Getty The Cleveland Browns have traded Josh Gordon to the New England Patriots.
Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson has remained adamant with his stance on wide receiver Josh Gordon. He plans on not starting Gordon in Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, which on the surface, throws a wrench into the plans of some fantasy football owners.
But while Gordon may not start the game opposite Jarvis Landry on the Browns’ first drive, it’s hard to envision Jackson keeping one of the NFL’s best talents on the sidelines for long. During an interview Wednesday, Gordon told Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal that he’s as locked in as he’s ever been, adding that he’s 100 percent healthy.
So, what should fantasy owners of Gordon do? In short, you roll out the electrifying 27-year-old pass-catcher, barring one or two specific situations.
Although the Browns have some new offensive weapons, including the aforementioned Landry, Gordon has a home-run-hitting ability. When healthy and playing at a high level, he’s arguably one of the best players at his position, and he proved that over a span of 14 games during the 2013 season. In that year, Gordon caught 87 passes for 1,646 yards (18.9 yards per reception) and nine touchdowns.
A Strong Start in 12-Plus Team Leagues
If you’re in a fantasy football league with 12 or more teams, there’s little reason to leave Gordon on your bench. Unless you have two stars at wide receiver and no flex spot, then the Browns wideout should be locked in against the Steelers.
While Pittsburgh boasts a solid defense as always, they allowed 16 touchdowns to opposing wideouts last season. Add that to quarterback Tyrod Taylor’s ability to navigate the pocket and generate time for his receivers to get open, and it’s easy to envision Gordon breaking loose over the top once or twice.
One thing that is worth noting is the weather, as it seems there’ll be 20 MPH winds. This comes courtesy of RotoGrinders’ Kevin Roth.
🏈☔️ PSA on the CLE game. I’ve seen some stuff circulating on Twitter about 7 inches of rain, and that’s not at all the case. We’re looking at maybe an inch of rain, not some torrential monumental downpour.
The winds (20mph, gusts 30mph) are still an issue, but no ark needed.
The wind is somewhat concerning, but Gordon is still a solid play overall.
As things currently stand, the Week 1 depth chart has Gordon listed behind rookie Antonio Callaway, who’s unquestionably a talented player. But due to the fact that Jackson and the Browns had no issues with Gordon’s decisions or handling of his personal situation this offseason, he’ll surely see plenty of work.
How About 10-Team Leagues?
This is where it gets a bit tougher to gauge. While Gordon has unbelievable upside, chances are fantasy owners have quite a bit of talent at wide receiver in a 10-team league. Ideally, having a flex spot would be the ideal scenario to make sure you have the Browns receiver locked in. If the situation doesn’t allow for it, though, and it’s between Julio Jones, Odell Beckham Jr., and Gordon, you have to start the first two.
The decision on what to do with Gordon in a 10-team league comes down to your current roster, the structure of the league and to some extent, the scoring. Bonus points for long touchdowns will make Cleveland’s pass-catcher even more of an appealing option. It’d obviously be ideal if the Browns would just start Gordon, but hopefully, fantasy owners won’t have to deal with this back and forth beyond Week 1.