Chiefs' Justin Watson: Tallies pair of grabs in Week 2
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Watson hauled in both of his targets for 22 yards during Sunday's 26-25 win over the Bengals.
Watson made the most of his limited opportunities and has reeled in each of the three passes thrown his way through two games. That said, he played less than half the offensive snaps (45 percent) in Sunday's contest and has just three targets through two games. As has been the case for Watson in recent seasons, the wideout seems slated to play a regular role that doesn't figure to amount to fantasy relevance in most league formats.
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Chiefs' Justin Watson: Hauls in lone target Week 1
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Watson secured his only target for 25 yards during Thursday's 27-20 win over the Ravens.
Watson played 52 percent of offensive snaps versus Baltimore in Week 1, working as the Chiefs' clear No. 3 receiver behind Rashee Rice (78 percent) and Xavier Worthy (63 percent). That involvement will dip once starter Marquise Brown (shoulder) returns from injury, but if he remains sidelined Week 2 versus Cincinnati, Watson will have another opportunity to capitalize on an increased snap share.
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Chiefs' Justin Watson: Could help fill in for Brown
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Watson could see more opportunities early on during the season while fellow wideout Marquise Brown tends to a shoulder injury, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com reports.
With Brown unable to practice and his availability for Week 1 unclear, Watson has been taking many of the snaps in training camp that would have otherwise gone to Brown. Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy would likely rank as greater priorities for targets if Brown's absence bleeds into the regular season, but Watson could be the top choice to join the two in three-receiver sets sans Brown. During the 2023 season, Watson suited up in 16 contests on his way to finishing with a 27-460-3 receiving line on 53 targets over 513 offensive snaps.
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Chiefs' Justin Watson: Returns to practice
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Watson (foot) is participating in practice Sunday, Pete Sweeney of ArrowheadPride.com reports.
Watson injured his foot during practice July 24 and missed several days of training camp, but he's back on the field Sunday. That confirms initial reports that the receiver's foot issue wouldn't sideline him long-term. Watson is looking to establish himself as a top-4 option among Kansas City's receiving corps after setting career-high marks with 27 catches for 460 yards and three touchdowns over 16 regular-season games last year.
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Chiefs' Justin Watson: Foot injury downplayed
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Watson is expected to miss just a few days of training camp due to a minor foot issue, Matt Derrick of ChiefsDigest.com reports.
Per Derrick, at first glace the left foot injury that Watson sustained Wednesday appeared concerning, but tests have reportedly revealed that the wideout avoided a long-term issue. Once Watson is able to return to practice, he'll look to cement his standing in a Kansas City WR corps that also includes Rashee Rice, Hollywood Brown, Xavier Worthy, Kadarius Toney, Mecole Hardman and Skyy Moore. In 16 regular-season outings in 2023, Watson compiled a 27-460-3 receiving line.
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Chiefs' Justin Watson: Injured at practice
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Watson departed Wednesday's practice early due to an apparent foot injury, Matt Derrick of ChiefsDigest.com reports.
Watson was injured while catching a pass, then was carted to the locker room after meeting with trainers, per Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. The severity of his injury remains unknown, but any missed time on Watson's part will open up reps for receivers lower on Kansas City's depth chart, especially with Xavier Worthy (illness) still missing practice time. Kadarius Toney, Mecole Hardman, Skyy Moore, Justyn Ross and Nikko Remigio could all benefit from more snaps.
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Chiefs' Justin Watson: Makes two catches
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Watson recorded two receptions on two targets for 20 yards in Saturday's 26-7 win over the Dolphins.
Watson has emerged as Kansas City's third pass catcher at points this season, though he was one of four players with either two or three targets in Saturday's win. Instead, targets were heavily concentrated between Rashee Rice and Travis Kelce. With the performance, Watson failed to top 30 yards for the first time out of the last four games in which he's received at least 40 percent of the offensive snaps.
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Chiefs' Justin Watson: Logs just 18 snaps in Week 18
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Watson didn't catch a pass (on one target) during Sunday's 13-12 win over the Chargers.
Watson was among those active for Sunday's regular-season finale, but he didn't play too much, which instead allowed Mecole Hardman (58 snaps), Richie James (48 snaps) and Justyn Ross (38 snaps) to claim the vast majority of action at wide receiver. Watson had played 45 percent or more of the offensive snaps in each of the previous seven games, and he will presumably claim that type of role in the postseason. Watson closes out the regular season with 27 catches for 460 yards and three touchdowns on 53 targets, finishing second among Chiefs wideouts in all of the categories to rookie Rashee Rice.
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Chiefs' Justin Watson: Tallies one catch versus Bengals
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Watson compiled one reception (on three targets) for 41 yards during Sunday's 25-17 win over the Bengals.
Watson made his lone catch count, hauling in a 41-yard deep ball from Patrick Mahomes to cross midfield with the Chiefs trailing in the third quarter, which helped set up the Chiefs for a field goal to draw within one. However, that was his lone impact on the game, and Watson has one or fewer grabs in six of the last seven games. He's a touchdown-dependent fantasy option who doesn't carry much value in the vast majority of league formats.
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Chiefs' Justin Watson: Week 18 Waiver Priority List
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The Chiefs might only rest Rashee Rice of their main receivers to make sure everyone else knows how to catch, but we could see Watson, Mecole Hardman and Richie James in prominent roles in Week 18 at the Chargers. Patrick Mahomes isn't expected to play much, if at all, so they could be catching passes from Blaine Gabbert. But it's a favorable matchup since the Chargers are No. 3 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers this year, and I like Watson the best of the aforementioned trio. In deeper leagues, Watson could be a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in Week 18.
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Chiefs' Justin Watson: Faces Bengals on Sunday
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With Kadarius Toney (hip) ruled out, Watson figures to maintain a key role in the Chiefs offense Sunday against the Bengals.
With Toney sidelined in Week 16, Watson -- who has recorded a 26-419-3 receiving line in 14 games -- started against the Raiders, logging 49 of a possible 76 snaps on offense en route to catching four of his six targets for 38 yards and a touchdown. This weekend, look for Watson to maintain his complementary role behind Kansas City's top targets (TE Travis Kelce and WR Rashee Rice), a context that limits the 27-year-old's fantasy utility to deeper formats.
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Chiefs' Justin Watson: Logs 49 snaps in Week 16
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Watson was on the field for 49 of a possible 76 snaps on offense in Monday's 20-14 loss to the Raiders.
In the process, Watson hauled in four of his six targets for 38 yards and a touchdown in the contest. Looking ahead to this weekend's game against the Bengals, Watson profiles as a fantasy option in deeper formats, having overall logged 26 catches on 49 targets for 419 yards and three TDs through 14 outings to date.
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Chiefs' Justin Watson: Gets into end zone in Week 16 loss
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Watson caught four of six targets for 38 yards and a touchdown in Monday's 20-14 loss to the Raiders.
His seven-yard TD grab late in the fourth quarter gave Kansas City a shot at stealing the win, but the defense couldn't get a stop on Las Vegas' ensuing possession. Watson has only three touchdowns on the season, but all three have come in the last six games, as he's established a little trust with Patrick Mahomes. The 27-year-old wideout has already put together a career-best campaign with 26 catches (on 49 targets) for 419 yards.
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Chiefs' Justin Watson: Single grab in Week 14
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Watson gathered in his only target for 18 yards during Sunday's 20-17 loss against the Bills.
Watson has collected a combined two passes over his last three games and has hauled in more than two passes in a game just twice all season, leaving the veteran wideout off the fantasy radar in most fantasy formats. He continues to play regular snaps out wide but isn't a major factor as a receiver.
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Chiefs' Justin Watson: Week 12 Waiver Priority List
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Watson might have had his best and worst game all at once in Week 11 against the Eagles. He had season highs in targets (11) and catches (five). He also scored his first touchdown of the season while posting 53 yards. That's the positive. The negative was a combination of drops and bad routes, and you wonder if that hinders his production moving forward. We know the Chiefs are desperate for playmakers in the passing game, so maybe Watson has some staying power, which is why he's listed here. But he needs to avoid the mistakes to continue earning Patrick Mahomes' trust, and hopefully that happens moving forward. He's worth adding for up to 5 percent of your FAB.
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Chiefs' Justin Watson: Logs full practice
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Watson (elbow) was a full practice participant Wednesday, Matt Derrick of ChiefsDigest.com reports.
Watson thus appears ready to return to action for Sunday's game in Denver, though he'll likely be wearing a brace to protect his dislocated elbow. His presence mostly matters for fantasy as it relates to Rashee Rice's snap and route shares, as none of the other Kansas City wideouts have done much of note this season. Rice is coming off his best receiving line of the season in a Week 7 win over the Chargers, so he won't automatically lose playing time now that Watson is available again.
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Chiefs' Justin Watson: Sits out practice, IR unlikely
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Watson (elbow) won't practice Wednesday, but head coach Andy Reid doesn't believe the wide receiver will require a stint on injured reserve, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports.
Reading between the lines, the fact that an IR stint was on the table suggests that Watson probably won't be available Sunday against the Chargers, though confirmation on his status likely won't come until the release of the team's final Week 7 injury report Friday. Watson injured his left elbow in last Thursday's 19-8 win over the Broncos. The injury was originally thought to be a dislocation but is now being described as a contusion.
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Chiefs' Justin Watson: Suffers elbow injury
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Watson suffered an elbow injury during Thursday's 19-8 win over the Broncos, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
It's unclear when Watson suffered the injury, though it may have been on a long pass attempt in the fourth quarter, or what the exact nature of the issue may be. Watson was held to only one target with no receptions during the win.
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Chiefs' Justin Watson: Leads Chiefs wideouts in receiving
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Watson reeled in two of his three targets for 56 yards during Sunday's 27-20 victory versus the Vikings.
Watson didn't play quite as much as he had previously, falling behind both Marquez Valdes-Scantling (65 percent) and Skyy Moore (56 percent) in snap share, but that didn't stop him from turning in his third effort of 50-plus receiving yards through the first five weeks. Watson has proven to be a valuable vertical threat in the passing attack, racking up five catches of 20-plus yards on the season, but he has yet to score a touchdown. The sixth-year wideout doesn't claim a heavy volume of targets, so he can remain off the fantasy radar in most formats.
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Chiefs' Justin Watson: Leads Chiefs wideouts in snaps
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Watson reeled in his only target for five yards during Sunday's 23-20 victory over the Jets.
Watson claimed the most snaps (43) among wide receivers in the contest, but that did nothing to enhance his fantasy production, as he finished with a season-low one catch and fewer than 40 receiving yards for the first time in 2023. That may be chalked up partially to a stingy Jets secondary, but Watson doesn't produce consistently enough on the regular to warrant consideration in most fantasy formats. Next up is a Minnesota defense that ranks in the bottom third of the league in passing yards per game allowed, so there could be a bounceback opportunity for the aerial attack.
