Justin Watson

Justin Watson

28-Year-Old Wide ReceiverWR
Kansas City Chiefs
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Watson played at least 30 snaps in many games last year. In Weeks 11-16, the Chiefs actually had Watson on the field for over 40 snaps per contest. Despite the strong snap share, Watson is best known for his blocking ability. Otherwise, Watson does see occasional downfield shots from Patrick Mahomes. After posting between 45-62 yards in the first three games of 2023, Watson had just three other games with 40+ yards. The 62-yard game was the receiver’s best effort of the season. Between having a low scoring floor with little upside, Watson is little more than a depth piece in fantasy. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
#1189.57
ADP
$Signed a two-year, $3.4 million contract with the Chiefs in April of 2023.
Collects trio of passes in Week 8
WRKansas City Chiefs
October 29, 2024
Watson reeled in all three of his targets for 33 yards during Sunday's 27-20 victory versus the Raiders.
ANALYSIS
Watson matched a season-high total with just three targets, racking up a season-best yardage output on the way to a season-best 76 percent snap share. While the workload remains high, Watson's total from Sunday being a season-best paints a clearer picture of his fantasy value every week. To put it plainly, he can be left on waiver wires in the vast majority of league formats.
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NFL Stats
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Fantasy/Red Zone Stats
See red zone opportunities inside the 20, 10 and 5-yard lines along with the percentage of time they converted the opportunity into a touchdown.
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Advanced NFL Stats
How do Justin Watson's 2024 advanced stats compare to other wide receivers?
This section compares his advanced stats with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average. The longer the bar, the better it is for the player.
  • Air Yards Per Game
    The number of air yards he is averaging per game. Air yards measure how far the ball was thrown downfield for both complete and incomplete passes. Air yards are recorded as a negative value when the pass is targeted behind the line of scrimmage. All air yards data is from Sports Info Solutions and does not include throwaways as targeted passes.
  • Air Yards Per Snap
    The number of air yards he is averaging per offensive snap.
  • % Team Air Yards
    The percentage of the team's total air yards he accounts for.
  • % Team Targets
    The percentage of the team's total targets he accounts for.
  • Avg Depth of Target
    Also known as aDOT, this stat measures the average distance down field he is being targeted at.
  • Catch Rate
    The number of catches made divided by the number of times he was targeted by the quarterback.
  • Drop Rate
    The number of passes he dropped divided by the number of times he was targeted by the quarterback.
  • Avg Yds After Catch
    The number of yards he gains after the catch on his receptions.
  • % Targeted On Route
    Targets divided by total routes run. Also known as TPRR.
  • Avg Yds Per Route Run
    Receiving yards divided by total routes run. Also known as YPRR.
Air Yards Per Game
16.9
 
Air Yards Per Snap
0.42
 
% Team Air Yards
9.8%
 
% Team Targets
5.7%
 
Avg Depth of Target
9.8 Yds
 
Catch Rate
62.5%
 
Drop Rate
0.0%
 
Avg Yds After Catch
3.7
 
% Targeted On Route
9.9%
 
Avg Yds Per Route Run
1.06
 
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2024
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2018
2024 NFL Game Log
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2023 NFL Game Log
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2022 NFL Game Log
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2021 NFL Game Log
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2018 NFL Game Log
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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart
Snap Counts
Snap %
Kansas City ChiefsChiefs 2024 WR Snap Distribution See more data like this | See last season's snap counts
#% of Team Snaps

27961%
7756%
27861%
10073%
15133%
75%
14432%
00%
8018%
3223%
6013%
4029%
225%
2216%
51%
54%
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Receiving Alignment Breakdown
See where Justin Watson lined up on the field and how he performed at each spot.
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This Week's Opposing Pass Defense
How does the Broncos pass defense compare to other NFL teams this season?
The bars represents the team's percentile rank (based on QB Rating Against). The longer the bar, the better their pass defense is. The team and position group ratings only include players that are currently on the roster and not on injured reserve. The list of players in the table only includes defenders with at least 3 attempts against them.
DEN
vs Broncos
Sunday, Nov 10th at 1:00PM
Overall QB Rating Against
72.4
 
Cornerbacks
60.6
 
Safeties
86.2
 
Linebackers
100.1
 
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2024 Justin Watson Split Stats
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Justin Watson See More
Monday Night Football DFS Breakdown: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Yesterday
Baker Mayfield has thrown seven interceptions in his last three games, and without his top two wideouts he could throw a few more interceptions at Arrowhead on Monday.
Gameday Injuries: Week 9
2 days ago
Juan Carlos Blanco breaks down another busy injury report in Week 9 and offers Sunday morning updates on the status of key fantasy stars such as Jordan Love.
Wide Receivers vs. Cornerbacks: Week 9 Matchups
4 days ago
Justin Jefferson will almost certainly have a big game Sunday, and the Colts pass defense is weak enough for Jordan Addison to get rolling in the same game.
Box Score Breakdown: Week 8 Snaps, Routes, Personnel and Usage
8 days ago
Kyle Pitts' production is surging despite a decline in playing time, making him one of the riskiest assets in the fantasy landscape.
Gameday Injuries: Week 8
9 days ago
Juan Carlos Blanco dives into an extensive Week 8 injury report and offers the latest news of stars such as the Commanders' Jayden Daniels as of early Sunday morning.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2019
2018
Watson logged more offensive snaps during the 2022 campaign than most expected, tallying 494 for an average of 29.1 per week. Despite the career-high workload, the wideout turned in just 15 catches for 315 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 34 targets in 17 outings. The 6-2, 215-pounder was primarily a downfield option in the Chiefs' passing attack, drawing 25 of his targets (78.2 percent) 10-plus yards from scrimmage. Watson logged a 5.5 percent target share last season, and even with JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman out of the picture, he's unlikely to see enough volume to attain fantasy relevance in 2023.
The 2018 fifth-round pick saw minimal action in his rookie season, but that could change significantly in 2019. Adam Humphries, who logged a career-high 105 targets in 2018, is now in Tennessee, which leaves Watson with a potential clear path to a fairly sizable role in a new pass-centric offense. The Penn product is a much stouter candidate than Humphries for potential slot work, checking in at 6-3, 215 pounds. Moreover, Watson boasts 4.4 speed, so his route tree and overall utility in Bruce Arians' system could be quite diverse. However, dampening his prospects to an extent are the many mouths to feed on offense - Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Breshad Perriman and O.J. Howard, at a minimum, will all peg in ahead of him on the pass-catching hierarchy to open the season.
As an Ivy League receiver with fifth-round slotting, Watson's fantasy prospects as a rookie may be dismissed at first glance. However, Watson has the potential to be an exception to the rule, with a college resume that includes 286 receptions, 3,777 receiving yards and 33 touchdowns lending credence to that notion. Impressive measurables that include a 6-3, 215-pound frame, 4.44 speed and a 40-inch vertical certainly don't hurt his chances for success either, but as an unproven asset at the NFL level, Watson will have to make a strong case in training camp and the preseason. If he does nab a spot on the final roster, Watson conceivably could put a dent into Adam Humphries' opportunities, but it's extremely difficult to envision him climbing any higher than No. 4 on the depth chart. Moreover, with the Bucs already boasting an impressive array of pass-catching options ahead of him, Watson's value should be almost exclusively limited to keeper and dynasty formats.
More Fantasy News
Another quiet effort in Week 7
WRKansas City Chiefs
October 22, 2024
Watson reeled in his only target for eight yards during Sunday's 28-18 win over the 49ers.
ANALYSIS
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Blanked in Week 5
WRKansas City Chiefs
October 8, 2024
Watson wasn't targeted during Monday's 26-13 win against the Saints.
ANALYSIS
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Minimal impact versus Chargers
WRKansas City Chiefs
October 1, 2024
Watson hauled in two of three targets for 27 yards during Sunday's 17-10 win versus the Chargers.
ANALYSIS
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Claims one pass against Falcons
WRKansas City Chiefs
September 24, 2024
Watson had one reception (on two targets) for 13 yards during Sunday's 22-17 win over Atlanta.
ANALYSIS
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Tallies pair of grabs in Week 2
WRKansas City Chiefs
September 17, 2024
Watson hauled in both of his targets for 22 yards during Sunday's 26-25 win over the Bengals.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Could step up with Rice hurt
WRKansas City Chiefs
October 3, 2024
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Patrick Mahomes named Watson as one of the players he expects to step up while Rashee Rice is sidelined by a knee injury, per Matt Derrick of ChiefsDigest.com. "You'll see guys like JuJu [Smith-Schuster] and Justin Watson and Noah Gray and really a lot of guys that are going to come in and make plays," Mahomes said.
ANALYSIS
Rice was originally feared to have suffered a season-ending ACL tear in the Week 4 win over the Chargers, but a firm return timetable has yet to be established. Even in the most optimistic scenarios, Rice appears poised for a multi-week absence, and Watson could be one of the main beneficiaries from a production standpoint. Watson has only six catches for 87 yards through four games, but his 460 receiving yards in 2023 were second-most among Kansas City's wide receivers behind Rice's 938.
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