Josh Gordon Worth Picking Up and Stashing in All Fantasy Football Formats

The news that Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon had his season-long suspension reduced to 10 games, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, via Dan Hanzus of NFL.com, should have fantasy football owners running to the waiver wire.

Regardless of how many teams are in your league or how the points system is set up, Gordon was the NFL’s leader in receiving yards with 1,646 during the 2013 season. When he comes back in Week 12 against the Atlanta Falcons, fantasy owners should expect a player ready to make an instant impact for Cleveland and your fantasy team.

If you don’t believe me, fantasy guru Christopher Harris of ESPN.com wholeheartedly agrees:

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I don't care if you're in an eight-team league. Find the worst player on your roster (or your backup quarterback/tight end/defense or, heaven forbid, kicker), dump him and add Gordon. As of this writing, despite my best efforts, Gordon was still available in nearly 80 percent of ESPN leagues. He is absolutely worth carrying on your bench for the next couple of months.

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Harris wrote that piece six days ago. According to the ESPN’s add/dropped list, Gordon is owned in only 10.3 percent of fantasy leagues now, a drop of 10.2 percent from last week. On Yahoo.com’s fantasy site, he is owned in a much more reasonable 63 percent of leagues.

Even that number should be higher, though.

In only 14 games last season, Brown managed to catch 87 passes for 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns. Add in the fact that he was catching the ball from the likes of Brandon Weeden and Jason Campbell, and Gordon will be a viable threat for Brian Hoyer or Johnny Manziel when he is eligible to play again.

When asked about Gordon’s eventual return to the team, Cleveland safety Donte Whitner told Mary Kay Cabot of the Northeast Ohio Media Group of the team’s postseason hopes and the influence the receiver can have once he comes back:

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Hopefully, we will (be in the thick of it). That's the goal, and when you get a piece like that, it'll scare a bunch of defensive coordinators, especially in our division because they know the things that he can do. Six games is enough games to go out there and make a statement, and we believe that he's going to do that.'

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The support of his teammates is a big part of how much success he has. If the team supports Gordon through his times of adversity and helps him find the straight and narrow, there is little doubt that the wide receiver will continue being a game-changer for the Browns on the field.

It may be hard to fathom filling a spot on your roster with a player who can’t contribute for over two months, but it will be worth it when Gordon makes his return to the team just two weeks before most fantasy playoffs begin. Fantasy owners will have their eyes set on November 23.

Most teams contending for spots in the playoffs in the waning weeks of the season will have their starting wide receivers already in place, but imagine having Gordon as a glorified FLEX play or WR3. It would be the ultimate coup and a legitimate way to add firepower as the fantasy postseason begins.

If Gordon is available in any of your fantasy leagues, pick him up immediately and wait patiently to cash in on what could become the biggest fantasy steal of the 2014 season.

*Stats via NFL.com.

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