Josh Gordon's Fantasy Football Outlook If Browns WR Is Reinstated by NFL

The NFL and the league's Players Association continue to work toward a new drug policy, with a vote coming Tuesday, per ESPN.com's Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter. It's a situation being watched especially closely by the Cleveland Browns, who could get superstar wide receiver Josh Gordon back much sooner than expected.

Mary Kay Cabot of the Northeast Ohio Media Group reports the details are still being worked out about whether Gordon would receive immediate reinstatement once an agreement is reached. He was previously suspended indefinitely, including for the entire 2014 campaign:

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Whether or not Gordon is re-instated will depend on what the two sides agree on: allowing players back in that tested positive in the new league year beginning March 11, or players that were ultimately suspended in the new league year. A source told cleveland.com that Gordon tested positive no later than February, which was in the previous league year.

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The report also notes Gordon could still end up getting suspended for two games for a pending DWI charge. The hearing for that case isn't scheduled until November, however, which means any league discipline would have to wait until afterward, unless those rules are also changed.

Elizabeth Merrill of ESPN.com passed along comments from the wideout, who said he was ready to move on one way or another.

"The whole being in limbo thing, I'm over it," Gordon said. "I'm not waiting on the edge of my seat anymore."

The entire situation is murky, but given the high-profile player involved, it's one fantasy football owners can't ignore.

Gordon didn't get selected in a vast majority of drafts due to his suspension. He's currently owned in less than 10 percent of ESPN leagues as a result. Given the extended nature of the punishment, it didn't seem like there was any reason to use a roster spot on him.

Now, with talk about potential reinstatement, there will be a mad rush to grab him off the waiver wire. Remember, he led all receivers in fantasy scoring last season despite missing two games.

Even if the situation remains unsettled for a couple more days, virtually every fantasy owner should attempt to place a claim on Gordon. The only exception would be teams very deep at receiver but in desperate need of an upgrade elsewhere ahead of Week 2.

If a report comes out stating he won't be reinstated, the claim can always be canceled, or he can be dropped if the move has already been completed. That's basically no risk when you consider the upside of adding an elite receiver to the roster.

He caught 87 passes for nearly 1,650 yards and nine touchdowns last season. Those are numbers generally reserved for players drafted in the first two rounds of a draft. Getting him off the free-agent market is a league-changing acquisition, if he plays.

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It may take him a couple weeks to get back into top form after a hectic stretch, but there's no reason to believe his per-game numbers won't remain close to last year.

For those unsettled by either the questions marks about another potential suspension or the Browns quarterback situation, it presents a buy-low, sell-high opportunity.

Even fantasy owners who don't necessarily need or want Gordon on their team should be trying to land him. An enormous amount of hype will emerge should he get reinstated and it should make trading him for another valuable asset quite simple.

Taking the worst player on your current roster, turning them into Gordon and then flipping him to improve your squad elsewhere is a terrific option.

Ultimately, it's unclear when a decision about the situation will be announced. But anybody who waits beyond this week's waiver deadline will probably be too late because there's likely to be a rush to grab him following the recent talk.

Gordon is a virtual lock to put up top-five numbers at the position if he does play. Players of that caliber simply aren't available on the waiver wire very often. So he's definitely worth taking a chance on even if the situation isn't totally cleared up over the next day or two.

The upside of owning him upon possible reinstatement outweighs any downside.