Josh Gordon, Phillip Dorsett, Patriots Fantasy Stock After Julian Edelman Injury

Julian Edelman suffered a chest injury in Sunday's game against the New York Jets, which means the New England Patriots will need even more from the likes of Josh Gordon, Phillip Dorsett and undrafted rookie Jakobi Meyers.  

Prior to the injury, Edelman had caught 10 passes for 134 yards through two games.

Entering this season, ESPN projected Edelman as the 16th-best option at wide receiver for fantasy owners and noted, "Durability is the notable drawback as he has missed 45 of 160 possible regular-season games (28 percent) since joining the team in 2009."

That has come into play once again for the 33-year-old reigning Super Bowl MVP. 

Below is an overview of how to handle your fantasy team in the event Edelman misses significant time.

Josh Gordon

Availability has also been a question mark for Gordon, who was reinstated by the NFL under strict conditions in mid-August in the latest chapter of his years-long struggle with substance abuse.

Entering the season and prior to the team signing Antonio Brown to a one-year deal on Sept. 7, ESPN categorized Gordon as a WR3 and noted how effective he was in 2018: "...ranking sixth among wide receivers in YPR (18.0), 10th in YPT (10.2) and fourth in RAC (6.7). Gordon was often utilized as a vertical threat (13.8 aDOT), which limited his volume a bit; during the nine full games he played, Gordon (63) was behind both Julian Edelman (83) and James White (70) in targets."

The Patriots released Brown on Friday, ending his tenure after one game. As a result, Gordon's overall outlook returns to where it was in the offseason.

Gordon caught 40 of his 68 targets in New England last season for 720 yards and three touchdowns across 11 games before being suspended indefinitely by the league on Dec. 20. Only one of those games was without Edelman, who missed the first four games serving a suspension for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drugs policy, and his overall numbers translated into 138.7 fantasy points.

So far in 2019, Gordon has recorded 92 yards and one touchdown on five catches through two games. 

Even with Edelman out, Gordon's upside remains a solid WR3 and is climbing into WR2 territory.

Phillip Dorsett

Dorsett had a limited role in the Patriots' passing game through his first two seasons with the team. His usage in Weeks 1 and 2 hints at bigger things in 2019 for the fifth-year wideout.

He entered Sunday with seven receptions for 134 yards and two touchdowns.

Those numbers don't jump off the page, and fantasy owners are likely to feel jaded toward Dorsett given how little he has done since the Indianapolis Colts selected him 29th overall in 2015. His two touchdown grabs in New England's 33-3 Week 1 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers showed he can be a big-play threat for the Patriots, especially with Brown no longer in the picture.

It's best to wait until more is known about Edelman's injury before you rush to add Dorsett off the waiver wire. If Edelman is doubtful or out for Week 4 against the Buffalo Bills, then he might be worth the risk for WR-needy owners.

Jakobi Meyers

Given the Patriots' uncanny depth at receiver, Edelman's injury doesn't figure to enhance Meyers' fantasy stock. In the event of an absence, Tom Brady is more likely to rely on the likes of Gordon and Dorsett.

Through one regular-season game, Meyers has caught one pass for 22 yards.

The 22-year-old NC State product arrived in New England as an undrafted free agent and impressed enough throughout the preseason to make the team's 53-man roster despite all the talent at his position. 

"He's done a great job and he's taken advantage of his opportunities," Brady said of Meyers in August, according to Patriots Wire's Henry McKenna. "I think that's really what we try to stress to anybody. It really doesn't matter—the football doesn't care how old you are, whether you were drafted or not. The football doesn't care how much experience you have."

If anybody understands Brady's sentiment, it's Edelman, who became a Patriot as a seventh-round draft pick in 2009. Perhaps Meyers will develop the way Edelman did.

But in the short term, his fantasy upside remains a waiver-wire pickup at flex depending on the Patriots' matchup.

---

Still can't figure out your fantasy football lineup for the week? Check out Your Fantasy Fire Drill with Matt Camp, and he'll solve your problems live. Submit your questions and tune in every Sunday at 11:30 a.m. ET, only on the B/R app.