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T.J. Watt 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook: Watch Watt’s Floor
For three straight offseasons, T.J. Watt has held a comfortable lead over all other defenders in our fantasy rankings… but that lead is shrinking after a "disappointing" 2024 campaign. Last year, Watt's total sacks, QB hits, pressure rate, pressure total, and Pass Rush Win Rate all dropped significantly. That kind of dip during a healthy campaign is usually a clear sign of decline for an edge rusher entering his age 31 season. Of course, even in that down year, Watt finished as DL3 in Standard IDP points per game, proving 80% of T.J. Watt is still a valuable fantasy asset. However, the signs of decline are there, and his age suggests those signs may not be a mirage. While the former Defensive Player of the Year still merits top-five defender consideration based on his volume and big play ability, his decline in efficiency and the rise of younger defenders like Brian Branch and Zack Baun have helped close the gap Watt used to have over any other fantasy defender. As a result, fantasy managers should resist reaching for Watt this year. Instead, you should wait and take whichever of the top five DLs goes last.
