Fantasy Football: Expect Big Things from Sammy Watkins in 2019

Fantasy Football: Expect Big Things from Sammy Watkins in 2019

The mystery of Sammy Watkins has been a tough case to crack over the past several seasons for fantasy football owners.

After a remarkable sophomore campaign in 2015 that saw him reel-in 60 catches for over 1,000 yards and 9 touchdowns in just 13 games, he’s failed to prove capable of sustaining this elite level of play.

However, this may be no fault of his own, as injuries and multiple changes of scenery have kept him from reaching his full potential.

After a promising first two years in the league, Watkins dealt with lingering foot issues which required multiple surgeries. In turn, he’s bounced around teams, spending a year with the Los Angeles Rams after his tenure with the Bills before finally finding a home in Kansas City. Simply put, luck has not been on his side.

Fear not, though, as Watkins could be primed for a comeback season in 2019 in his second year on the high-octane Kansas City Chiefs offense. Still just 25 years old, there’s plenty of time for the once-highly touted prospect out of Clemson to turn things around.

His biggest remaining concern revolves around his health, a familiar narrative to anyone who’s drafted him in fantasy in any of the last three seasons. Luckily, reports out OTA’s claim that Watkins has looked “incredible” so far, as Peter Schrager (co-host of Good Morning Football) stated last week. He’s heard murmurs that Watkins is finally in the “best shape of his life.”

Watkins backed up this claim on SiriusXM NFL on May 20th, claiming that he feels so good it’s almost as if he’s back in college.

"“I think now, I’m settled there. I know the offense, I know the coaches. I know everyone in the organization is supporting me, so I’ve got to give my all. This offseason has just been good to correct my body on the things I need to correct, and the Chiefs staff has been great with this, helping me tremendously with my body,” said Watkins."

Two days prior to talking on the show, he sent out the following tweet.

Watkins, himself, certainly believes he’ll make big strides this season. But should fantasy owners? Let’s take a look at how he fared in the Chiefs’ offense a season ago.

While he started just nine games in 2018, nabbing 40 receptions for 519 yards and 3 touchdowns, he showed the same kind of speed and athleticism he once possessed. This may have been overshadowed, however, on an offense already containing the elite pass-catching tandem of Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill. Because of this, Watkins had to settle for a limited role while learning his third playbook in as many years.

When taking a deeper look, reigning-MVP Patrick Mahomes and Watkins seemed to click on a high level when targeting the big-bodied speedster. According to Pro Football Focus, the two paired for a 73 percent catch rate when Mahomes threw the ball his way, compiling a 125 QB rating. This QBR was sixth-highest of any QB/WR duo in all of football last year.

In 2019, a much larger opportunity awaits Watkins in the wakes of the Tyreek Hill child abuse allegations. Currently, it’s anybody’s guess whether or not Hill will take the field this Fall. As we’ve seen before, though, the league generally doesn’t take too kindly to these kinds of situations.

If the Chiefs are, indeed, forced to proceed without Hill, they’ll have to account for a whopping 137 missing targets, 11th-highest in the league last season. While the team did draft scary-similar wideout Mecole Hardman (seriously, look at their similarities here) in second round of this year’s draft, he’s still incredibly raw and will need time to get adjusted to the next level.

Enter, Sammy Watkins. Now with a full offseason under his belt in KC, he looks ready to fill the gaping void in Andy Reid‘s offense left by Hill. It should be a surprise to no one if he’s able to post career-best numbers in 2019, as he’ll likely receive plenty of opportunity to do so.

Make no mistake; Watkins still carries plenty of risk, as he hasn’t shown the ability to remain healthy in years past. However, if his body can hold up, fantasy owners who take a shot on him this summer will be glad they did.