San Diego Chargers rookie running back Melvin Gordon did not necessarily disappoint in his NFL debut on Sunday, but he also didn't instill fantasy football owners with unshakable confidence. Gordon carried the ball 14 times for 51 yards (3.6 yards per carry) while catching three passes for 16 yards. While he was playing a solid Detroit Lions defense, the game was revealing as to how San Diego plans to use its new ball carrier.
Trailing 21-3, Gordon lost a significant amount of snaps to Danny Woodhead in the second half and was also not used near the goal line. It's a trend that ESPN Fantasy analyst Eric Karabell believes is worth noting.
"At running back, rookie Melvin Gordon had several exciting moments, but also lost a fumble and was obviously outshines by veteran Danny Woodhead, who critically earned the carries near the goal line, converting a pair of touchdowns," says Karabell. "Woodhead is also the pass catcher out of the backfield but perhaps the traditional handoff duties are more shared than had been believed. Don't give up on Gordon's immense talent, but add Woodhead, especially in PPR formats, as well."
In addition to the aforementioned pair of touchdowns, Woodhead carried the ball 12 times for 42 yards (3.5 YPC) and caught four passes for 20 yards. Fully healthy after an injury ended his 2014 season, Woodhead appears to be more involved in San Diego's offense than initially thought. It's far from a death knell for Gordon's fantasy stock. But owners should probably want to investigate a handcuff approach.
