Melvin Gordon Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Broncos RB Latavius Murray won't play vs. the Colts tonight, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "Just too quick a turnaround from London and with a new system," Rapoport adds. "Expect him to play vs. the Chargers [next week]." So it'll be Melvin Gordon and Mike Boone in Denver's backfield tonight. NFL Network's James Palmer says Gordon will be the "bell cow." He's a solid RB2 play. Consider Boone a shaky RB3 or flex.

Broncos OC Justin Outten said Tuesday that RB Melvin Gordon is "going to carry the load obviously" with RB Javonte Williams out. "We’ll have a mix of (Mike) Boone and after that we’ve got to figure out who can spell and who feels best in that position," Outten added. "But we trust Melvin going forward here.” Gordon needs to clean up the ball-security issues that have plagued him early this season, but he has every opportunity to carve out a very fantasy friendly role the rest of the season. Consider him a RB2 for now, with upside for more.

The Broncos are signing RB Latavius Murray off the Saints' practice squad, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports. Murray was just elevated for Week 4 in London, looking fresh-legged on his way to 57 yards and a score on 11 carries. Murray toted it 119 times for 501 yards (4.2 YPC) and 6 TDs for the Ravens last year, ranking 28th among 50 qualifiers in Pro Football Focus' rushing grades. Murray will turn 33 in January but still has some juice left in his legs. He's worth adding now that he's part of Denver's Javonte Williams-less backfield -- although we still prefer Mike Boone as a pickup.

Broncos RB Javonte Williams tore his right ACL in Sunday's loss to the Raiders. That obviously ends his season. Melvin Gordon becomes the obvious name as top candidate to take over the Denver backfield, but Mike Boone has seen significant use each of the past 2 games. He stepped in to run nearly as many routes as Williams and Gordon in Week 3, and then Boone played more than Gordon against the Raiders. Gordon entered Sunday with a neck issue that limited him for a couple of practices, but he finished with a full workout. He did take a 2nd-half trip to the medical tent but returned. We'll see just how the new backfield split plays out. Boone is at least worth a pickup in most fantasy football leagues.

Update: In addition to the torn ACL, Williams also has a torn LCL and posterior lateral corner, sources tell NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. That figures to lengthen Williams' rehab timeline. We'll track his progress.

Broncos HC Nathaniel Hackett said after the loss to the Raiders that RB Javonte Williams will undergo an MRI on his injured right knee on Monday. Hackett had no further update on Williams' injury. But, per ESPN's Jeff Legwold, Williams left the locker room on crutches. We should learn more about his status tomorrow, but this obviously looks like a significant injury. Williams' absence would leave Denver's backfield to Melvin Gordon and Mike Boone.

Update: Mike Klis of 9News of Williams' injury that the "fear is it is serious and he will be sidelined for [an] extended period."

Broncos RB Javonte Williams went down with a right knee injury in the 3rd quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Raiders and was quickly ruled out. We'll update his status as soon as we know more. Williams' absence leaves Denver with RBs Melvin Gordon and Mike Boone.

Broncos RB Javonte Williams had a decent day in Sunday's win over the Texans, rushing for 75 yards on 15 carries (5.0 per attempt) and adding a catch for 10 yards among 4 targets. The better news for Williams -- amid a rough day for the Denver offense on whole -- was that his playing time stood further ahead of Melvin Gordon's in Week 2. Williams played 65% of snaps against Houston, compared with 32% for Gordon. They went 58-41 in the opener. Gordon also saw his route rate dip further from what was already a good-sized gap in Williams' favor. So the role has looked good for Williams drafters. Now we just need Denver's offense to stop being run moronically.

Broncos RB Javonte Williams totaled 108 yards in Monday’s road loss to Seattle. He played 38 snaps (vs. 27 for Melvin Gordon) but was out-carried by the veteran, 7-12. Williams delivered in fantasy on the strength of 11 catches for 65 yards. But his night should have been better, as he fumbled right at the goal line. Gordon actually fumbled in the same spot — so neither guy was benched for the miscue. At bottom, we’re likely headed for more games with heavy rotations going forward. Williams at least looks in peak tackle-breaking shape. Look for his efficient ways to continue Sunday vs. Houston.

Broncos HC Nathaniel Hackett dropped the "hot hand" bomb on Friday when discussing his Javonte Williams/Melvin Gordon backfield. "I've always been a true believer in you want to roll with the hot hand," Hackett said. "One guy gets going, you want to be sure to keep feeding that person. But I think they're going to be great compliments to each other." It's the latest indication that Gordon will remain significantly involved in this backfield, at least out of the gate. We'll get our first look at the work split in Monday night's opener vs. the Seahawks.

Benjamin Allbright, a Broncos insider for KOA Radio in Denver, says those who draft RB Javonte Williams are "gonna be mad." He says it "looks like a 55/45" split between Williams and Melvin Gordon, "with some Mike Boone sprinkled in." Allbright adds that Gordon "is getting the situational work (GL, short yardage, etc)." The fact that we're getting varied reads on the situation from different reporters points to no one really knowing for sure what the Broncos' plan is. The sheer uncertainty adds risk to Williams at his Round 2 ADP and value to Gordon in Round 8.

ESPN's Dan Granziano believes Broncos RB Javonte Williams "takes control of the backfield" this season. "I think [RB Melvin] Gordon, who has had a strong camp by all accounts, still has a role, but that it's a far more secondary role than he had last year," Graziano adds. It seems certain at this point that Williams will lead this Denver backfield. What we don't know is if it will be something like a 55/45 split, or more like a 70/30 split. You're banking on something closer to the latter if you're taking Williams in the 2nd round of fantasy drafts.

When asked about RB Javonte Williams getting the first snaps at practice, RB Melvin Gordon said, "The want 'Vonte to be the guy," per insider Zac Stevens. That, of course, doesn't tell us anything specific about how snaps and touches will be divvied in this backfield. But it at least seems like confirmation that Williams will lead the way. We'll see if we get any clues on workload distribution in Denver's final 2 preseason games.

Broncos RB Melvin Gordon was back on the practice field on Monday. "Appears to be a full participant," insider Zac Stevens tweeted. Gordon missed less than a week with what was reported as a foot contusion. We'll keep an eye on him going forward, but consider Gordon's fantasy stock unaffected.

Broncos HC Nathaniel Hackett says it's merely a foot contusion that currently has RB Melvin Gordon out of practice, according to Mike Klis of 9News. That doesn't sound like an issue that should impact his regular-season outlook. We'll keep an eye on how long the veteran misses.

NFL Network's James Palmer hears that Broncos RB Melvin Gordon's foot injury is "not serious." Gordon remained sidelined for Thursday's practice and surely won't play in Saturday's preseason opener. We'll see when he's able to get back on the field. We've haven't adjusted Gordon's projections as of now.

Broncos RB Melvin Gordon missed practice on Wednesday with a foot injury. There's been no indication of something severe, but HC Nathaniel Hackett said the veteran is currently being evaluated. In the meantime, the Broncos added 2 RBs (Stevie Scott and JaQuan Hardy) to the roster. We’ll let you know when more info comes out on Gordon’s status.

Cecil Lammey of 104.3 The Fan in Denver had this to say Wednesday after observing early Broncos practices: "I don't think this is a running back competition between [Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams]. I think Gordon is the clear backup, and I believe he's competing with Boone for the No. 2 job." Lammey pointed out that Gordon was working in behind Williams, Boone and Damarea Crockett in drills on the 1st day of camp. It's still early for Gordon, who didn't re-sign until April, returning to find a new coaching staff. It's also unlikely that Gordon would return without at least a shot to fight Williams for touches. This will be 1 of the most interesting situations in all of fantasy football this summer. If Williams does operate as a clear lead back, there's upside from his Round 2 ADP. If Gordon commands anything close to last year's work share, though, he'll prove to be a tremendous value. And if Boone surprises ... then there will be plenty of angry fantasy players. We'll keep tracking this backfield closely.

Denver’s new coaching staff views RBs Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon as “interchangeable, capable protectors and sure-handed receivers,” per The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider. “It’s kind of a similar situation to what we had in Green Bay with a speedier guy and a downhill guy,” new OC Justin Outten said. “You want to utilize those guys because it is a long season. You don’t want to bang them up. You want to be smart with them, use their strengths, put them out on the field, and make them work. We’re excited to have both those guys.” It’s further confirmation that the plan isn’t to fully unleash Williams in year 2. He still figures to be a highly efficient per-touch player, but hitting his ultimate ceiling likely hinges on whether Gordon misses time.