Deshaun Watson is accused of sexually assaulting 22 women. Many of the details are disgusting. It feels odd to be writing about him purely through the lens of fantasy football in the face of such allegations. However, we are playing a game of numbers based on NFL outcomes with money on the line. Therefore a thorough understanding of how he impacts the fantasy landscape is important.
That being said, the length of suspension he’ll face is an important part of the uncertainty around Watson. It’s impossible to tell at this stage exactly how many games it might be. But the fact that just $1 million of his $230 million contract is his 2022 base salary suggests that even Watson’s camp knows one is coming. The NFL is well known for being arbitrary when it comes to punishments. This can make it very difficult to make a confident prediction as to how many games he might miss. Even something like six games makes it an uphill battle for Watson to help advance you to the playoffs at significant draft capital.
On the other hand, in large field best ball tournaments, this can make Watson a highly attractive option when he slips past ADP – a low advance rate combined with high scores in the playoff weeks can be a potent combo. One caveat is that if you’re playing in a tournament where a significant amount of drafters got him at a cheaper cost, it can be difficult to overcome the value difference (but not impossible at 18 picks of ADP).
