Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan Outlooks for Fantasy Playoffs with Josh Gordon Out

The New England Patriots and fantasy owners find themselves scrambling for answers after Josh Gordon announced Thursday that he is stepping away from football to focus on his mental health.

With Gordon unavailable for the Pats' Week 16 game against the Buffalo Bills, fantasy owners will need to turn elsewhere in what is the championship game in most leagues.

The Patriots took a flier on Gordon when they acquired him from the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 17 for a fifth-round draft pick. 

While he is leaving at an inopportune time, the move paid off for New England for much of the season, as he made 40 receptions for 720 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games and developed into one of quarterback Tom Brady's favorite targets.

Despite lacking depth at the skill positions, the Patriots have star power at the top of their roster to boost fantasy teams. Tight end Rob Gronkowski and wide receiver Julian Edelman are two of the biggest reasons for optimism. 

Edelman didn't play in a meaningful game for 19 months from Super Bowl LI in February 2017 to October 4, 2018. He missed the entire 2017 season after suffering a torn ACL during a preseason contest against the Detroit Lions and was suspended for the first four games this year for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs. 

Despite the long injury layoff and being 32 years old, Edelman has largely picked up where he left off two years ago. He's been targeted at least seven times in all but one game this season, and through 11 contests, he has made 63 catches for 711 yards and four touchdowns.

Given the lack of options for Brady on the outside with Gordon out of the picture, Edelman will likely be the beneficiary of a lot more targets. While Buffalo ranks first in the NFL against the pass, Edelman is still a worthy WR2 in Week 16 since he is difficult to handle out of the slot.

Gronk is having a down year as he has struggled through injuries and registered just 45 catches for 658 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games.

Those are still solid numbers at a relatively thin tight end position, and he is just two weeks removed from one of his best games of the season when he made eight catches for 107 yards and one touchdown against the Miami Dolphins.

Edelman and Gronkowski are essentially must-start players with or without Gordon, but the door is now open for another player to step up and become fantasy relevant.

There were high hopes of wide receiver Chris Hogan entering 2018 since Edelman was suspended to start the season, but he has largely been a disappointment with 29 receptions for 468 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games.

As pointed out by Zack Cox of NESN, Hogan hasn't been a significant part of New England's offense in recent weeks:

Despite that, ESPN's Mike Clay views Hogan as a player who should be added in fantasy.

Hogan made just two catches against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week after catching four in the previous five games combined.

He made one of those catches against Pittsburgh count, as he reeled in a 63-yard touchdown off a broken coverage.

Brad Evans of Yahoo Sports believes Hogan could benefit from Gordon's absence, but he also noted that he will have a tough matchup in Week 16:

Hogan is now Brady's top outside receiver, which means he will likely be covered by Bills defensive back Tre'Davious White, who is among the NFL's top corners.

Hogan may be worth a flier if you're desperate, but there are likely better and more consistent options on your bench or the waiver wire with easier matchups in Week 16.

Aside from Hogan, running back James White also has a chance to step up as the No. 3 option in the passing game behind Edelman and Gronk.

White has 31 or less receiving yards in four of his past five games, but he has had a career season regardless with 81 receptions for 699 yards and six touchdowns to go along with 354 yards and four scores on the ground.

While White has been a somewhat shaky flex play in recent weeks, he is back to must-start status along with Edelman and Gronkowski.

As for Hogan, steer clear since his inconsistency this season makes him far too risky to deploy in the biggest fantasy game of the year.