DENVER, CO - NOVEMBER 04: Quarterback Deshaun Watson #4 of the Houston Texans is chased out of the pocket against the Denver Broncos at Broncos Stadium at Mile High on November 4, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Houston Texans pass defense has high expectations in 2019, but does PFF think so? by Stephen Forsha

Fans of fantasy football know of the potential Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has for the 2019 season.

In just his short time in the NFL, and following 23 career games — 22 starts — Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson is quickly becoming a star in the world of fantasy football, and for good reason.

Watson is a rare quarterback who is very productive through the air with nearly 6,000 yards passing in his first two seasons on the field, but he can make a fantasy score spike with his ability to run with the football as well.

The Texans quarterback has 820 yards rushing in his 23 games played, including 551 yards last season with five touchdown rushes. As a rookie in 2017, Watson in just seven games rushed for 269 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 7.5 yards per rush.

Watson is receiving many accolades this offseason when it comes to fantasy football, with Pro Football Focus in their first edition of the PFF Fantasy Playbook having him as the second-ranked fantasy quarterback entering the 2019 season.

One of the projections for Watson in the PFF Fantasy Playbook is Watson will pass for 3,969 yards and throw for 26 touchdowns. On his feet, they have Watson going for 513 yards rushing with four touchdowns on 91 rushes.

Compare those projections to last season, where Watson passed for 4,165 yards and threw for 26 touchdowns, and they have a feeling Watson won’t pass for as many yards.

The PFF Fantasy Playbook also has Watson rushing for fewer yards and having one fewer rushing touchdown.

Even with those projections, Watson still is capable of being a star fantasy player once again, as he did had eight passes of 40-plus yards a year ago and threw for over 300-plus yards in a game on five occasions.

In both of his NFL seasons, Watson has thrown for single-digit interceptions, and according to PFF, the Texans quarterback averaged 21.1 fantasy points per week a season ago. As a rookie, in seven games, Watson averaged 24.6 fantasy points per game.

As for a closer look at some more stats of Watson, in the PFF Fantasy Playbook it states he has an average depth of throw of 8.2, which is 13th in the NFL, plus his yards in the air (number of passing yards in the air) is 2,379 yards.

One issue for Watson when it come to actual games that affects his fantasy numbers — good or bad — is the offensive line and how much pressure he is under. Last season, Watson was under pressure 43 percent of the time he dropped back, tied with Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills for the most pressure. That stat is two-fold for Watson as it does hurt his passing numbers, but it does contribute to his rushing numbers as it does for him to make plays with his legs.

Even with the amount of pressure Watson is under during games, the 2019 season should be a season where he really steps up and becomes even more of a known quarterback to the casual fan than he already is.

Those who play fantasy football know Watson is the real deal, and going into the ’19 season Watson is about to take over the fantasy world with his passing and rushing abilities, making him a must-draft quarterback when it comes the right time to select one.

For more grades, advanced statistics and more at Pro Football Focus, subscribe

to PFF’s EDGE or ELITE subscriptions at ProFootballFocus.com.