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Should I start DeVonta Smith or Deshaun Watson in Week 9?

Updated Nov 3, 10:21 AM ET.

Latest

  • : DeVonta Smith: Questionable to Out (Hamstring) (Sleeper injury feed)

Start Deshaun Watson: 98 percent of the snaps and 0 percent of the targets over their last 3 games, against DeVonta Smith's 84 percent of the snaps and 34 percent of the targets. No market projection is posted on either of them this week, so this is a usage call, and a lower confidence one than a call made on a projection. What follows is what each of them has done.

Should I drop DeVonta Smith for Deshaun Watson?

Yes, on the rest of the season. Deshaun Watson projects 126 market-implied PPR points from Week 9 through Week 17 (15.8 a game over 8 games), DeVonta Smith 114 (14.3 a game over 8 games). DeVonta Smith is listed out.

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More fantasy football tools and rankings, all built from the same board.

Neither man carries a season projection right now, so this is their usage this season and their last full season's numbers, side by side.

DeVonta Smith

WR43 · PHI · bye 10

2026 vs anytime td line 2-2

Overall rank
107

Deshaun Watson

QB15 · CLE · bye 11

2026 vs pass yds line 5-3

Market-based projection
15.4 pts a game Wk 8 price
Overall rank
108

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The gap

  • Board size301 draftable players

Draft data is not current for these two, so the figures that depend on it are left out. The call above comes from each player's usage.

Where the draft room stands

Live drafts hold no current pick on DeVonta Smith, and the board ranks him 107th overall on the rest of his evidence.

By format he goes standard: ADP 11; 2QB: ADP 28.

Live drafts hold no current pick on Deshaun Watson, and the board ranks him 108th overall on the rest of his evidence.

The market-based projections

The market-based projection for DeVonta Smith is 2.3 PPR points a game off 1 market across 1 market source. That is 30 percent of what a wide receiver's projection needs, so it is a fragment of one rather than a projection.

The market-based projection for Deshaun Watson is 1.7 PPR points a game off 1 market across 1 market source. That is 0 percent of what a quarterback's projection needs, so it is a fragment of one rather than a projection.

DeVonta Smith's projection is not complete, so the two figures are not set against each other here.

This season so far

Through Week 6, DeVonta Smith has been on the field for 86 percent of PHI snaps, drawn 33 percent of the targets and had 11 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 15 of the offence's 41 third down targets, had 0 of its 8 chances inside the five and seen 10 of its 18 two minute targets.

His 41 targets have averaged 12.2 air yards.

In Week 2 against TEN he caught 10 of 13 targets for 117 yards and scored 1 touchdown.

In Week 3 against CHI he caught 6 of 8 targets for 65 yards and did not score.

In Week 6 against CAR he caught 7 of 14 targets for 75 yards and scored 1 touchdown.

Through Week 8, Deshaun Watson has been on the field for 99 percent of CLE snaps, dropped back 306 times and thrown 7.2 air yards an attempt.

He has been sacked or hit on 65 of 306 dropbacks and scrambled 24 times.

In Week 6 against BAL he completed 16 of 26 passes for 164 yards, threw 0 touchdowns and 0 interceptions and ran 8 times for 29 yards.

In Week 7 against TEN he completed 25 of 36 passes for 308 yards, threw 0 touchdowns and 1 interception and ran 3 times for 19 yards.

In Week 8 against PIT he completed 27 of 39 passes for 324 yards, threw 0 touchdowns and 0 interceptions and ran 2 times for 3 yards.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025 DeVonta Smith played 17 games and scored 201.8 PPR points, 11.9 a game, finishing WR20.

He caught 77 of 113 targets for 1008 yards and 4 touchdowns, with 10 red zone targets.

That came to 6.6 targets a game, a 68 percent catch rate and 13.1 yards a catch.

He was on the field for 89 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

The season feed carries no line for Deshaun Watson in the last completed season.

Side by side

DeVonta Smith is a wide receiver and Deshaun Watson a quarterback, so the question is which slot you fill first rather than which of them is better.

Byes and availability

DeVonta Smith is off in Week 10 and Deshaun Watson in Week 11, so either can cover the other's bye.

DeVonta Smith is listed as out on the injury report.

Drop or keep

  • Should I drop DeVonta Smith for Deshaun Watson?

    Yes, on the rest of the season. Deshaun Watson projects 126 market-implied PPR points from Week 9 through Week 17 (15.8 a game over 8 games), DeVonta Smith 114 (14.3 a game over 8 games). DeVonta Smith is listed out.

  • Should I drop Deshaun Watson for DeVonta Smith?

    No. Keep Deshaun Watson: he projects 126 market-implied PPR points from Week 9 through Week 17 (15.8 a game over 8 games), DeVonta Smith 114 (14.3 a game over 8 games). DeVonta Smith is listed out.

Should I drop Deshaun Watson?

Both players in full

Week 9 on the board

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