Uncertainty on Melvin Gordon makes Phillip Lindsay a solid fantasy add

With some uncertainty around Melvin Gordon, Phillip Lindsay is now firmly on the fantasy football radar.

Even with the addition of Melvin Gordon this offseason, his history with the Chargers said there was room for Phillip Lindsay to produce in the same backfield and be fantasy relevant. But Lindsay suffered a toe injury in Week 1, and through four games (Week 5 postponement) a workload share hasn’t come to fruition.

Lindsay was on track to play Week 5 against New England Patriots, before the game was postponed to Week 6 due to COVID-19 fallout. And now, the situation with Gordon has changed in the wake of a DUI arrest Tuesday night.

Gordon’s situation is unclear. His first court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 13, and history says the NFL won’t render any discipline until the legal process plays out. So it would be up to the Broncos to make him inactive for any games in the short term, or more narrowly to render their own discipline to take him off the field in Week 6.

Phillip Lindsay has been a good fantasy back

Lindsay topped 1,000 rushing yards in each of his first two seasons, with 35 receptions and at least seven rushing scores in both campaigns. He was a top-20 fantasy running back in both seasons.

Week 6 is a tough matchup anyway, as the Patriots are allowing the sixth-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs through Week 5 (Yahoo! 0.5-point PPR scoring). But after that, it gets easier for the Broncos’ running backs.

The Kansas City Chiefs (Week 7, Week 13), Atlanta Falcons (Week 9), Las Vegas Raiders (Week 10), Miami Dolphins (Week 11) and Carolina Panthers (Week 12) enter Week 6 in the bottom-10 against running backs. So with or without Gordon to share work with, Lindsay could be usable in fantasy lineups.

Owned in 52 percent of Yahoo! leagues and 64.7 percent of ESPN leagues, Lindsay might not be available in your league. But he’s now more prominent on the radar with looming potential uncertainty around Gordon, and with good matchups beyond Week 6 it’s worth checking to see if he’s available regardless.