Fantasy Football: Top 15 Running Backs to Target in 2019
By Cullen Jekel
FANTASY FOOTBALL RUNNING BACKS TO TARGET IN 2019
NUMBER 8 – MELVIN GORDON
Currently in a hold-out situation over his contract, Melvin Gordon is a no-brainer first-round running back to take in your fantasy draft. The fifth-year dual-threat out of Wisconsin scored a total of 14 touchdowns last year for the surging Los Angeles Chargers, and he did that in just a dozen games.
In those 12 games, Gordon rushed for only 885 yards, but he averaged over five yards per carry while finding the end zone an even ten times. In the receiving game, he hauled in 50 passes for a career-high 490 yards and four touchdowns.
This upcoming season, the Chargers are bringing back pretty much every important piece on offense, from Gordon to aging quarterback Philip Rivers to standout wide receiver Keenan Allen.
Should Gordon and the Chargers brass come to some sort of agreement before the start of the season that gets him back on the field, Gordon is poised to set career highs in just about every statistical category, from rushing yards (1,105 in 2017) to receptions (58 in 2017) to total touchdowns (last year’s 14).
Even if Gordon and the Chargers don’t come to an agreement by the time of your draft, he’s still worth a flier in the second round. He will play this season, as his situation is unlike Le’Veon Bell’s last year: Gordon will not reach free agency in 2020 by sitting out 2019.