Week 6 at Washington Football Team
Josh Gordon's Chiefs debut was a dud as he played on just nine snaps out of 86. Patrick Mahomes attempted 54 passes, and only one of those attempts went Gordon's way, which he caught for 11 yards. Gordon might become a valuable fantasy asset at some point this year, but he should be left on the bench until he starts to get more playing time.
Week 5 vs. Buffalo Bills
The return of Josh Gordon. The Chiefs activated Josh Gordon to the active roster, and reports indicate he's going to play. Gordon is in a promising situation with the Chiefs. It's a high-powered offense with the most productive QB in the league and a team that hasn't found a WR2 behind Tyreek Hill. Having said all of that, he's also someone who didn't play at all last season, and didn't show a lot of promise when he did play in 2019, catching seven passes in five games for the Seahawks. Gordon is worth a roster stash in deeper leagues, but he's not worth playing until we have a better-defined role for him.
Week 12 at Philadelphia
Josh Gordon got his first action as a member of the Seahawks. He caught two passes for 27 yards. It will be a settling in process for the veteran, but his stock should keep rising as we get to the end of the regular season. There is little doubt about the talent on the field. Eventually, he could be a fantasy factor.
If Gordon is available on the waiver wire, scoop him up. He is not a fantasy factor for Week 12, but it could be a good investment as we get closer to playoffs.
Week 10 at San Francisco
Josh Gordon will make his debut for Seattle this week and it's a tough matchup for the Seahawks passing game. San Francisco ranks fourth in aFPA to wide receivers. It will be interesting to watch how Gordon fits in the Seattle offense. The talent is there but so are his past issues. Keep an eye on how much Gordon plays and targets sent his way for Week 10.
Week 7 at New York Jets
Josh Gordon left the Patriots' Week 6 matchup against the Giants with a minor knee injury, and that limited him to a single reception for seven total yards. Gordon did not participate in practice on Thursday 10/17, and all signs point to him missing Week 7. His participation on Friday will go a long way toward determining his availability against the Jets, but it's best to assume he'll miss the game for now.
Week 6 vs New York Giants
Josh Gordon continued to see a heavy share of the Patriots' offensive snaps in Week 5, lining up for 86% of them, but his target rate of 12.4% is the lowest among New England's starting receiver trio. He was still targeted 8 times against Washington, but his 59 receiving yards and continued touchdown drought left him as the WR34 for the week and WR42 overall. He's been limited with a knee issue in practice for the past couple weeks, so it's certainly possible he's playing through an injury that's limiting his explosiveness somewhat.
Gordon is likely to be shadowed by cornerback Janoris Jenkins in this matchup with the Giants, but that is far from a reason to sit him. Jenkins has struggled along with the entire Giants secondary, and this is a defense that is more of a pass-funnel unit than last week's Washington matchup. The Giants have allowed 1,052 receiving yards (second-most) and eight receiving touchdowns (third-most) through five weeks, so as long as Gordon is active, fire him up as a WR2.
Week 5 at Washington Redskins
Josh Gordon has lined up for 81% of the Patriots' offensive snaps through Week 4, and he's averaged 6.8 targets per game. The volume is there, even if the fantasy results haven't been. Gordon has yet to pass 85 receiving yards in a game, and his last touchdown came in Week 1. Gordon dislocated a finger in Week 3, appeared somewhat limited in Week 4, and has been limited in practice this week with a knee issue. All signs point to Gordon starting as usual on Sunday.
Gordon matches up against a Washington defense on Sunday that's allowing a massive 50.2 aFPA to wide receivers, the highest mark in the NFL. Washington has allowed eight touchdowns to wide receivers, and they've been particularly vulnerable to wide receiver targets of intermediate depth. Taylor Gabriel with his 10-yard aDOT scored three touchdowns to go along with 75 yards on six receptions in Week 3. If he's healthy for this contest, Gordon and his 9.8-yard aDOT are a good bet to return WR2 value.
Week 4 at Buffalo Bills
With the recent departure of Antonio Brown, Josh Gordon moves back into the top outside receiver role for the Patriots, which should be a boon to his fantasy value. His current standing as the fantasy WR44 should only improve, and his 88% snap share along with his 11 targets in Week 3 were encouraging signs. After being targeted on just 8.7% of his snaps in the first two weeks, that percentage jumped to 16.2% in Week 3.
Josh Gordon will go up against a talented Bills secondary in Week 4 that's 16th in the league with 35.4 Schedule-Adjusted Fantasy Points Allowed (aFPA) to wide receivers. Even with a game script that may favor the run, Gordon is still a good bet for volume, as the Patriots are tied for the second-highest pace of play on offense. Gordon also commands high-value targets, and is always a threat for a few deep receptions in any game. He's a fine WR2 for the week with significant touchdown upside.
Week 3 vs New York Jets
Josh Gordon is the New England wide receiver whose upside was among the most-diminished with the arrival of Antonio Brown. Gordon currently ranks as the fantasy WR46, and despite seeing a 73% snap share, he's only seeing a target on 8.7% of those snaps. Gordon aDOT of 13.6 yards led Patriots receivers in 2018, and his 2019 aDOT of 12.7 is in the same neighborhood, so he's still seeing high-value targets. As Antonio Brown begins to draw extra defensive attention as he's used more heavily, it should benefit Gordon.
New England's Week 3 matchup with the Jets may not present the easiest matchup for Gordon to exploit, but he is capable of enough big plays to make up for reduced target volume. Gordon caught more than five passes last season with the Patriots, but still managed to put together a number of WR1 games. He's a risky start as a WR3, but he does have a higher ceiling than most receivers ranked in his vicinity.
Week 2 at Miami Dolphins
From Week 4 through Week 11 in 2018, Josh Gordon averaged 7.5 targets per game and 77.4 receiving yards. In Week 1 against the Steelers, Gordon turned 4 targets into 3 receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown. While he's not receiving the target volume to make him a no-doubt weekly WR1, the value of his targets keeps him in the WR2 conversation. Gordon's average depth of target was 14.8 yards in Week 1, 15th-highest among all wide receivers with at least 4 targets.
The Patriots face a Dolphins team in Week 2 that by all appearances has an eye on the top of the 2020 NFL draft. The Dolphins allowed six passing touchdowns from Lamar Jackson, and now they get to face Tom Brady. Josh Gordon also received two of the Patriots' five red-zone targets and converted one into a touchdown, and he's a good bet to repeat the feat in Week 2.
Antonio Brown's arrival certainly muddies Gordon's upside for 2019 a bit, but even if Brown's legal issues don't keep him off the field, it will also be difficult for opposing defenses to devote extra resources to defending Gordon moving forward. It's hard to beat this matchup and situation for Gordon in Week 2.
