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Spotlight - TE Ben Watson, New England Patriots

Posted on 7/17, exclusive to Footballguys.com

David Yudkin's Thoughts

Based on size, skill, and ability Ben Watson stands out as one of the best tight ends in all of football. He's a workout warrior with the frame of a large linebacker, the speed of a blazing receiver, and can bench-press over 500 lbs. He's had several highlight reel plays including one of the most memorable touchdown-saving tackles ever against Champ Bailey in the 2005 playoffs at Denver.

Last year, many people predicted Watson would enter into the elite fantasy tight ends, with experts slotting him as a Top 5 candidate given the sub-optimal wide receiver options the Patriots had to open the year with David Givens and Deion Branch departing. While Watson had a solid season and his production improved, he barely cracked the Top 10. He made strides, but maybe not the improvement that some were expecting.

A late season leg injury early in Week 14 certainly didn't help. It's conceivable that he may have reached 850 receiving yards on the season had he been able to stay healthy and may have been able to make a run for the Top Five. Including the post season, Watson totaled 59 receptions, 724 receiving yards, and three receiving TDs in 16 games. On a per game basis, Watson was actually the Patriots leader in receiving yards per game in 2006.

A lot has changed in New England this year and Watson could lose some production with the additions of Randy Moss, Donte' Stallworth, Wes Welker, and Kelley Washington. Last year's starting tandem of Troy Brown and Reche Caldwell are now buried on the depth chart. Given the Patriots' propensity for finding the open man, pinpointing mismatches, and spreading the ball around, there may not be enough balls thrown Watson's way to boost his numbers.

Similarly, even the tight end position has many options for Watson to be concerned about. Kyle Brady (no relation) was signed to fill the blocking tight end role of departed Daniel Graham. New England also has praised David Thomas (currently out with a broken foot) and wants to try to get him the ball more. And Garrett Mills is expected to serve as an H-back when he's in the lineup.

It's conceivable that all the threats and targets on offense could actually benefit Watson. Moss and Stallworth may draw coverage and enable Watson to break free on underneath routes, and attention will also be given to contain Lawrence Maroney. In the past few seasons, Watson's biggest gainers have been on seam routes and the Pats may be able to add in some wrinkles to get Watson the ball in space and let him ramble.

Positives

• Still has all-world talent and would be a guy you'd want to cover your back in a barroom brawl. Defenders struggle to cover him and he's got rare breakaway speed for a TE.
• Watson is clearly the go to guy at tight end in New England and his production has risen each year. Many times tight ends take a few years to adjust to the NFL and Watson may be at the point where he can start to shake defenders.
• The Patriots went from one of the weakest wide receiver corps to perhaps one of the best, and that may leave Watson room to operate in the middle of the field, something he struggled with last year due to the team's inability to stretch the field.

Negatives

• Upgrades on offense may leave Watson as the forgotten man, as there will not be enough targets to go around to keep everyone happy. There are several other tight ends that figure to see action and share the wealth.
• There have been whispers that the Patriots hoped that Watson would have been a bigger cog in the offense by now. Injuries have been a major concern, as Watson has missed 19 games over his three NFL seasons.
• If both the Patriots' offense and defense improve, it's not out of the question that the team may try to take the air out of the ball and run extensively late in the game. That could spell fewer targets and less time on the field if New England opts for a power running game with blocking tight ends over receiving tight ends.

Final Thoughts

All Patriots offensive players will be very hard to predict this year as they have made so many changes. Watson should fall in that category as well. Like in other years, he may be very unpredictable from week to week, faring well on weeks when defenses let him roam free and getting taken out of the game on other weeks. A healthy Watson is a decent fantasy option given that he could again make a run at the Top Five with an ADP as TE11 and 117th overall. He may see fewer targets, but he may also get more out of them, both on a yards per catch basis and in the end zone. New England will have a lot more options in their goal line packages this season, and that could get Watson a few more touchdowns.

Quotations from the Message Board Thread

Winning IS Everything:
In a matter of a month or so, Watson went from being the #1 option in the NE passing game to now being possibly #3. I am not sure if this heps or hurts him. Watson has average size for a TE and good speed to stretch the field. If Moss and Stallworth are healthy I am afraid not too much will be left for Ben. Watson has not proven to be a good red zone target yet. I will keep expectations tempered for this year.

jurb26:
The additions of Moss and all the other WRs for NE is going to be bitter sweet for Watson. It will make his life as a NFL football player 10x easier, but it will more than likely have a negative impact on his state line. I think Watson was the most targeted player on NE last year. Well, kiss those days goodbye in a hurry. There was also talk this time last year that Watson was going to be the best redzone option for NE. I think that discussion can be dead and buried now as well. Moss is immediately the best redzone option on this team and Maroney is 2nd. I'm sure that all the added weapons and newly found space to roam will help create a few big plays for Watson, who has the ability to make them. He just isn't a consistent enough player to make them frequently enough to be one of the better TEs in FF IMO.

Boston:
Overall I don't see Watson being anymore than a backup fantasy TE. With all the Patriot additions it will probably be very difficult for him to put up consistent numbers. He may have one monster week and follow it up with a zero. Hopefully he comes into camp and shows he can put it all together because the guy is a freak and the dreaded upside is tremendous. Yet, until I see more reliable hands and less of a penchant to fumble I'll look at him as a solid TE who presents serious matchup problems who can't be trusted on a weekly basis.

Ben Watson Projections