Josh Gordon Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Browns WR Josh Gordon has been suspended for at least 1 year, effective immediately.  He'll need to apply for reinstatement next February.  "As we have conveyed, we are disappointed to once again be at this point with Josh," GM Ray Farmer said. “Unfortunately our efforts have not resonated with him. It is evident that Josh needs to make some substantial strides to live up to the positive culture we are trying to build this football team upon. Our hope is that this suspension affords Josh the opportunity to gain some clarity in determining what he wants to accomplish moving forward and if he wants a career in the National Football League."  Gordon will not be allowed to be with the team during the ban, which doesn't make us optimistic about his chances of staying out of trouble over the next 12 months.  He's dropped way down our updated Dynasty WR Rankings.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Browns WR Josh Gordon is facing a 1-year suspension for consuming alcohol.  That was banned as part of Gordon's deal with the league after this past July's DUI arrest.  Pro Football Talk hears that a successful appeal for Gordon is "unlikely."  That means he'll miss the entire 2015 season, again leaving Cleveland with a massive hole at WR.  They need to address the position in free agency and/or the draft.  Gordon, meanwhile, will still only be 25 when eligible to return for the 2016 season.  But it's uncertain whether the Browns or any other team will have him.

Browns WR Josh Gordon has been suspended by the team. Gordon reportedly violated team rules, although the Browns haven’t announced anything specific. The 23-year-old missed Saturday’s walkthrough and won’t play on Sunday. His 3^rd NFL season ends with 24 catches for 303 yards and 0 scores across 5 games. His absence only adds to the appeal of Baltimore’s defense in DFS. We wouldn’t chase the production of any Cleveland WR – especially with QB Connor Shaw slated to make his NFL debut.

ESPN's Adam Schefter hears that Browns WR Josh Gordon is expected to play 20-30 snaps in his 2014 debut today.  For context, Cleveland has averaged 70 offensive snaps per game this season.  Gordon's playing time could grow if he gets into an early groove.  And he'll be featured whenever he's on the field.  There's still obvious upside here considering Gordon's talent and a plus matchup against the Falcons.  But he shouldn't be considered a safe Week 12 fantasy play.

Browns WR Josh Gordon will be on a "pitch count" in his Week 12 debut, HC Mike Pettine said.  "There needs to be a progression," he explained. "The trap to fall into is, 'Hey, he's back and let's just go ahead and throw him out there for a bunch of plays.' There's certainly danger inherent in doing that and we have to be smart with how we do it and have a plan to progress through the week."  Gordon won't play a full slate of snaps on Sunday, but he should be featured in the passing game when he is on the field.  For more on Gordon, check out the Week 12 Preview podcast.

Browns insiders Mary Kay Cabot and Scott Petrak separately noted that WR Josh Gordon appeared to be in good shape at Wednesday's practice.  (Cabot's Twitter has a few good pictures of Gordon.)  Petrak added that Gordon dropped a pass in the 15 minutes of practice open to the media.  That's less of a concern than was his physical standing considering he hadn't practiced since August.  It sounds like Gordon is ready to roll, though.  He told the NFL Network's Nate Burleson that he plans to "tear this league up."  Added Gordon, "I’m going to outwork everybody on the field. I’m going to try to evoke a pride in Cleveland that can hopefully lead us to the playoffs."

Multiple sources now report that Browns WR Josh Gordon's suspension is expected to be reduced to 10 games when an agreement on a new drug policy is reached.  That'd make him eligible to return in Week 12.  It's still possible that Gordon faces additional punishment for this summer's DUI charge.  This remains a fluid situation, but Gordon is worth stashing as a potential difference-maker in the fantasy football playoffs.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Browns WR Josh Gordon's suspension is expected to be reduced to 8 games when the players approve the new drug policy.  That could happen as early as this afternoon.  It'd mean that Gordon would make his 2014 debut in Week 10 against the Bengals.  As we discussed on Thursday's podcast, Gordon might not be the dominant force he was last year.  He'll need to get comfortable in OC Kyle Shanahan's offense and build chemistry with either Brian Hoyer or Johnny Manziel.  Plus, Cleveland isn't going to average the 42.6 pass attempts that they did in 2013.  We'd bet against Gordon posting top-5 fantasy numbers over the 2nd half of the season, but he should be at least a high-end WR2.  He's obviously worth stashing in all fantasy leagues.

The players' union will vote on a new drug policy on Tuesday, according to ESPN's Chris Mortensen.  If it passes, it could put Browns WR Josh Gordon a step closer to being reinstated.  Gordon's status will depend on how the new policy treats players who were suspended in the previous league year.  And as insider Mary Kay Cabot points out, Gordon could still face discipline this season for his DWI in July.  This remains a murky situation.  It certainly makes sense to roster Gordon at this point if you have space, but it's still far from guaranteed that he plays this year.

We just can't put Browns WR Josh Gordon's 2014 season to bed.  Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reports that the new drug policy the league and player's association are negotiating might raise the level of marijuana required in the bloodstream to trigger a positive test.  Gordon was just above the current threshold and would have passed under this new proposal.  There's reportedly a chance that the new drug policy would retroactively apply to Gordon, which would reduce or even end his suspension.  There are still a lot of "ifs" here, but Gordon might still be worth stashing if you have space on your roster.  Broncos WR Wes Welker could also reportedly have his suspension altered under the new policy.

There's been talk that Browns WR Josh Gordon could use the legal system to either delay or reduce his season-long suspension.  Insider Mary Kay Cabot hears from a league source that there's "no shot" of that happening.  "The source said Gordon has no case, because the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the NFLPA will trump any involvement by the courts," Cabot writes.  There's no reason to hang on to Gordon in redraft leagues.  Stash him in keeper and dynasty formats.  If Gordon stays straight during the season, the league might allow him to apply for reinstatement ahead of next spring's practices.

The NFL has upheld WR Josh Gordon’s full-year suspension. As ESPN’s Adam Schefter points out, the delay in the appeal process now means that Gordon will miss all of next year’s training camp, as well. (The 1-year clock on the ban starts now.) The Browns are sticking by Gordon through the situation, though, so he’ll return as the #1 WR in 2015. Meanwhile, Cleveland is left with Miles Austin, Andrew Hawkins and Nate Burleson as its likely Week 1 starting wideouts. It’s the worst group in the league. TE Jordan Cameron is a good bet to lead the team in targets.

Update: The league will reportedly consider reinstating Gordon in time for practice next spring.

Browns WR Josh Gordon didn't play in Saturday's 3rd preseason game, commonly the dress rehearsal for the regular season.  "I wasn't sending a message," HC Mike Pettine said Sunday afternoon, according to the Akron Beacon Journal.  "Knowing that the decision is looming, that we're fairly certain that we're not going to have him for at minimum some part of the year, we wanted to make sure that we were getting repetitions with the guys that were going to be out there early."  If Pettine still really doesn't know what the league will do, then obviously none of us fantasy folks has any insight.  But if Gordon's team isn't optimistic, you should keep that in mind heading into your draft.  Let's hope the league clears up the situation before we hit the final weekend before real games begin.

The Browns "aren't counting on" WR Josh Gordon receiving less than a 16-game suspension, according to insider Mary Kay Cabot.  The team considers an 8-game suspension the "best-case scenario" if a settlement can be reached.  We're basically back where we started here, with a full-season ban most likely and a slight chance at 8 games.  We're expected to find out Gordon's official status within the next 1-3 weeks.  In the meantime, he's just a late-round flier in fantasy drafts.

Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot reports that a decision on WR Josh Gordon's appeal isn't expected for another 1-3 weeks.  The long end of that timeline is just 10 days from the start of the regular season.  It puts fantasy owners drafting between now and then in a tough spot.  We're still betting on Gordon getting the full-year ban, but his chances of playing this season look better now than they did a couple weeks ago.  Gordon might be worth taking a flier on in the double-digit rounds of drafts, depending on your roster makeup.

Browns WR Josh Gordon will continue his appeal hearing Monday after a nearly 10-hour session Friday, according to Cleveland.com.  We don't see much value in trying to read into the length of the hearing.  Gordon hired the lawyer who helped Seahawks CB Richard Sherman beat a league drug suspension, so he clearly planned to build his best possible case.  As fantasy owners, let's just hope we get resolution Monday so that we can either adjust Browns projections or go on not selecting Gordon in 2014 fantasy football drafts.

Pro Football Talk reports that Browns WR Josh Gordon's suspension appeal is "all or nothing."  In other words, if Gordon loses the appeal, he'll be suspended the entire season.  If he loses it, he'll be eligible to play all 16 games.  We're still expecting Gordon to be slapped with the full-year ban.  The other outcome would certainly send shock waves through the fantasy football world.  Gordon's hearing is this Friday.

Browns WR Josh Gordon will meet with league officials to appeal his 1-year suspension on August 1, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.  He doesn't have much of a chance of getting the ban reduced.  Since failing a drug test early in the offseason, Gordon has been ticketed for speeding and arrested for DWI.  Fantasy owners should continuing operating as if Gordon won't play at all this season.  We'll find out for sure in 8 days.

Browns WR Josh Gordon was arrested and charged with DWI on Friday night in Raleigh, N.C., according to WKYC in Cleveland.  This likely ends any hope Gordon had of playing in 2014 (if there ever was hope).  It also calls the rest of his career into greater question.  The DWI indicates a total lack of awareness for the situation he has put himself in with the NFL.  A year off might be Gordon's last chance to "get it" or blow it.  In fantasy terms, it now becomes tougher to like trading for him in dynasty ... though his trade value figures to tumble even further if you're interested in taking a chance.