Christian Watson: taken to hospital with chest injury
THE FACT. Green Bay wide receiver Christian Watson was taken by ambulance to a local hospital Thursday night with a chest injury, per NBC Sports' Charean Williams, who reported the Packers described the transport as precautionary. Yahoo Sports reported the same, adding that Watson went down after a 53-yard catch in the second quarter when Carolina cornerback Will Lee landed on him, and that he finished with six catches for 100 yards before leaving.
THE VERDICT. Watson is at 40 catches, 695 yards and six touchdowns on the season, already a career high in yardage, so this is a genuine hole if he misses time. Redraft: hold, and do not drop him on waiver day before the hospital results are public, because a precautionary chest evaluation covers everything from bruised ribs to multiple weeks out. Line up a bench stash now and treat his next-week status as unknown. Dynasty: no panic sell on a receiver in a career year. DFS: Matthew Golden and Tucker Kraft both caught touchdowns from Jordan Love on Thursday and are the cheap way to buy any volume Watson vacates.
Respectfully, I think this one's already outdated. Watson rode off in an ambulance but he was back on the field in the third quarter after the imaging came back clean, which is about the best outcome you can get from a chest scare. So next week isn't unknown to me, it's lean start. And with no volume actually vacated, the Golden and Kraft angle loses its premise, since both just scored on national TV and neither stays cheap anyway. Six catches, 100 yards on seven targets in a half, plus his third 50-yard grab, most in the league. I'm starting him, not stashing behind him.