-Scantling's steady descent in routes run imply that the situational deep threat's sheer lack of productivity is finally phasing him out of K.C.'s offense. The same can be said for Skyy Moore, who continues to eat up considerable snaps by default without much production to show for it. It gives Watson another chance to entrench himself as the Chiefs' No. 3 receiver in Week 13 against the Green Bay Packers behind Rashee Rice and, of course, go-to target Travis Kelce. Watson's 18.7 average yards of target distance trail only Jaylin Hyatt in this area, and his 16.6 yards per catch rank fifth among WRs, making him worth a WR4/5 dart throw on Sunday night.
Dec 1, 2023 11:49 PM EST
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson has already chalked up career-high figures in 2023, attaining 19 receptions on 36 targets with 329 receiving yards. Watson is suddenly emerging as K.C.'s top wideout in regard to playing time, logging season-high snap shares of 66.7% and 61.5% in his previous two outings, which still isn't saying very much. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes targeted the 27-year-old with regularity in the Week 11 home loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, surprisingly turning Watson's way 11 times a week ago. Watson leads the NFL with 18.9 average yards of target distance leading into Week 12's divisional battle with the Las Vegas Raiders, racking up the fourth-most yards per reception (17.3) among WRs this year. Watson should be more popular as a salary-relief DFS value choice with Kadarius Toney (ankle/hip) and Mecole Hardman Jr. (thumb) out on Sunday, but he deserves some WR4/5 worth in season-long leagues.
Nov 26, 2023 12:27 AM EST
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson was quarterback Patrick Mahomes' favorite target in Week 11's 21-17 defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles, gaining season-high figures in targets (11) and receptions (five) with 53 yards. Watson hauled in a Mahomes jump pass in the end zone for his first touchdown of the year amid the first quarter. One of Watson's failed connections was a brutal drop, but he redeemed himself for a 17-yard gain on the ensuing play to get K.C. into field-goal range in the first half. The 27-year-old later made a beautiful grab along the sideline on a perfectly placed pass during the third period, but he committed yet another key drop on fourth-and-25 to end the game. Watson is worth considering in deeper leagues to see if this usage persists during Week 12 against the Las Vegas Raiders, but head coach Andy Reid may just be throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks when it comes to the Chiefs' receiving corps at this point.
Nov 21, 2023 2:06 AM EST
Kansas City Chiefs wide receivers Kadarius Toney (ankle), Justin Watson (elbow) and Richie James (knee) all practiced in full on Thursday coming off their bye week. Toney is probably the most attractive name in fantasy, but only in pretty deep leagues as a bench stash. The Chiefs continue to take it easy on the oft-injured wideout to keep him on the field, as he hasn't played more than 42% of the snaps in a single game. He has just 20 catches, 127 yards and one TD in nine games. Toney is rostered in only 15% of Yahoo leagues. Watson saw more playing time in Week 9 but has only 14 catches and hasn't found the end zone in eight games. James has one catch for six yards and has missed the last seven games while on Injured Reserve.
Nov 17, 2023 1:34 AM EST
Kansas City Chiefs wide receivers Kadarius Toney (ankle), Skyy Moore (heel) and Justin Watson (elbow) were all full participants in practice on Wednesday. The Chiefs could be getting Richie James (knee) from Injured Reserve for the first time since Week 2 as well. For all of his talent, Toney continues to be a non-factor for the Chiefs and fantasy managers. The 24-year-old played only 12 offensive snaps in the Week 8 loss to the Denver Broncos and he has just two targets in the last two games. Moore hasn't had more than two catches in a game since Week 3 and also has been off the fantasy radar in most leagues. Watson returned from an elbow injury on Sunday and caught two passes for 42 yards. The 27-year-old is averaging a hefty 21.8 yards per catch this year, but he's merely a dice roll as a big-play threat in deep fantasy leagues.
Nov 1, 2023 10:45 PM EST
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson (elbow) was unable to practice at all this week and has officially been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Chargers. The 27-year-old has logged between six and eight fantasy points (PPR) in two-thirds of his games this season but has been unable to emerge as a top option in Kansas City's thin wide receiver room. The Chiefs' recent addition of Mecole Hardman Jr. could make it even more difficult for Watson to carve out a role upon his return.
Oct 20, 2023 4:39 PM EST
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson (elbow) was a non-participant in practice Thursday. That makes two straight DNPs due to an elbow injury from last Thursday's win over the Denver Broncos for Watson, who appears to be on the wrong side of the questionable tag ahead of Week 7's divisional showdown with the Los Angeles Chargers. Head coach Andy Reid did note on Wednesday that the 27-year-old wideout is likely to avoid being placed on injured reserve at this time, so there's a chance Watson isn't facing a long-term absence. He'll need to log some form of activity in Friday's session to have any shot of suiting up on Sunday. Rashee Rice, Kadarius Toney, and perhaps even the returning Mecole Hardman would pick up more playing time if Watson is unable to go.
Oct 20, 2023 12:08 AM EST
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said wide receiver Justin Watson (elbow) will not need to go on Injured Reserve. Watson came down hard on his left elbow in last Thursday's win over the Denver Broncos and is probably going to be unavailable to play in another divisional clash this Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers, but he's unlikely to miss extended time. The 27-year-old sat out of the first practice of the week on Wednesday. Any time that Watson misses will mean more opportunity for Skyy Moore, rookie Rashee Rice, Kadarius Toney and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, beginning with an excellent matchup at home against the Bolts this weekend. The Chiefs also acquired a familiar face in Mecole Hardman Jr. from the Jets in a trade on Wednesday.
Oct 18, 2023 7:13 PM EST
According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson (elbow) "should be back sooner rather than later" after an MRI revealed "no significant damage." The wideout didn't return to Thursday's win over the Denver Broncos because of a dislocated elbow and is anticipated to miss a few weeks. But Watson has just 10 catches for 219 yards during the 2023-24 campaign, so his absence isn't expected to impact fantasy managers negatively.
Oct 13, 2023 9:04 PM EST
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson (elbow) was declared out for the remainder of Thursday's game versus the Denver Broncos due to an elbow injury. Watson went down during the fourth quarter after failing to reel in his lone target from quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The game went to commercial as the 27-year-old wideout was being looked at by medical personnel, but the Thursday Night Football broadcast noted Watson walked off under his own power. The former fifth-round pick hasn't been very fantasy relevant this year, but he's handled a meaningful allotment of snaps that could be freed up if he's facing an extended absence. Rashee Rice, whose fantasy prospects already strengthened with 72 yards in Week 6, may pick up more action alongside Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney if Watson is unable to return for Week 7 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Oct 13, 2023 12:23 AM EST
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson could have a larger role this season after the team lost JuJu Smith-Schuster in free agency this offseason. There was a report earlier this week stating Watson would be part of the team's primary wide receivers while Rashee Rice and Justyn Ross would have limited roles to start the year. However, fantasy players have no reason to add Watson off the waiver wire and start him in Week 1. While Travis Kelce's status for Thursday night is in question, Skyy Moore, Kadarius Toney, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling will see more snaps than the veteran wide receiver. Fantasy players should stash Rice (rostered in only 9.9% of ESPN leagues) over Watson.
Sep 7, 2023 5:28 PM EST
ESPN's Adam Teicher writes that based on how the Kansas City Chiefs used their wide receivers in training camp this summer, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore and Justin Watson will get the most playing time to open the year. Kadarius Toney (knee) missed all of camp after having surgery for a torn meniscus, but he's now back at practice and should be available for Week 1 on Thursday night against the Detroit Lions. The Chiefs also have Richie James, who has the most single-season catches of the group, Rashee Rice and Justyn Ross. The 27-year-old Watson had only 15 receptions on 34 targets for 315 yards and two touchdowns in 17 regular season games (five starts) in his first year in KC last year. He could have a bigger role in the early going in 2023, but Rice and Ross are better upside targets in fantasy.
Sep 5, 2023 1:24 PM EST
Watson caught 1 of 2 targets for 27 yards during Sunday's 27-24 win against Denver.
Jan 3, 2023 10:24 AM EST
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