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.
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson is set to serve as the team's No. 3 wideout on Super Bowl Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers. The problem with that role, however, is that K.C.'s passing attack has been so concentrated toward Travis Kelce and Rashee Rice that there hasn't been much production to go around beside them. In his last five games, Watson has collected four of his nine targets for 77 scoreless yards since Week 17. The 27-year-old downfield threat is still likely to work in a rotation with other Chiefs receivers, handling around 52% of the team's offensive snaps across three playoff appearances this postseason, so he's not going to be a reliable bet in the big game. Besides some dart-throw appeal, Watson is a low-floor DFS play without a particularly high ceiling.
Avoid Justin Watson Outside Of Single-Game DFS Contests
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson watched as fellow vertical threat Marquez Valdes-Scantling came down with two 30-yard passes in last Sunday's 27-24 Divisional Round win on the road over the Buffalo Bills, getting held catchless for the fourth time in 18 appearances in total during 2023. Watson has reached the 60-yard mark only once this year, and he remains just a Hail Mary fantasy proposition after placing third in average depth of target (17.5) and fifth in yards per reception (17.0) among wideouts in the regular season. Even though Skyy Moore (knee) is out and Kadarius Toney (hip) is questionable for Sunday's AFC Championship matchup with the Baltimore Ravens, the likes of Watson and Valdes-Scantling are still unlikely to receive more than one deep target apiece in low-volume roles based on their season norms. Neither are reliable bets but remain possible leverage plays in single-game DFS showdowns.
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.
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.
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.
Justin Watson Not Targeted On Sunday Night Football
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.
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 K.C.'s No. 3 receiver in Week 13 against the Green Bay Packers behind Rashee Rice and top target Travis Kelce. Watson's 18.7 average yards of target distance trail only Jalin Hyatt in this area, and his 16.6 yards per catch rank fifth among WRs, making him worth a WR4/5 dart throw.
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.
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.
