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The Los Angeles Chargers welcomed running back Melvin Gordon back to the fold last week as he ended up holdout. His specific role is being determined, but head coach Anthony Lynn expects to have him getting a bit of work in Week 5 against the Denver Broncos.
Lynn spoke with SiriusXM NFL radio, and discussed the team’s plans this week.
“He’s definitely gonna have a workload this week, but not too big. I want to work him in, but I don’t want to overdo it ... I can’t give him 50 snaps come Sunday ... We have a package for him, a role for him in this game. And he may even start this game.”
Lynn said the team would see how he does in practice before making a final decision over the weekend as to his workload.
Fantasy football analysis, Los Angeles Chargers RB Melvin Gordon
On the one hand, this reads very much like a platoon situation, with Gordon and Austin Ekeler splitting work a fair amount. Whether that be Gordon on the ground and Ekeler through the air, or each getting some mix of both remains to be seen.
On the other hand, if Gordon does actually get the early snaps and looks good, maybe Lynn is tempted to stick with the hot hand. I doubt we see Gordon get over 20 carries in the ground game, but 10-15 would not be surprising.
Given that, it’s hard to say whether or not you should be starting him or Austin Ekeler in traditional fantasy leagues or DFS contests. If you’re shorthanded because of injuries and/or byes, by all means, roll with one of them if you’ve got them. But if you’ve got some depth, it might be worth waiting. The Broncos’ defense is giving up the fourth most fantasy points to running backs, but Leonard Fournette’s big day and some red zone rushing touchdowns account for a big chunk of those fantasy points.