With Melvin Gordon once again questionable for Week 5, what should fantasy football managers do with the Denver Broncos RB this week? After he played and performed well with limited touches against the Baltimore Ravens, what could we see when he faces the Steelers this week?
Update: Melvin Gordon is active for the Broncos Week 5 matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Melvin Gordon has produced mixed results for fantasy managers in 2021
It has been a really strange year so far for Gordon and his fantasy managers. When you look on the surface, he is currently tied as the RB20 on a per-game basis in half-PPR formats. The problem is that his scores have been inconsistent week to week, and his output has been very dependent on big plays or touchdowns.
Week 1 was superb for fantasy purposes, as Gordon had 101 rushing yards and a touchdown. However, he had just 11 carries and relied on a 70-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to score 13 of his 19.3 fantasy points.
In Week 2, he managed just 31 yards on 13 carries. The only reason he even got to 7.9 fantasy points was his 2 receptions for 38 yards. Week 3 was another struggle as Gordon had just 60 yards on 18 carries. Although, from a fantasy perspective, it was somewhat of a success, as Gordon had a rushing touchdown and a 21-yard reception.
In Week 4, Gordon performed extremely well with the touches he received. On 9 rushing attempts, he had an impressive 56 yards. However, with the Broncos chasing the game, he was limited to just 11 touches, resulting in just 7.7 fantasy points.
This inconsistency makes it tough to know what to do with Gordon on a weekly basis. He is not a bellcow back in 2021, having split carries 51 to 46 with Javonte Williams. Even in the receiving game, they are splitting the work, with Gordon having 11 targets to Williams’ 9.
The Steelers are a matchup that the Broncos could exploit
Through the first four weeks, Pittsburgh’s run defense has been solid. Opponents have managed 99 rushing yards per game at 3.7 yards per rush attempt. Those numbers are somewhat lowered by the Raiders only rushing for 52 yards in Week 2. If you take that game out, the average rises to 114.7 yards per game.
That does leave some potential for both of Denver’s RBs to have a solid, if not spectacular, day. Yet, there are some elements that potentially impact their ceiling. Through four weeks, the Steelers have not allowed a touchdown to the RB position and just 159 receiving yards on 21 targets.
When you look at the box scores, there has been some success. Joe Mixon had 90 yards on 18 carries, while Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon combined for 129 rushing yards and 67 receiving yards in Week 4.
Should I start or sit Gordon in Week 5?
While it may seem significant for fantasy managers that Gordon is listed as questionable, he also carried the same designation last week. Yet, he still had more opportunities (9 carries and 4 targets) than Williams (7 carries and 3 targets).
This backfield has been frustrating all season. Gordon and Williams have been virtually inseparable in terms of total opportunities, with 62 and 57, respectively. Gordon has seen slightly more snaps with 140 to Williams’ 119.
The veteran RB has certainly done more with his opportunities from a fantasy perspective. He is averaging 12.4 fantasy points per game, compared to 7.9 for Williams.
The real positive with Gordon is that when he has a bad day from a fantasy perspective, he is still a borderline RB3 in 12-team leagues. Then, when he has a big performance, he puts up numbers that would make him an RB1 on average. For that reason, it is very difficult to sit Gordon in any given fantasy week, meaning you often have to start him and accept whatever comes your way.
This matchup is tough, but it seems unlikely that any fantasy team has enough safe options they can plug in to make Gordon someone you can afford to sit if he is active.