Much has been written on this blog about Josh Gordon. Now the Browns have forced my hand by trading him to one of the only teams that (a) could use him right away, and (b) could bring out the best in him. I want to caution people that 2013 remains a long time ago. Good or even great receivers don't always thrive in Belichick World. Will a change of scenery help? Possibly. Will a better QB throwing to him help? Sure.
But I'm not ready to call Gordon a WR2 or even a WR3. He's got two games to give fantasy managers something to cheer about. Then Julian Edelman returns, leaving Gordon battling for looks against Edelman, Gronk, and Chris Hogan, and possibly a revitalized Phillip Dorsett. If this were 2013, of course Gordon would shine. If this were 2017, he wouldn't. We'll find out soon which one shows up. I remain very skeptical.
A back injury threatens Jay Ajayi's Week 3 status, as the defending Super Bowl champs face yet another hurdle to start the season. That makes Corey Clement (available in 77% of ESPN leagues) one of the biggest waiver pickups around. Clement already has stand-alone value as a complementary back. With only Wendell Smallwood and Josh Adams running behind him, Clement would be a must-start at home against the Colts. Even if Ajayi suits up, Clement should be rostered in most leagues.
Rob Kelley has hit Injured Reserve. Though he could return later this year, Samaje Perine now slides into the #3 spot in Washington's backfield. If you believe Adrian Peterson will start all 16 games, Perine is pretty much worthless. But if you're like me in believing AP won't get through the season in one piece, Perine is an RB2/3-in-waiting. He's a must-roster in deep leagues and a solid roll of the dice in mid-sized leagues.
In mid-June I kicked off my annual team-by-team rundowns with Chicago. At the end I wrote: "In March the Bears made Trey Burton one of the NFL's highest paid tight ends, making him a lock for a prominent offensive role. 55 of 63 experts rank Burton in the top 14. It all comes down to whether [Mitch] Trubisky takes another two or three steps forward. If he does, Burton will be fine. But I don’t see it happening, and I wouldn't draft Burton as a TE1.
www.facebook.com/FantasyFootballForWinners/posts/1700137770034195
As the summer progressed, this supposed breakout TE kept creeping up my draft board. My earlier warning gave way to resignation that, at a seemingly shallow position, Burton was one of the few reliable TE1s outside the usual elite corps. I even drafted him as the sixth or seventh TE off the board in the FF4W Premier Fantasy League. I now believe that was a mistake. The Bears' improved defense, is keeping some pressure off Trubisky. The Bears are 29th in passing yards, and so far they're looking like a team that won't be airing it out much in fourth quarters. It's a great combination of you're a Bears fan, but not so great if you're leaning on any fantasy receiver except Allen Robinson.
But I'm not ready to call Gordon a WR2 or even a WR3. He's got two games to give fantasy managers something to cheer about. Then Julian Edelman returns, leaving Gordon battling for looks against Edelman, Gronk, and Chris Hogan, and possibly a revitalized Phillip Dorsett. If this were 2013, of course Gordon would shine. If this were 2017, he wouldn't. We'll find out soon which one shows up. I remain very skeptical.
A back injury threatens Jay Ajayi's Week 3 status, as the defending Super Bowl champs face yet another hurdle to start the season. That makes Corey Clement (available in 77% of ESPN leagues) one of the biggest waiver pickups around. Clement already has stand-alone value as a complementary back. With only Wendell Smallwood and Josh Adams running behind him, Clement would be a must-start at home against the Colts. Even if Ajayi suits up, Clement should be rostered in most leagues.
Rob Kelley has hit Injured Reserve. Though he could return later this year, Samaje Perine now slides into the #3 spot in Washington's backfield. If you believe Adrian Peterson will start all 16 games, Perine is pretty much worthless. But if you're like me in believing AP won't get through the season in one piece, Perine is an RB2/3-in-waiting. He's a must-roster in deep leagues and a solid roll of the dice in mid-sized leagues.
In mid-June I kicked off my annual team-by-team rundowns with Chicago. At the end I wrote: "In March the Bears made Trey Burton one of the NFL's highest paid tight ends, making him a lock for a prominent offensive role. 55 of 63 experts rank Burton in the top 14. It all comes down to whether [Mitch] Trubisky takes another two or three steps forward. If he does, Burton will be fine. But I don’t see it happening, and I wouldn't draft Burton as a TE1.
www.facebook.com/FantasyFootballForWinners/posts/1700137770034195
As the summer progressed, this supposed breakout TE kept creeping up my draft board. My earlier warning gave way to resignation that, at a seemingly shallow position, Burton was one of the few reliable TE1s outside the usual elite corps. I even drafted him as the sixth or seventh TE off the board in the FF4W Premier Fantasy League. I now believe that was a mistake. The Bears' improved defense, is keeping some pressure off Trubisky. The Bears are 29th in passing yards, and so far they're looking like a team that won't be airing it out much in fourth quarters. It's a great combination of you're a Bears fan, but not so great if you're leaning on any fantasy receiver except Allen Robinson.