Week 5 at Pittsburgh Steelers
Melvin Gordon saw 19% of the team’s offensive snaps last week in a complementary role to Gus Edwards. He’s vying for time with both Edwards and Justice Hill, so his fantasy value is extremely limited. It’s possible the Ravens get up early against Pittsburgh and Gordon gets additional second half work in a blowout, but that’s a lot to bank on for fantasy managers. Leave him on waivers.
Week 4 at Cleveland Browns
Melvin Gordon had 10 carries and two receptions for a total of 55 yards last week against the Colts. He stands to get some additional work this week with Gus Edwards in concussion protocol, but still, tread carefully around this Baltimore backfield. The team seems like they have a lot of names to throw in the mix, including Kenyan Drake, and that’s without even considering a return from Edwards and/or Justice Hill. The Brown rank 13th in aFPA to opposing running backs, so it’s not a great matchup anyway. Gordon should be considered a risky RB3 option at best.
Week 11 vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Even as the Broncos' "lead back," Melvin Gordon only played just over 50% of Denver's offensive snaps in Week 10 and had 11 touches for 70 scoreless yards. There is not much production to go around in Denver to begin with, and now Gordon is locked into a three-way timeshare with Latavius Murray and Chase Edmonds. Even in a good matchup with the Raiders' porous defense, it is hard to trust any member of the Denver backfield as a fantasy starter. Gordon works as a desperation flex play but there's not much upside with him at this point in the season.
Week 10 at Tennessee Titans
Melvin Gordon exits the bye week with even more usage uncertainty than expected as the Broncos traded for Chase Edmonds in the Bradley Chubb deal with Miami. The Broncos' backfield now looks like a three-way disaster split between Gordon, Latavius Murray, and whatever role the coaching staff gives to Edmonds. Now the Broncos will travel to Nashville to take on the Titans, who boast an above-average run defense according to fantasy points allowed to opposing backs. Given the tough matchup and intense uncertainty surrounding roles in the Denver backfield, it would be best to avoid starting any Broncos running back in fantasy.
Week 8 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (London)
Melvin Gordon played 54% of Denver's offensive snaps last week after being benched in Week 6. He saw 13 touches but only totaled 50 scoreless yards as the Broncos were forced to start Brett Rypien and continued their miserable offensive season in a loss to the Jets. Latavius Murray split the work with Gordon, receiving 10 touches of his own. The Broncos backfield is a mess and the fantasy implications are exacerbated by the fact that the offense just does not produce much to begin with. The Jaguars have a below-average run defense, but the timeshare and lack of touchdown opportunities for Denver make Gordon a desperation start only.
Week 7 vs. New York Jets
If we were concerned about Melvin Gordon not dominating snaps last week, Week 6 has plunged him into even more dire straits. Gordon only played 19% of the offensive snaps in Week 6, with those all coming early in the game as he was essentially benched in the second half. The Broncos brought Latavius Murray into the picture and immediately gave him 15 carries as the lead back on early downs with Gordon only seeing three carries of his own. Nathaniel Hackett has since said that Gordon was not injured and will still start in Week 7 against the Jets, but that simply cannot be trusted for fantasy given what we saw Monday night. The combination of Gordon being stuck in a suddenly ambiguous backfield, and that backfield belonging to one of the NFL's worst offenses so far, makes him unplayable in fantasy leagues.
Week 6 at Los Angeles Chargers
Even with Javonte Williams out of the picture, Melvin Gordon only saw a 45% snap share in Week 5. The Broncos and Colts were engaged in an all-time ugly game so everyone involved suffered statistically, but it is concerning that Gordon didn't dominate snaps last Thursday. Gordon did see 15 carries and three targets on those snaps and logged 103 total yards, so he is involved when he's on the field. The issue is the Broncos offense has been terrible so far, and all the skill players are suffering as a result. Gordon still has one touchdown on the season and now appears to be in a timeshare with Mike Boone for RB snaps. Gordon still looks like the best bet for touches in Denver's backfield, but he is not going to be an every-snap back and looks stuck in a bad offense. He remains a flex play against the Chargers in Week 6.
Week 5 vs. Indianapolis Colts
Melvin Gordon has not had a great start to the season but will be thrust into a prominent role out of necessity as Javonte Williams went down with a torn ACL in Week 4. Gordon was already seeing roughly half of the rushing workload, and he will surely see more carries with Williams out of the picture. Gordon should also have the goal line to himself now, giving him considerable touchdown upside if the Broncos continue to improve offensively. The big question is in the passing game and how that work will be split between Gordon and backup Mike Boone, as well as newly added Latavius Murray. If Gordon also sees a bump in targets, he could be looking at a RB1 role. The more likely scenario is Gordon and Boone split work running routes out of the backfield, making Gordon a solid RB2 start for the foreseeable future.
Week 4 at Las Vegas Raiders
Melvin Gordon registered a nondescript 12 carries for 26 yards in Week 3, but he salvaged his fantasy day with a short touchdown plunge to give the Broncos the lead and help them to an ugly win over the 49ers on Sunday night. He was also more active in the passing game with six targets and five catches for another 29 yards. Gordon is splitting the rushing workload with Javonte Williams virtually 50-50, but he has seen inconsistent usage in the passing game. Gordon will likely sit in the borderline flex tier for as long as Williams is healthy due to the split workload which affords both players goal line chances, but his floor is very low due to the possibility of getting nothing in the receiving department. Gordon is not a great starting option given the state of the Denver offense, but he is playable is deep leagues given the state of the running back position.
Week 3 vs. San Francisco 49ers
Melvin Gordon continues to lose traction in the timeshare between he and Javonte Williams. Gordon saw 11 total opportunities in Week 2 (10 carries and one reception), and only managed 53 total yards on those touches with a long run of nine yards. Gordon's passing game role has been almost completely absorbed by Williams at this point, and he is also splitting the early down work roughly 50-50. When combined with the Broncos' overall struggles on offense so far, Williams' emergence has put a big dent in Gordon's fantasy value. A tough matchup against a stout 49ers defense in Week 3 puts Gordon in the range of high-risk flex plays and someone best left on the bench if at all possible.
