Josh Gordon Fantasy Value Skyrockets After Reinstatement to NFL With Patriots

In 2013, Josh Gordon looked like he was on pace for a Hall-of-Fame career. Despite playing just 14 games for the Cleveland Browns, Gordon racked up 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns. That included one of the most prolific four-game stretches in NFL history, when Gordon amassed 774 receiving yards (averaging 193.5 per game) from weeks 11-14.

He was just 22 then, playing in his second NFL season. Unfortunately, in following years, Gordon was rarely on the field due to a variety of suspensions stemming from substance abuse issues. After being traded to the New England Patriots last year, the wideout played in 11 games before being suspended once again, leaving his NFL future in doubt.

However, on Friday afternoon ESPN's Adam Schefter revealed that Gordon was reinstated by the NFL, and Patriots fans and fantasy football owners alike rejoiced.

When Can Josh Gordon Play Again?

Now that he's back in the NFL, and more than back in playing shape, Gordon is eligible to play in the Patriots' final preseason game against the New York Giants on Thursday, Aug. 29.

The wide receiver will now once again be a valuable, albeit extremely volatile, fantasy football asset. While he wasn't nearly as productive as he has been in the past, Gordon still averaged 18.0 yards per reception last season with the Patriots, which was second best in the NFL behind only DeSean Jackson (18.9).

From weeks 5-14, Gordon was WR18, averaging 9.4 fantasy points per game in standard leagues. With another year to familiarize himself with Tom Brady and the Patriots' offense, it's fair to expect some improvement from Gordon, especially since the Patriots don't have many established WRs outside of Julian Edelman.

Josh Gordon ADP 2019

Currently going as WR51, Gordon's average draft position (ADP) should improve dramatically in the coming weeks. He will likely end up as a low-end WR2 or high-end WR3 by the first week in September, but he has legitimate WR1 upside.

If you have a draft prior to Gordon's return to the field, consider taking him as a high-upside, mid-round option as he could be a real difference maker in 2019.

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Max Staley is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Max Staley also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mstaley1212. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.