Watson did not come out to the bench for the third period versus the Wild on Saturday, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.

EDGE Analysis

Watson has been performing well of late, as he notched five goals, two assists and 16 shots in his previous 12 outings. The Michigan native has become a penalty-kill specialist -- he is averaging 2:15 of ice time shorthanded this season -- with three of those five goals coming with a teammate in the box. Mike Fisher was given the night off Saturday and will likely return to the lineup for Sunday's clash with Winnipeg if Watson is unable to play.

Watson was a healthy scratch for Monday's game against the Sabres.

EDGE Analysis

Fear not, fantasy owners. Watson had five goals and an assist in his last 11 games prior to Monday's tilt, so there's no reason to think Watson was in coach Peter Laviolette's doghouse. With the powerhouse Preds having already clinched a playoff spot last week, the team is now in a position to be able to rest some of its regulars, and Watson, who had only missed two games all season, was likely just the most suitable candidate. We expect you'll see him back in the lineup when the Preds play the Maple Leafs at home Thursday.

Watson snapped a five-game pointless skid with a shorthanded goal in Sunday's 4-0 win over the Blues.

EDGE Analysis

Despite being one of the better scorers at AHL Milwaukee earlier in his career (90 points over two seasons from 2013 to 2015), Watson has not enjoyed the same level of success since arriving in Nashville full-time two seasons ago, as he has been cast mostly in a fourth-line role. Watson has all the tools to fill a top-six role for the Preds, however there are currently just too many bodies ahead of him on the depth chart for him to be able to move up.

Watson scored twice in Tuesday's 4-3 overtime win against the Blues.

EDGE Analysis

Watson's shorthanded goal with 5:27 left in regulation pulled his team within one goal, and he struck at even strength just 1:15 later for the equalizer. This effort spearheaded an amazing comeback from a 3-0 deficit, but Watson remains largely a fantasy afterthought with just nine points in 52 games.

Watson entered the All-Star break riding a lengthy scoring slump, held pointless in 18 of his past 19 games.

EDGE Analysis

Now with just seven points in 45 games, Watson will need a big second half if he hopes to surpass the 17 points he posted last season. Still playing primarily on the Preds' fourth line, Watson currently leads the Preds in PIM (82) and is second in hits (121). Accordingly, his fantasy value remains confined to any format that rewards for those stat categories.

Watson scored twice in a 4-3 victory over the Kings on Saturday.

EDGE Analysis

Watson hadn't registered a point in 12 straight games and hadn't scored since Nov. 28, so it was certainly a surprise to see the 25-year-old find the back of the net twice. The last time Watson scored twice in a game was during Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals. Owners shouldn't expect a lot of scoring from Watson, but he has already tied a career high with five goals. However, most of his fantasy value will come from spending time in the sin bin. Watson has 75 PIM through 39 games, which is just 24 shy of last season's total.

Watson had just one point in 10 games coming into the holiday break.

EDGE Analysis

Unfortunately for fantasy owners, contributing offensively is not exactly one of Watson's top job requirements this season. He currently ranks first on the team in hits (96), second in PIM (66) and fourth in blocked shots (43), which is not surprising considering he spends most of his time on the fourth line. From a fantasy standpoint, Watson doesn't have much value outside of very deep formats that reward the aforementioned secondary stat categories.

Watson recorded an assist, three shots on goal and five PIM in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Stars.

EDGE Analysis

Watson's season got off to a rough start with just two points in his first 19 games, followed by a two-game suspension in late November for boarding Colorado's Dominic Toninato. However, the 26-year-old winger has been showing signs of life since returning to the lineup with three points in his last seven games. Watson still doesn't possess much by way of fantasy value skating on the Preds' fourth line, but his game does seem to be pointing in the right direction at the moment. He's worth monitoring in deeper formats.

Watson scored a goal in a 3-2 win over the Blackhawks on Tuesday.

EDGE Analysis

The goal was Watson's second in his last three games. He now has three goals and one assist this season. More importantly, Watson continues to put the smash in Smashville. He also finished the game with five hits and three blocks. For the third year in a row, Watson is on pace to surpass his total number of hits and blocks from the prior season (143 and 66 in 2017, respectively).

Watson (suspension) is once again available to suit up for the Predators after serving out his two-game ban.

EDGE Analysis

While Watson may be eligible for Friday's clash with St. Louis, there is not guarantee the team will re-insert him into the lineup. If the winger is a healthy scratch, it will likely be temporary considering he provides grit and toughness as a bottom-six role player.