Week 7 vs. Kansas City Chiefs
After missing last week’s game at New England due to strep throat, Melvin Gordon is expected to be back on Sunday. Phillip Lindsay returned from his injury against the Patriots and posted a 100-yard effort, so expect the two backs to split touches when they're both available. The Chiefs defense is near the bottom in rushing yards allowed so consider Gordon an RB2 play.
Week 6 at New England Patriots
Melvin Gordon rushed 23 times for 107 yards and two scores two weeks ago. His 43-yard TD with less than two minutes to play sealed the victory for Denver. While a couple game suspension may happen for Gordon after being cited for a DUI earlier this week, that likely won't happen until November at the earliest. Phillip Lindsay is expected back on Sunday, which will cut into Gordon’s touches. The Patriots have been in the middle of the pack versus the run so Gordon is an RB2 start.
Week 5 at New England Patriots
At The Meadowlands last Thursday Melvin Gordon rushed 23 times for 107 yards and two scores. His 43-yard TD with less than two minutes to play sealed the victory for Denver. Phillip Lindsay is expected back on Monday night, which will cut into Gordon’s touches. The Patriots have been in the middle of the pack versus the run so Gordon is an RB2 start.
Week 4 at New York Jets
In the home loss to Tampa on Sunday, Melvin Gordon rushed for only 26 yards on eight attempts, as the Broncos found themselves behind early. With Phillip Lindsay still battling an injury, Gordon will continue to be the featured back and has a good matchup against a Jets defense that is No. 24 at stopping the run on Thursday. With the Broncos giving Brett Rypien his first NFL start under center, look for the offense to lean on Gordon, so consider him an RB2 option.
Week 3 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
With Phillip Lindsay out with a toe injury Melvin Gordon carried the ball 19 times in the loss to the Steelers last week. He finished with 70 yards on the ground, 14 receiving yards and a score. Lindsay will be out again versus Tampa Bay, which means Gordon will receive the bulk of the attempts versus a defense yielding just 85 rushing yards per outing. Gordon makes for a RB2 play.
Week 2 at Pittsburgh Steelers
In his first game as a Bronco last Monday, Melvin Gordon led the team with 15 carries for 78 yards and a TD. He also caught three passes but had a costly fumble that set up the Titans first score. With Phillip Lindsay out with a toe injury, Gordon should see the bulk of the rushing attempts on Sunday. Consider him an RB2 play against a Steelers D that completely shutdown the Giants ground attack in their opener.
Week 1 – Melvin Gordon vs. Tennessee Titans
After spending his first five professional seasons with the Chargers, Melvin Gordon will see his first action as a Bronco on Monday night. Last year he held out and then split the backfield with Austin Ekeler, resulting in career lows in both carries and yards. Gordon will again be sharing touches, this time with Phillip Lindsay. Of the two, expect Gordon to see more action, especially in short-yardage situations, but he makes for just a RB2 option in the opener.
Fantasy Upside
After sitting out the first four games of ’19 due to a contract dispute, Melvin Gordon is coming off a career-low in carries and yards, but he should be fresher and hungrier to produce with his new team. While splitting time with Austin Ekeler last year, Gordon turned 204 touches into over 900 yards and nine total TDs. He’s a great short yardage back with his leaping ability and has good hands, averaging 45 receptions per season. Gordon has scored 47 times over his career, all of them in the past four seasons after registering a goose egg during his rookie campaign. Having signed a new two-year contract with the Broncos, he’s projected to be the team’s top RB in Week 1.
Fantasy Downside
Fellow RB Phillip Lindsay is young and has amassed 1,000 yards on the ground in both of his professional seasons. While Gordon should be the starter, look for a split backfield, with each receiving around 15 touches per contest. Gordon has only held up for a 16-game season once in his five-years as a pro, the which was the only time he’s eclipsed 1,000 yards on the ground.
Bottom Line
If Gordon receives around 200 rushing attempts this season, he’ll likely be out of the top-15 RBs unless he’s able to find the end zone with consistency. With a shortened offseason, the Broncos have two proven RBs and will look to keep both fresh for the stretch run. Gordon is a dual threat back that is able to pound the rock inside and outside the tackles, with adequate receiving hands. Heading into the regular season he is just inside the top-20 for fantasy RBs.
Week 17 at Kansas City Chiefs
In Week 16, Melvin Gordon out-snapped Austin Ekeler 37 to 33 and out-touched Ekeler 15 to 9. Gordon had nine rushing attempts for 15 yards and two touchdowns, six receptions for 32 yards, and was the half PPR RB8. Gordon only had 47 scrimmage yards but was able to finish as an RB1 thanks to two touchdowns.
The Chargers have been out of the playoff picture for quite some time. However, at the time of writing this, the Chargers are likely to play their starters because this could be Rivers’ last game as a Charger.
The blueprint to beating Kansas City is attacking them on the ground. Kansas City is the eleventh worst defense against running backs but the third-best defense against wide receivers, per our signature schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed metric. 4for4 rankings expert, John Paulsen, has Gordon ranked as fringe half PPR RB1.
Week 16 vs. Oakland Raiders
In Week 15, Austin Ekeler out-snapped Melvin Gordon 30 to 25 but they both finished with 12 touches. Gordon lost two fumbles, had seven rushing attempts for 28 yards, five receptions for 36 yards, and was the half PPR RB44.
Oakland’s defense is third-worst against running backs, per our signature schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed metric. 4for4 rankings expert, John Paulsen, has Gordon ranked as fringe half PPR RB1. Gordon is a safe start in a plus matchup for fantasy championships.
