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Christian Watson had a very slow start to his NFL career early on in the 2022 season, struggling with injuries and drawing the ire of Aaron Rodgers in his NFL debut. However, Watson went off from Week 10 onward, averaging 65.4 yards per game and finishing as the overall WR4 (standard format) during that span.
Watson was ranked in the dynasty WR20 range before the start of last season, but his dynasty value has plummeted since then due to an injury-riddled sophomore campaign and the emergence of Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, and Dontayvion Wicks in his place.
Should you be buying, selling, or holding Watson this offseason? Let's dive in.
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Christian Watson 2023 Season Review
Christian Watson looked completely healthy during training camp but sat out the first three weeks of the season due to a hamstring injury. Watson would struggle to make an impact, as he only had one game with more than 37 yards in his first seven games back from injury.
There was a glimmer of hope for Watson in his next two games, as he caught 12 passes for 165 yards and scored three touchdowns in Week 12 and 13. He finished as the overall WR5 (standard format) in that span, but disaster struck once again, as he missed the rest of the season with yet another hamstring issue.
Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, and Dontayvion Wicks emerged in his absence, but Christian Watson is still a PROBLEM when healthy! 🔥
WR4 (standard) from Week 10 to Week 18 in 2022
WR5 during his last two games in 2023
DON'T COUNT HIM OUT!#GoPackGo #NFLTwitter @ChristianW2017 pic.twitter.com/kLAPIUu7f9— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) May 19, 2024
That two-game stretch could have been a real turning point for Watson, as he looked like the best player on the field in those games against the NFC runner-up Detroit Lions and the eventual champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Following five weeks of rehabilitation, Watson returned to the fold during the playoffs, where he was a shell of his former self. He caught just two passes for 20 yards in the Packers' two playoff games and only played in 49% of the team's offensive snaps.
Overall, last season was supposed to be Christian Watson's breakout year. Instead, it was an injury-riddled campaign that benefited Reed, Doubs, and Wicks in Watson's absence.
What is Christian Watson Worth in Fantasy Football Dynasty Leagues?
According to KeepTradeCut.com's crowdsourced rankings, Watson is being valued as the dynasty WR41. He's placed just behind rookies Xavier Legette and Ricky Pearsall, and just ahead of Amari Cooper and Adonai Mitchell. Additionally, he is currently ranked as his own team's WR2 behind Jayden Reed (WR31).
Considering the disappointment of his 2023 season, this is a fair evaluation. Seeing how many rookies are ranked above him is an interesting observation. Currently, nine different rookie WRs are ranked ahead of him.
Christian Watson is like that pic.twitter.com/4OzqsTQQ3B
— Mike Ro 𝕏 (@nuro_mike) May 9, 2024
Multiple veterans with less dynasty upside like Davante Adams, Mike Evans, and Cooper Kupp are ranked ahead of him as well. We're also seeing trades involving Watson such as Watson and picks for Evans or Watson for Justin Fields.
These trades are quite justified if you don't believe in Watson's upside and are skeptical due to his injury history but there have been some reasons to be more optimistic regarding Watson's fantasy outlook.
Christian Watson 2024 Fantasy Football Outlook
Recently, Packers passing game coordinator Jason Vrable said Watson is "in a great place now" regarding his hamstring injuries. He also underwent a body scan at the University of Wisconsin-Madison this offseason with the hope of preventing future issues with his hamstring.
He said that this body scan was for figuring out the root of all these issues. Now that Vrable has said that he's "in a great place," we can figure that Watson has successfully found the root of his hamstring problems and has worked hard to fix them.
We don't talk about this Christian Watson catch enough pic.twitter.com/5OAPWhIeoF
— Eli Berkovits (@BookOfEli_NFL) May 16, 2024
Another thing to consider is Jordan Love's improved confidence. Love looks around 100 times more confident than he did at the start of last season and is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world. A fully healthy Watson and a fully confident Love only had two games together (the aforementioned games against Detroit and Kansas City), but what an awe-inspiring two games they were.
Watson is the biggest touchdown and big-play threat among the Packers receivers and will easily rack up the most fantasy points among them if he stays healthy. He can also be deployed as a running back at times, having scored two rushing touchdowns in his rookie season.
In all, your decision to keep or trade/cut Watson depends entirely on whether you trust him to stay healthy this season. If he does stay healthy, he can break out and become one of the NFL's premier receivers.
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