Josh Gordon Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Browns QB Brandon Weeden took 16 hits in a loss to the Dolphins.  HC Rob Chudzinski admitted that his signal caller suffered plenty of bruises.  But he escaped the painful defeat without a serious injury.  Cleveland’s O-line is a unit to monitor for next week’s showdown at Baltimore.  With WR Josh Gordon still suspended, Weeden is obviously a high-risk fantasy option.

Browns WR Josh Gordon left Monday's practice because of patellar tendinitis.  HC Rob Chudzinski said Gordon knew of the issue before the workout and tried to play through it but that they decided to pull him and rest the knee.  Chud said he doesn't expect it to be a big issue going forward.  Gordon should have plenty of time to move past it -- especially given his suspension.  Let's just hope he doesn't miss too much practice time, which is valuable for developing his rapport with QB Brandon Weeden.

Browns WR Josh Gordon will miss 2 games for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.  It’s an unfortunate turn of events, but we can’t say we’re shocked.  Gordon was kicked out of Baylor and Utah after testing positive for marijuana.  It forced him to enter the supplemental draft last summer.  Now, he’ll suffer the consequences by missing games against Miami and Baltimore – plus 4 game checks.  Since Gordon is eligible to participate in both offseason practices and the preseason, he’ll remain in shape.  So his ADP will be interesting to track all summer.  A 14-game season would still give the 22-year-old top-25 upside.

UPDATE:  Around 5pm ET, Gordon revealed he failed the test because of a cough medicine that contained the banned substance codeine.  "The policy terms are strict about unintentional ingestion, but the NFL has not imposed the maximum punishment in light of the facts of my case," Gordon said. “Therefore, I have chosen to be immediately accountable for the situation.”  We’ll continue to stay glued to this situation.  

The Browns are transitioning from a West Coast offense to an attacking, downfield passing game in 2013.  Scouts Inc.'s Matt Williamson thinks it's a good move.  "I absolutely think they have the personnel to pull it off," Williamson said. "They have a high-end young offensive line that is especially strong in protection at offensive tackle and center, a big-armed quarterback [Brandon Weeden] and speed on the outside, as well as some downfield speed at the tight end position with Jordan Cameron. I think going deep is what [Josh] Gordon does best right now, and although he might not play a ton, Travis Benjamin is a total burner. Plus, I think this coaching staff will do a very good job scheming up the vertical passing game." Browns new OC Norv Turner led the Chargers to top 6 passing ranks in 3 of the last 4 years.  We doubt Cleveland will finish that high, but this passing game could surprise in 2013.  Gordon, in particular, could be a value pick in fantasy drafts this summer.

Browns insider Terry Pluto believes WR Josh Gordon is a breakout candidate in 2013.  We're on board -- assuming he gets improved QB play.  Gordon turned in an impressive rookie campaign, especially considering he was a supplemental draft pick that didn't join the squad until mid July.  Gordon ended up amassing 805 yards and 5 TDs on 50 catches.  His 16.1-yard average was 8th-best among WRs with more than 20 grabs.  He looks like a perfect fit in new HC Rob Chudzinski's vertical passing attack.  "The game comes outrageously easy for Josh Gordon, as he glides down the field," Pluto observed at OTAs.

Browns QB Brandon Weeden thinks he's a good fit in new HC Rob Chudzinski's offense.  "I think this offense possesses a lot of the strengths that I have,'' he said. "I think we’re throwing the ball down the field, we’re throwing deeper routes, I’m going to be in the shotgun a little bit more."  Weeden's arm strength is one of his biggest assets.  But he wasn't able to put that on display enough in last year's West Coast scheme.  Weeden's 6.5 yards-per-attempt average ranked just 27th league-wide.  Expect that number to rise in 2013.  It's unlikely to make Weeden anything more than a low-end fantasy backup, but we're hopeful that his progress in the new offense can help WR Josh Gordon take another step forward.

Browns WR Josh Gordon expects a full offseason to help him quite a bit heading into his 2nd year in the NFL.  “It’s a tremendous difference,” he told the team website. “Having the advantage of knowing the plays and knowing the style of offense coming into it months in advance as opposed to a few weeks of training camp and going right into the preseason, it’s a huge difference. It definitely will transition into the season a lot smoother than it did last year."  Gordon enjoyed a terrific rookie year -- 50 catches, 805 yards and 5 TDs -- considering his circumstances.  He arrived in Cleveland shortly before training camp via the supplemental draft and coming off a year away from football.  He joined an offense run by a rookie QB with no #1 WR.  That last factor helped push Gordon up the depth chart quickly.  He finished the year somewhat shakily and has been publicly challenged by the new regime.  But that signals to us a player the franchise is counting on to help lead its resurgence.  Gordon said he and Greg Little have been working out hard in Miami this offseason and seems poised to continue improving.  He's not the safest bet for your fantasy team, but the ceiling could be high.

The Browns' new regime is excited about WR Josh Gordon's potential.  But they've made it clear that he still has work to do.  "I think Josh has to keep working hard and improving," CEO Joe Banner said recently.  "A top-of-the-second-round pick on a wide receiver, you would hope by the second or third year you'd have a big, big impact player. I think he still has improvements [he] could make and there's hope that he can do that."  After being selected in the 2nd round of the supplemental draft, Gordon's rookie campaign got off to a good start, with 4 scores in a 3-week span in October.  But he hit pay dirt just once in his last 9 games.  And he mustered just 73 yards in his final 3 outings.  Still, Gordon's final 50-805-5 line was encouraging.  He averaged a juicy 16.1 yards per catch.  Only 12 players did better than his 6.3 yards-after-catch average.  There's plenty of talent here.  And we like how Gordon fits into new HC Rob Chudzinski's vertical passing attack.  With improved QB play, Gordon could be a weekly starter for your 2013 fantasy squad.

The Browns named Michael Lombardi VP of player personnel Friday. That brought into focus critical remarks he'd made about players whle an NFL Network analyst. Namely, Brandon Weeden and Josh Gordon. Lombardi called Gordon a wasted pick after the Browns claimed him in the supplemental draft. That prompted Gordon to wonder via Twitter this morning if he's " in trouble." Lombardi answeed that Gordon has nothing to worry about. On Weeden, however, Lombardi said: "I think it's going to take some time to study him." From here, it looked like Weeden had a pretty good rookie season. His modest 14-17 TD-INT is easy to look down upon in light of huge years from classmates Andrew Luck, RG3 and Russell Wilson. We expect Weeden to at least be the Cleveland starter on opening day 2013. Beyond that will depend on Lombardi's "study."

Browns WR Josh Gordon went down with an ankle injury in the 2nd quarter of Sunday's game against the Steelers.  He had to be carted to the locker room and is done for the day.  Gordon finishes his rookie campaign with 50 catches, 805 yards, and 5 TDs.  He could easily improve on those numbers in 2013 with a full offseason.  Remember that Gordon was a supplemental draft pick this past July.

Browns HC Pat Shurmur believes the "light is coming on" for WR Josh Gordon.  That's what we like to hear about a guy who's been considered a raw talent.  Over the past 2 weeks, Gordon has turned 5 catches into 181 yards and 3 scores.  That type of efficiency obviously isn't sustainable, but Gordon has definitely displayed plenty of big-play ability.  For more on his fantasy prospects the rest of the way, check out our Week 6 Free Agent Focus.

Browns HC Pat Shurmur says he's seen "huge improvement" from rookie WR Josh Gordon.  After going catchless on 3 targets in the preseason opener, Gordon has hauled in 5 of 9 targets in the last 2 games.  He's averaging a juicy 17.6 yards per catch.  “I’ve mentioned this, the steady climb theory," Shurmur explained.  "Early on, he had to get himself in playing shape. He had to learn the offense. He had to get used to the quarterbacks that were throwing to him. He had to get used to being coached.  That’s a little bit of a process, too, when we’re riding him. You’ve got to get used to that. When you think you’re a pretty good player and you have to deal with lots of coachable moments, which I thought he did fine, and as it all starts to come together, then you see a guy that’s got very good skill and ability start to make plays.”  From a pure talent perspective, Gordon is the best receiver on the Browns roster.  He should move past Mohamed Massaquoi on the depth chart in short order.  Gordon's raw ability makes him a fine late-round flier in fantasy drafts.

Browns rookie WR Josh Gordon is already seeing work with the 1st-team offense in 3-WR sets.  It looks like Cleveland wants to get its 3 best receivers -- Gordon, Greg Little, and Mohamed Massaquoi -- on the field at the same time.  Gordon's quick ascension up the depth chart isn't surprising considering the Browns' weak WR corps.  He could even pass Massaquoi in the pecking order at some point this season.  But Gordon is the type of physical freak that usually stands out in practice.  The real test will be how he adjusts to the speed of the pro game and how comfortable he is in the offense in live game situations.  We're still not expecting him to be a consistent fantasy factor in 2012.

The Browns are sky-high on rookie WR Josh Gordon.  That was plenty clear when they spent a 2nd-round pick on him in Thursday's Supplemental Draft.  GM Tom Heckert believes Gordon is capable of making a significant contribution this season.  "We hope he comes in and plays right away. We expect him to play.'' Heckert said.  "His size, speed and athletic ability are up there pretty good. I'd say he's (elite).''  There's no doubting Gordon's physical tools.  But we'll have to see what kind of football shape he's in after sitting out all last year; how quickly he can grasp Cleveland's west coast offense; and whether he can stay out of trouble off the field.  On the plus side, Gordon has a relatively easy path to a starting spot.  He'll be worth monitoring closely in training camp.  We just added him to our WR Rankings, although he should only be considered a late-round flier in redraft leagues.

The Browns selected WR Josh Gordon in the 2nd-round of today’s Supplemental Draft. It’s a bold move by a team desperate for WR help. Gordon sat out the entire 2011 season due to a drug-related arrest. But he flashed big-time potential the previous year, hauling in 42 balls for 714 yards and 7 TDs for Baylor. At 6’4 and 225 pounds with 4.5 speed and sticky hands, Gordon certainly possesses the skill-set to emerge as a dangerous weapon at the NFL level. Although the Browns trot out one of the worst WR corps in the league, we’d still bet against Gordon being a fantasy factor in 2012. He’ll be rusty after missing all of last year and still needs to polish his game. Long-term, though, he could join Greg Little in Cleveland’s starting lineup. Gordon isn’t a bad stash in dynasty leagues.