So here it is, the final part of the Dynasty ADP Duels! We've looked at RB (Cook Vs Mixon), WR (Godwin Vs Smith-Schuster), and TE (Engram Vs Henry)... And we are finishing with a big one! It's the battle of the QB's, with two elite players going head to head. Your finale... Dak Prescott (ADP:53 - QB3) Vs Deshaun Watson (ADP:63 - QB5)!
Here's a recap of each category we will be evaluating each player on...
Round 1 - Prospect - Taking a look at each player as they were entering the NFL.
Round 2 - Career so far - Comparing how each player's career has played out so far.
Round 3 - 2019 Results - Seeing how each player performed in 2019.
Final Round (Double Points) - Offense/Situation/Outlook - Evaluating each player's offense and how they will be involved to see who has the best outlook for 2020 and beyond. Double points as it's the one area, as dynasty owners, we most care about!
The player with the most points out of a possible 5 will be declared the winner!
Right... For one last time... LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!...
FIGHT!!
Dak Prescott Vs Deshaun Watson
Round 1 - Prospect
Dak Prescott
Following on from his 4 years at Mississippi State, Dak Prescott's stats are as follows:
Passing - 734/9376/70
Rushing - 536/2521/41
After declaring for the NFL Draft, Dak went on to participate at the NFL Combine. Here are his measurables and percentiles (Vs QBs):
40 Yard Dash - 4.79s - 56%tile
Vertical Jump - 32 1/2" - 63%tile
Broad Jump - 116" - 80%tile
3-Cone Drill - 7.11s - 50%tile
Hand Size - 10 7/8" - 98%tile
Dak Prescott was then drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the 4th Round (Pick 135) of the 2016 NFL Draft.
Deshaun Watson
Deshaun Watson had 3 years with the Clemson Tigers where he put up the following stats:
Passing - 814/10168/90
Rushing - 435/1934/26
He then declared for the 2017 NFL Draft and his combine figures look as follows:
40 Yard Dash - 4.66s - 83%tile
Vertical Jump - 32 1/2" - 63%tile
Broad Jump - 119" - 88%tile
3-Cone Drill - 6.95s - 77%tile
Hand Size - 9 3/4" - 61%tile
following on from his combine performance, Deshaun Watson was selected by the Houston Texans in the 1st Round (Pick12) of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Conclusion
Stats - Watson had the more successful college career between the two and also put up the better passing stats during his time with Clemson.
Measurables - Watson again takes this one, although both were athletic QBs coming into the NFL. Watson just outperformed Prescott in most of the combine drills though.
Draft - Watson was a 1st Round pick in comparison to Prescott been selected in the 4th Round. Making it a clean sweep for Watson.
Current Score - Prescott 0 - 1 Watson
Round 2 - Career So Far
Dak Prescott
Dak has been extremely reliable, but slightly underrated at the beginning of his career. During his 4 years in the NFL, Prescott has finished as a QB1 each season, consistently putting up solid yardage numbers and TDs and also offering a nice floor with his rushing ability. But it was 2019 when Prescott really began to put his name alongside the top QBs in the league, finishing the year as the QB2 in fantasy.
Deshaun Watson
Deshaun Watson got off to a fast start with his NFL career, putting up great numbers in his first 7 games but sadly tore his ACL and missed the remainder of the season. He then managed to put together a full season the year after and finished as the QB4, a feat which he repeated in 2019 although with slightly worse figures. Again, like Dak, Watson is able to offer a nice floor to his fantasy owners with his rushing ability.
Conclusion
This was a close call as Prescott has played a season more but both have put up similar numbers each year. I'm going to lean with Prescott though as he has proven to be a consistent QB who has proven the elite upside that he has without missing a single game in the last 4 seasons.
Current Score - Prescott 1 - 1 Watson
Round 3 - 2019 Season
Dak Prescott
2019 was a huge year for Prescott, where he put up his best career figures in all passing stats. This resulted in him finishing the year as the QB2. Here are some of the key stats from his 2019 season:
QB2 finish in fantasy
4902 passing yards (2nd) and 30 TDs (4th)
346.7 fantasy points (21.7 FPPG)
277 rushing yards (8th) with 3 TDs
6 weekly Top5 QB finishes
Produced 2 Top20 WRs in Cooper and Gallup
Deshaun Watson
Watson had a solid, if unspectacular, season in 2019. His passing yards took a slight drop compared to the season before, but he still had some solid stats in 2019:
QB4 finish in fantasy
3852 passing yards (13th) and 26 TDs (8th)
331 fantasy points (22.1 FPPG)
413 rushing yards (4th) with 7 TDs
7 weekly Top5 QB finishes
Conclusion
After his QB2 finish, it's hard not to give this one to Prescott. Watson had some great games but it was Prescott who was the more consistent performer throughout the season, excelling in the passing game.
Current Score - Prescott 2 - 1 Watson
Round 4 - Offense/Situation/Outlook
Dak Prescott
Dak Prescott is currently the starting QB for the Dallas Cowboys, where he is coming of the best season of his career so far. However, despite that, the team didn't have their best finishing with a 8-8 record, resulting in them missing out on the NFC East title and head coach Jason Garrett not having his contract renewed.
Now in 2020, under new head coach Mike McCarthy, Dak will be hoping he can carry his performance over to the 2020 season. He's still got the offensive weapons he relied on in 2019 in Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, and Ezekiel Elliott, and now the Cowboys have added another weapon in 1st round rookie pick, WR CeeDee Lamb. Although he has now lost one of his star offensive line players, center Travis Frederick, who retired this offseason.
The one concern with Dak is that he has yet to be given the big contract that he has been after for the last year or so, however, I find it hard to believe that the Cowboys would allow Prescott to walk. A new contract can't be far away.
Deshaun Watson
Deshaun Watson is currently the starting QB for the Houston Texans, who had an up and down season in 2019. And that's unlikely to change in 2020 with star WR DeAndre Hopkins been involved in a trade for David Johnson this offseason, resulting in him moving to the Cardinals.
In 2020, Watson will have to rely on the often injured Will Fuller, Brandon Cooks, Kenny Stills, and recent acquisition Randall Cobb which could limit his ceiling with no Hopkins around now. His rushing ability will always give him a relatively safe floor, but with a poor offensive line, a lack of talent around him, and a tough schedule in 2020, Watson is unlikely to reach the highs many had hoped when he entered the NFL.
Conclusion
With the weapons that Dak Prescott has at his disposal for 2020 and beyond, if he finally gets the contract that he wants in Dallas, then I believe his outlook is much more ideal than that of Deshaun Watson's. He's tied to an elite RB as well as 3 quality WRs which can contribute to huge upside in fantasy football.
Finish Him!!
While you could argue that Watson is the more talented QB, his situation is nowhere near the level of Prescott's. The Texans are in a bit of a mess right now and it could take a few years for them to be at a level where they can offer Watson an offense to rival Prescott's. Prescott should be a lock as a top 5 QB in fantasy for years to come.
Final Score - Prescott 4 - 1 Watson
Thank you for reading this article and my Dynasty ADP Duels series, hopefully you enjoyed this fun project for me to put together! Be sure to follow me on twitter @MattFFDynasty for more fantasy football content.
