Getty Melvin Gordon of the Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers running back Melvin Gordon found the endzone last week for the first time in the 2019 season. Despite the touchdown, Gordon still finished as just the 24th highest scoring player at his position for Week 8, putting him at the very bottom of RB2 territory in fantasy. Not the type of production that Gordon fantasy owners expected or hoped for when the stashed the former Pro Bowler on their rosters for the first month of the season.
Will Gordon finally break out in Week 9 vs. the Green Bay Packers? Or has the one-time elite fantasy option become nothing more but a second-fiddle to Austin Ekeler in the Chargers backfield? Let’s discuss.
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Melvin Gordon’s Fantasy Outlook vs. Green Bay Packers
Since returning the Chargers lineup in Week 5, Melvin Gordon has been anything but impressive. The former Wisconsin Badger has averaged a putrid 2.5 rushing yards per carry, with last week marking the first time all season he’s surpassed 2.6 ypc in any game.
Gordon’s 112 combined rushing yards since ending his holdout (4 games) is less than 33 separate single-game rushing performances by a running back this season.
While Gordon has been getting a lot of hate by the media and fantasy owners alike for his play of late, there are many signs pointing towards a soon to be breakout, potentially this week.
For starters, since Gordon has returned to the Chargers lineup, he’s immediately heaped the bulk of the carries in the backfield, out-attempting fellow running back Austin Ekeler 44-16 since Week 4. While Ekeler has almost all but certainly been viewed as a better fantasy play than Gordon on a weekly basis due to his receiving prowess, Gordon is actually not that far behind in terms of receptions. The numbers are certainly skewed due to a 15 reception outing by Ekeler back in Week 5. However, if you look at the stats from Week 6 on, Ekeler has hauled in just five more receptions than Gordon, including two out of the three games where the running backs caught the same amount of passes. Gordon has also outsnapped Ekeler in two of the last three weeks, as his role continues to grow in the offense.
This week Gordon will face off against a struggling Green Bay Packers defense. The Packers currently surrender the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season, including allowing six different RBs to combine for an average of 21.45 fantasy points over the team’s first eight games of the year. Green Bay also allows 123+ rushing yards per game, ranking them 24th amongst NFL defenses.
And the icing on the cake for Gordon fantasy owners, four out of the last five starting running backs to face off against the Packers have averaged a healthy 5.32 rushing yards per attempt.
Should You Start or Sit Melvin Gordon in Week 9?
Melvin Gordon put up his best fantasy performance of the season last week, and his production should only go up in Week 9. A matchup with the Green Bay Packers defense may be just what Gordon needs to kick start his elite fantasy production once again. Start Gordon as an RB2 on Sunday.
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