Yesterday morning Dez Bryant and his agent were in Cleveland trying to work out a deal. Later that morning, Josh Gordon announced he will return to Browns practice after a nearly four-week self-imposed exile to work on his "overall health and treatment plan."
This coincidence is too coincidental to be a coincidence. This is obviously all one person's opinion, but I strongly believe it, so let's test it out: Yesterday's drama was all about Gordon seeing the writing on the wall. "Healthy" or not, he couldn't let Dez sign. He couldn't remain on the sidelines and weaken his hand, competing for looks with a hungry veteran on a one-year "prove-it" deal. Gordon, after all, is also facing a one-year "prove-it" season arguably with higher stakes. Questions surrounding Dez focus largely on perceived diminished talent. Questions surrounding Gordon concern whether he'll ever be permanently banned from the NFL.
Dez can sit a year and still make his way back. For Gordon, there's no room for error.
The cynical side of me believes Gordon returned too soon. He's coming back to show the Browns brass they don't need Dez. If Gordon had waited a day, Dez might be a Brown today, and Cleveland might very well have "strongly advised" Gordon to "take as much time as he needs."
All of this reinforces my longstanding belief that Gordon is wildly overrated at his low-end WR2 ADP. I've been wanting to post a contrarian prediction about him for a month, and have been waiting for him to return so that his perceived value once again matches his lofty average draft position. (It wouldn't be very sporty of me to make such a prediction when his prospects look bleaker.) So assuming he returns to practice today, and if things go smoothly this coming week, you better believe I'll be clanging the warning bell. As much as I support Gordon on a personal level -- this guy's gone through hell, and his mere presence in the league is remarkable -- he's the riskiest top-30 WR in fantasy.
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This coincidence is too coincidental to be a coincidence. This is obviously all one person's opinion, but I strongly believe it, so let's test it out: Yesterday's drama was all about Gordon seeing the writing on the wall. "Healthy" or not, he couldn't let Dez sign. He couldn't remain on the sidelines and weaken his hand, competing for looks with a hungry veteran on a one-year "prove-it" deal. Gordon, after all, is also facing a one-year "prove-it" season arguably with higher stakes. Questions surrounding Dez focus largely on perceived diminished talent. Questions surrounding Gordon concern whether he'll ever be permanently banned from the NFL.
Dez can sit a year and still make his way back. For Gordon, there's no room for error.
The cynical side of me believes Gordon returned too soon. He's coming back to show the Browns brass they don't need Dez. If Gordon had waited a day, Dez might be a Brown today, and Cleveland might very well have "strongly advised" Gordon to "take as much time as he needs."
All of this reinforces my longstanding belief that Gordon is wildly overrated at his low-end WR2 ADP. I've been wanting to post a contrarian prediction about him for a month, and have been waiting for him to return so that his perceived value once again matches his lofty average draft position. (It wouldn't be very sporty of me to make such a prediction when his prospects look bleaker.) So assuming he returns to practice today, and if things go smoothly this coming week, you better believe I'll be clanging the warning bell. As much as I support Gordon on a personal level -- this guy's gone through hell, and his mere presence in the league is remarkable -- he's the riskiest top-30 WR in fantasy.
--
SUBSCRIBE: Preaseason Top 300 Rankings
www.fantasyfootballforwinners.com (Big Blue Box registration form)
JOIN: 4th Annual Survivor Pool
officepoolstop.com/JoinLeague.aspx
League ID: 20432
Password: mariota