Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has been suspended for the first six games of the 2022 season.
Watson will miss games versus the Carolina Panthers, New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Chargers, and New England Patriots. Jacoby Brissett is expected to start for the Browns until Watson is eligible to return in Week 7 against the Baltimore Ravens, but the San Francisco 49ers' Jimmy Garoppolo has also been mentioned as a possible trade target. Either way, Watson's suspension is a downgrade for Amari Cooper and the rest of Cleveland's pass-catchers.
Among the 44 quarterbacks with at least 100 drop backs last season, Brissett ranked 35th in Passing Net Expected Points per drop back. Watson is now the QB30 in numberFire's preseason fantasy rankings, and our models project him to average 255.0 passing yards and 30.2 rushing yards per game, with 14.92 touchdowns, 7.1 interceptions, and 2.8 rushing scores.
Source: Adam Schefter, ESPN