Fantasy Football: Sell High on Josh Gordon

Entering this season, no player was more deserving of the label, “high risk – high reward” than Josh Gordon (No pun intended). With the New England Patriots set to acquire Gordon, fantasy football owners will now need to decide whether they should Buy, Sell, or Hold the troubled wide receiver. While Gordon will probably benefit from the change of scenery on a personal level, it is likely that his production on the field won’t match the hype. Gordon’s value this season will never be higher, and this is the perfect time to sell high on Josh Gordon!

There were hopes that Gordon’s new found sobriety could lead to a career resurgence with the Cleveland Browns in 2018. Those hopes were dashed on Saturday evening when the news broke that Cleveland would be looking to move on from Gordon. Thus began the wait to find out which team would be willing to make a trade to bring in the former All-Pro. As soon as it was announced that Gordon was set to become a Patriot, everyone began to fondly reminisce about the 2007 season when Tom Brady was launching deep balls to Randy Moss. Well, everyone except Jets, Dolphins, and Bills fans. However, this isn’t 2007, and it would be wise to temper your expectations for the Brady-Gordon connection.

One thing to realize is that when the Patriots made the trade to bring in Randy Moss, it wasn’t the middle of September. The trade with Oakland was made in April of 2017, allowing Moss to have a full offseason to work on his timing with Brady. Could Brady and Gordon immediately click and light the fantasy football world on fire? Sure, anything is possible. But that probably isn’t the most likely outcome.

Another challenge Josh Gordon is facing, is that he have to learn the playbook on the fly. Josh McDaniels runs a complex offense and many newly acquired Patriots wideouts have struggled in years past. I wouldn’t even be surprised if we see Gordon’s snaps somewhat limited for a few weeks while he tries to get accustomed to the Patriots offense.

There’s also the issue of having too many mouths to feed in New England. If Gordon had been traded to a team like the Buffalo Bills, you could probably expect him to immediately receive 15 targets per game due to their lack of other options on offense. That will not be the case in New England. James White, Chris Hogan, Julian Edelman, and Rob Gronkowski are all trusted targets who have spent years building a strong rapport with Tom Brady. I see Gordon breaking off the occasional big play while delivering inconsistent results on a week to week basis.

If Gordon is on your bench as a 5th or 6th option at WR, it might be worth holding just to see if he can make good on his world class talent. However, Gordon’s ADP shows that he was frequently drafted as a WR2 in most leagues, meaning that his owners have quite a bit invested in the mercurial receiver. Unless you drafted well in the late rounds, you probably can’t afford to wait around and hope that Gordon is productive in New England. While the Gordon hype train is rolling this week, you should look to sell high!

What do you think about Josh Gordon’s outlook this season? Let me know on Twitter @BenMcD_Sports!