Melvin Gordon is currently one of the hottest running back free agents still looking for a team. With Gordon’s talent, that makes him an overlooked commodity in fantasy football. The Denver Broncos had an interest in bringing Gordon back before making the trade for Russell Wilson. However, that seems to be up in the air right now.
A Russell Wilson and Melvin Gordon Wisconsin reunion would be nice to see the old college teammates go chase a ring together. As always though, money is the issue that could be causing such delay. Melvin Gordon is easily an $8-10M per year running back. At the age of 29, his position could be something the Broncos can’t commit long term.
Javontae Williams fantasy managers would prefer a player like Gordon not join the backfield. And if you’re a Gordon manager, you might be wondering how being in a backfield led by Williams could be beneficial. Well, Melvin Gordon last season was very productive with the opportunities he had on the table. At the age of 29, Gordon was able to finish with 918 rushing yards, 4.5 yards per carry, 10 touchdowns, and averaged 12 fantasy points per game.
Williams has shown promise to be a stud starting running back in the NFL. Still, last season he was not good enough to fend off Melvin Gordon. Gordon isn’t a washed-up running back floating around looking for the next job. He still has been a very productive running back in the NFL.
The way the fantasy football community is treating Gordon you would think Gordon is the next Mike Davis or Jaamal Williams. He is far from those guys in talent and no matter where Gordon plays, he’ll be ready to take on that backfield head-on. Let’s look at how productive he’s been since 2016. It’s actually quite impressive.
Melvin Gordon Stats since 2016
- 3rd Rushing Yards (5,503)
- 3rd Rushing Attempts (1,293)
- 4th Catches (251)
- 3rd Total touchdowns (67)
- 4th Targets (343)
- 4th Rushing touchdowns (53)
- 4th Receiving touchdowns (14)
Best Fantasy Football Fits For Melvin Gordon
When thinking about potential landing spots for Gordon, I can’t really think of a better place than Denver. However, for fantasy football purposes, it would be nice for him to land in a place he could have 250+ touches to showcase his talent. Possible locations would be Buffalo, Atlanta, and Houston. All of those teams may need a veteran presence in their running back room.
As it stands, Houston only has Rex Burkhead which brings very little competition for the starting job. Gordon would be a clear plug and play for the Texans. Atlanta is a mess right now as they currently have Mike Davis and Cordarrelle Patterson. Buffalo could make things interesting by adding a strong presence the backfield has been missing for some time now.
Stay Home
Denver is the best fit for him to be a fantasy football-relevant running back. Splitting the workload with Javonte Willams wouldn’t be the end of the world. They have shown us they both can co-exist. Both players finished with 2013 carries last season and over 900 yards.
If we learned anything from last season with running backs, no one is safe from injury. Big stars like Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffery, and Saquon Barkley all faced injury at some point of the season. Those teams took a loss in production with the run game because of it. Denver could avoid this just buy bringing Gordon back. Of course he would have to take a pay cut for this to be a reality.
Fantasy Football Value
The value you can get now in dynasty start ups is obviously huge because he’s a free agent. However, redraft season is right around the corner and he will be overlooked and undervalued. It would be great to get Gordon in those mid rounds as as RB3 or flexe. Those rounds are important to build depth, especially at the running back position.
What really matters most for the running backs is whether or not they can find the end zone. Touchdowns are king. Gordon has always had a nose for the endzone throughout his career. Last season he was 12th in redzone touches and that was with sharing a 52% snap share to Javonte Williams‘s 48%.
In Conclusion, come draft day Melvin Gordon should very well be on your radar. He’s going to be a great depth piece that could show up and show out in your starting line-up. Whatever the conclusion is of his football future is this year, one thing we can bet on is he will be playing football this season as a starting running back.
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