Fact or Fantasy: Melvin Gordonfact-fantasy

A year ago, some football fans were debating whether Melvin Gordon or Todd Gurley would be the better NFL rookie RB. Now, Gurley is going in the first or second round of most drafts while Gordon is languishing as RB27 at around an 8th round value, according to ESPN.

Gordon’s introduction to the NFL was a rough one. He averaged just 3.5 yards per carry and didn’t put the pigskin in the end zone in 2015. Worse yet, he frequently looked tentative in failing to do so while running behind a makeshift offensive line in San Diego.

So will having a year under his belt allow Gordon to come back strong and justify his 15th overall selection in 2015? Or was last season, in fact, the first indicator that he doesn’t have what it takes to make it as an NFL running back?

John Vomhof Jr.: Fact

I wasn’t a Melvin Gordon fan heading into the 2015 NFL Draft, and I’m not a fan now.

I’m admittedly a Minnesota Gophers fan, so I spent four years rooting against Gordon and the Wisconsin Badgers. But I assure you that has nothing to do with why I’m passing on him in every fantasy football draft this year.

I just don’t think Gordon is that good of a player. Coming out of college, I felt he was often too tentative, dancing behind the line unless there was a gaping hole to run through.

Gordon did little to prove otherwise during his rookie season in San Diego. He averaged a meager 3.5 yards per season last year, second worst among all running backs with at least 100 carriers. And he only topped 60 rushing yards twice (a season-high 88 yards in week 2 and 60 in week 12).

And here’s the worst part: Gordon failed to score a single touchdown on his 217 touches. That’s right—zero, zilch, nada.

The Chargers’ O-line can only improve this year, which would certainly help. But, coming off a terrible 4-12 season, the team will likely remain among the league’s worst—and that’s bad news for Gordon.

While Gordon caught 33 passes last year, he’ll almost certainly come off the field late in games when the Chargers are in catch-up mode. That role belongs to Danny Woodhead, who I think is the better value a round later (especially if you’re playing PPR).

Still thinking about grabbing Gordon? Stop and take a look at some the guys you’re leaving on the board: Frank Gore, John Brown, Jordan Mathews, Giovanni Bernard and Tyler Lockett—all of whom I would rather draft.

Gordon finished 2015 as the RB56 (184-641-0), and he’ll have to battle for touches on his own team. Gore, on the other hand, was last year’s RB12 (260-967-6), and he’ll be the workhorse back on a Colts offense that I’m betting on to rebound significantly this year.

So, pass on Gordon this year and opt for Gore—or even Woodhead—instead.

Andy: Fact

I wanted very hard to make this a Buy/Sell – to come up with an argument that Melvin Gordon will come back and prove his supporters right.

But I can’t.

Everything John said is accurate. He ran tentative. He ran behind a bad offensive line that isn’t likely to be demonstrably better this year. He was and likely will be replaced by Woodhead in passing and goal-line situations.

And to top it off, Gordon had microfracture knee surgery in the offseason.

I find literally nothing to like about Gordon from a fantasy football perspective this season. He’s not a bellcow back. He’s not a goal line back. He’s not the pass catching specialist back. He’s coming off of a knee surgery. ESPN’s ADP chart indicates people are taking him in the 8th round right now. Fantasypros.com has him RB25 and in the 7th. CBS Sports puts him at around RB25 and 58th overall. That’s utterly stunning to me. You can list off 10 to 15 backs being drafted after him from rounds eight through 13 I would rather have on my fantasy roster than Gordon.

I want nothing to do with Gordon this season. Nothing. At this point he is an unproven commodity coming off of an injury and playing on a bad team that won’t use him in passing or deficit situations. Not only will I not willingly select him this season under any circumstances – if I am doing an online draft I will put him on my “don’t draft under any condition” list so that if my Internet connection is somehow interrupted during a draft, I won’t end up with him by accident.

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