Watson took another jump forward in his third season in the league, posting several career-high numbers while playing a meaningful role off the bench. He averaged 8.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.4 blocks and 0.7 steals across 24.4 minutes per game in 68 regular-season outings. The 23-year-old also shot 47.7 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from three-point range. However, Watson shot just 69.3 percent from the charity stripe and has struggled with efficiency from the free-throw line during his NBA career. He should continue to operate as the primary backup to Aaron Gordon in the 2025-26 campaign, though Denver strengthened its second unit this offseason by adding Tim Hardaway, Bruce Brown and Jonas Valanciunas. Watson's career-best year in 2024-25 was good for a 175th-place finish in eight-category leagues, but Denver remains a contending team and has bolstered its bench, meaning the UCLA product may not see the same production he saw last season. He has shown potential and should garner interest in the late rounds of fantasy drafts, especially in deeper leagues. However, his role isn't expected to increase in the final year of his rookie deal, making him a solid addition slightly before pick 200 in drafts. Read Past Outlooks
$Signed a two-year, $4.5 million contract with the Nuggets in July of 2022. Nuggets exercised $2.41 million team option for 2024-25 in October of 2023. Nuggets exercised $4.36 million team option for 2025-26 in October of 2024.
Personal Bio/PreCareer Summary
Watson was born on Sep. 11, 2002, in Beverly Hills, California. He attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, California, joining the varsity team as a freshman. He would gain a key role with the team as a junior, where he averaged 23.2 points and 8.0 per game, earning Moore League MVP honors. Watson was named to the rosters for the McDonald's All-American, Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit. He was a consensus five-star recruit, one of the top small forwards and the highest-ranked player from California in the 2021 recruiting class. On July 27, 2020, he committed to playing college basketball for UCLA over offers from Arizona, Gonzaga, Michigan, Oregon and Washington. As a freshman, he was joining an experienced UCLA group with all five starters returning after advancing to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament. As a result, his playing time was sporadic and his role was very reduced compared to high school. However, he did receive an honorable mention for the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team, averaging 3.3 points and 2.9 rebounds in 12.6 minutes per game. After the season, Watson declared for the 2022 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility. He was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the 2022 NBA draft with the 30th overall pick. He was then traded to the Denver Nuggets along with two future second-round picks for JaMychal Green and a 2027 protected first-round draft pick.
Ruled out for Wednesday
FDenver Nuggets
Hamstring
March 10, 2026
Watson (hamstring) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Rockets.
ANALYSIS Watson hasn't played since Feb. 4 due to a right hamstring strain and is without a clear timetable for a return. He's expected to be re-evaluated soon, though the 23-year-old forward should be considered doubtful for Thursday's game in San Antonio until Denver offers an update on his status.
2024 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Starting/Off Bench
Loading Split Stats...
2024 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Days Rest
Loading Split Stats...
2024 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Vs Opp
Loading Split Stats...
2024 NBA Per Game Split Stats - By Result
Loading Split Stats...
Advanced Stats
Loading Advanced Stats...
2025
2024
2023
2022
Stat Review
How does Peyton Watson compare to other players?
This section compares his stats with all players from the previous three seasons (minimum 200 minutes played)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
True Shooting %
An advanced statistic that measures a player's efficiency at shooting the ball that takes field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and three point percentage into account.
Effective Field Goal %
A statistic that adjusts field goal percentage to account for the fact that three-point field goals count for three points while field goals only count for two points.
3-Point Attempt Rate
Percentage of field goal attempts from three point range.
Free Throw Rate
Number of free throw attempts per field goal attempt.
Offensive Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available offensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Defensive Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available defensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Total Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Assist %
An estimate of the percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted while they were on the floor.
Steal %
An estimate of the percentage of opponent possessions that end with a steal by the player while they were on the floor.
Block %
An estimate of the percentage of opponent two-point field goal attempts blocked by the player while they were on the floor.
Turnover %
An estimate of turnovers committed per 100 plays.
Usage %
An estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while they were on the floor.
Fantasy Points Per Game
NBA Fantasy Points Per Game.
Fantasy Points Per Minute
NBA Fantasy Points Per Minute.
True Shooting %
60.0%
Effective Field Goal %
56.7%
3-Point Attempt Rate
33.8%
Free Throw Rate
33.1%
Offensive Rebound %
3.5%
Defensive Rebound %
14.1%
Total Rebound %
9.0%
Assist %
9.1%
Steal %
1.4%
Block %
3.6%
Turnover %
10.8%
Usage %
20.2%
Fantasy Points Per Game
28.6
Fantasy Points Per Minute
0.9
Loading Player Stat Review...
Loading Player Stat Review...
Loading Player Stat Review...
Total
Per Game
Per 36
NBA Historical Fantasy Stats
How are these ratings calculated?
Our historical fantasy ratings are standard scores calculated using 8-Category settings with 12 teams and 13 players per team.
Loading Historical Fantasy Stats...
NBA Per Game Historical Fantasy Stats
Loading Per Game Historical Fantasy Stats...
NBA Per 36 Historical Fantasy Stats
Loading Per 36 Historical Fantasy Stats...
Historical ADP
Loading Historical ADP...
Nuggets Depth Chart
Our full team depth charts are reserved for RotoWire subscribers.
Average Fantasy Points are determined when Peyton Watson was active vs. non-active during the season. Click here to view average fantasy points for a different time period.
Minutes
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Sorare
Loading Average Minutes...
Loading FanDuel Points...
Loading DraftKings Points...
Loading Yahoo Points...
Loading Head2Head Points...
Loading Sorare Points...
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Peyton Watson See More
RotoWire's Joe Mayo analyzes Monday's DraftKings slate, highlighting elite plays and value picks based on matchups and recent performances to help you gain an edge.
RotoWire's Dan Bruno highlights his favorite DraftKings picks for Friday's slate, breaking down matchups and recent performances to build winning lineups.
Uncover under-rostered fantasy basketball gems with insight from injury reports, NBA stats and upcoming game schedules. Find your next waiver wire edge now!
Top NBA DFS picks for Monday, including elite options, value plays and injury updates to build winning DraftKings lineups. Get expert tips from RotoWire.
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Entering his third season in the league, Watson has yet to establish himself as a consistent producer in fantasy or reality. Although he suited up for 80 games last year, he finished outside the top 250 in nine-category leagues, averaging 6.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 0.6 three-pointers in 18.6 minutes per game. He flashed rim protection upside at stages throughout the season, at one point blocking 13 shots across a span of three games. Sadly, the same cannot be said for his offensive output. He lacks a reliable shot, be it from mid-range or the perimeter, while also shooting just 65.1 percent from the stripe over the course of his career. Despite losing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Magic this offseason, the Nuggets remain in win-now mode, meaning opportunities for Watson could still be sporadic. He is someone to keep an eye on, just in case he can take some strides forward on the offensive end of the floor. However, Watson is not worth drafting outside of deeper formats.
More Fantasy News
Won't play Monday
FDenver Nuggets
Hamstring
March 8, 2026
Watson (hamstring) is out for Monday's game against the Thunder.
ANALYSIS Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Ramping up, re-evaluation on tap
FDenver Nuggets
Hamstring
March 2, 2026
Watson has been ramping up his basketball activities as he continues to recover from a right hamstring strain and is slated to be re-examined later this week, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.com reports.
ANALYSIS Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Set for four-plus-week absence
FDenver Nuggets
Hamstring
February 6, 2026
Watson was diagnosed Friday with a Grade 2 right hamstring strain and will be re-evaluated in four weeks, Michael Scotto of USA Today reports.
ANALYSIS Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Dealing w/ Grade 2 hamstring strain
FDenver Nuggets
Hamstring
February 5, 2026
Watson has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 right hamstring strain, and he's expected to miss an extended amount of time, Tony Jones of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Leaves early with hamstring injury
FDenver Nuggets
Hamstring
February 4, 2026
Watson (hamstring) left Wednesday's 134-127 double-overtime loss to the Knicks with 8:30 remaining in the fourth quarter and didn't return. He finished with 10 points (4-13 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 1-2 FT), five rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block across 33 minutes.
ANALYSIS Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Latest Fantasy Rumors
Lakers could be interested
FDenver Nuggets
February 17, 2026
Watson, who's sidelined by a calf injury, is among the players the Lakers could target in free agency after the 2025-26 season, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
ANALYSIS The Lakers are looking to bolster their overall depth in the offseason, and Watson, one of the breakout players in 2025-26, is a player they could target. Even though the Nuggets would look to keep Watson around, he's set to become a restricted free agent in the summer, and the Nuggets would have to either shed salary or go into second-apron territory to match an aggressive offer sheet. If they decide against going into the second-apron territory, they could very well let him leave. That would pave the way for the Lakers to sign him, as long as no other team outbids them in the race for the 23-year-old. Watson entered the All-Star break averaging 14.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game while shooting 41.7 percent from three-point range.