Melvin Gordon's holdout may last into regular season

Jul 26, 2019

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, RB Melvin Gordon and the Los Angeles Chargers have recently exchanged proposals, but "there is mounting pessimism that Gordon will not be reporting anytime soon and his holdout threatens to go into the regular season."

Fantasy Impact:

Gordon is entering the final year of his contract and is set to make about $5.6 million, 11th-highest according to Spotrac among running backs. Schefter also reports that "Gordon told the Chargers through his representation that if he does not receive a new deal, he'll sit out and demand a trade." While it might be unlikely the Chargers actually trade Gordon, this battle seems to set to drag on for a while. While Gordon is out, Austin Ekeler will be the biggest beneficiary, with Justin Jackson and Detrez Newsome also in line for work. Our John Paulsen notes that even in games where Gordon played last season, Ekeler still averaged 8.5 touches per game for 68 yards and 0.45 touchdowns. The more work Ekeler receives during camp, the more RB2 upside he brings to the table. At the moment, in our current PPR rankings, Gordon sits at No. 21 among running backs while Ekeler is at No. 30 and brimming with potential.

yesterday

Chargers to sign RB J.K. Dobbins on one-year deal

Tom Pelissero

yesterday · 7:45 PM EDT

Former Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins is planning to sign with the #Chargers on a one-year deal. Electric when healthy, Dobbins — who averages 5.8 yards per carry in his career — reunites with OC Greg Roman and can hit the market again in March.

Related Players: Gus Edwards

Fantasy Impact:

Dobbins has had poor injury luck in his career, but has only managed 234 total rushes since being drafted in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. This is a low-risk, high-reward move by the Chargers and might give them a runway to wait a little longer in the '24 Draft before they address the position.

Apr 16

Cowboys sign RB Royce Freeman

Todd Archer

Apr 16 · 8:15 PM EDT

The Cowboys have signed running back Royce Freeman to a one-year deal. Freeman had 319 yards on 77 carries with 2 touchdowns last year for the Los Angeles Rams. He was 3rd round pick of Denver in '18.

Related Players: Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn

Fantasy Impact:

Freeman hasn't rushed for 500 yards since 2018, his rookie season. This shouldn't have any impact on the team drafting at the position and/or bringing back Ezekiel Elliott.

Apr 15

Eagles sign WR DeVonta Smith to three-year extension

Ian Rapoport

Apr 15 · 10:45 AM EDT

The Eagles have paid another big-time, rising player. This time, WR DeVonta Smith gets a 3-year, $75M contract extension that includes $51M guaranteed.

Related Players: A.J. Brown, DeVante Parker, Parris Campbell

Fantasy Impact:

Great news for Jalen Hurts and the Eagles offense as a whole. Smith will continue his 1b role in which he finished the 2023 season as fantasy's WR22.