The Houston Texans are signing Kansas City Chiefs free-agent wide receiver Justin Watson to an undisclosed deal on Monday, sources tell NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The Texans also added former Miami Dolphins wideout Braxton Berrios on Monday for additional receiver depth behind starter Nico Collins. Stefon Diggs (knee) is a pending free agent, and Tank Dell (knee) could miss all of the 2025 season following a gruesome knee injury in 2024. In addition to Berrios and Watson, the Texans added Christian Kirk (collarbone) in a trade with the division-rival Jacksonville Jaguars last week. The 28-year-old Watson will probably serve as Houston's No. 3 receiver, at best, in 2025 if both Collins and Kirk are healthy. The former fifth-rounder by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2018 out of Pennsylvania had 289 receiving yards and two TDs on 22 catches in 17 regular-season games with KC a year ago.
Mar 10, 2025 6:35 PM EST
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson is coming off arguably his best performance of the season. The 28-year-old hauled in both his targets for 60 yards and a touchdown during last week's win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Before that, Watson has been held to 43 receiving yards or less in every game this season. Watson is normally depth, but might see a bigger role if the Chiefs decide to rest or pull their starters out early in Week 18. It's also worth noting that Carson Wentz will be under center for the Chiefs during their Week 18 matchup against the Denver Broncos. Watson doesn't offer much value on a weekly basis and playing with a backup quarterback against a tough secondary isn't going to help. Fantasy managers should be able to find a better option for Week 18.
Jan 4, 2025 6:55 PM EST
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson caught two passes for 60 yards and a touchdown in the 29-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day. The 28-year-old grew up just outside of Pittsburgh, so he got to score in his homecoming game. Watson received just two targets in this game but ended up third on the team in receiving yardage due to a 49-yard chunk play. Despite finding the endzone in this contest, Watson is typically the fourth or fifth option on any given play. His lack of volume in the passing game leads to volatility, but Watson has proven he can break off a big play in any game. The Chiefs clinched the top seed in the AFC with their Christmas Day win, meaning they no longer need to start their stars in the regular season. Watson and the rest of the supporting cast could see more playing time in Week 18 against the Denver Broncos.
Dec 26, 2024 4:55 AM EST
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson caught one pass for six yards and a touchdown in the 19-17 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. The Chiefs nearly let this game slip away, but the Raiders shot themselves in the foot with a last-minute fumble to lose the game. In this contest, Watson was targeted three times but only came down with one reception in the endzone. Watson will look to score again next week against the Los Angeles Chargers, who rank 13th in fantasy points allowed to opposing wide receivers this season. Despite scoring his first touchdown of the season in this week's matchup, Watson is not involved enough to warrant any fantasy consideration moving forward. Fantasy managers should leave him on the waiver wire.
Nov 30, 2024 4:34 AM EST
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson brought in 1-of-2 targets for 15 yards in the team's 30-27 victory over the Carolina Panthers. Carolina made it a game in this one, giving the Chiefs all they could handle up until the end of the fourth quarter. However, KC still held on, yet again winning a game in the waning seconds of regulation. Despite recording a 60% snap-share or better in seven of his last eight appearances, Watson has registered more than 26 receiving yards just twice in that stretch. He's averaging an abysmal 1.64 receptions and 19.8 receiving yards through 11 games in 2024. Despite another exploitable matchup in Week 13 against the Las Vegas Raiders at home, the 28-year-old will not be a recommended option.
Nov 25, 2024 2:14 PM EST
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson should not be relied upon in any fantasy format this weekend when the Chiefs face the Carolina Panthers. Even with Rashee Rice (knee) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (hamstring) both missing time, Watson has been unable to enjoy any consistency in the Kansas City offense. Since Week 7, Watson has averaged just 2.4 targets per game with an average of 4.5 PPR points per game during this span. In addition, this past weekend, during their loss to the Buffalo Bills, Watson saw his snap count drop significantly as he saw 49 in Week 10 but a mere 30 in Week 11. Until Watson can see stable targets and opportunities, fantasy managers should continue to leave Watson on the waiver wire.
Nov 23, 2024 2:58 PM EST
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
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