Fantasy football owners who stashed Cleveland Browns receiver Josh Gordon all this time will finally see a reward for their patience. Gordon has officially been reinstated from his 10-game suspension, and is set to take the field this weekend against the Atlanta Falcons.
Quick refresher: Gordon led the league in receiving last year with 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns on 87 catches in only 14 games. Should owners expect the same level of elite production, or will Gordon be rusty from his lengthy absence?
"Absolutely I do," Falcons coach Mike Smith answered when asked if he thinks Gordon will hit the ground running. "They've stated that they want to get him out on the field as quickly as possible. And he's a game-changer. He's a guy that with the ball in his hands, he can make plays. So we're anticipating that we're going to get a full dose of him this week."
ESPN Cleveland's Tony Grossi expects a heavy workload for Gordon immediately.
"This franchise was without an elite receiver for almost 30 years before Gordon bolted on the scene and shattered records written by Hall of Famers Dante Lavelli and Paul Warfield," Grossi wrote.
"If they don't utilize this phenomenal, elite talent instantly, they all ought to have a check-up from the neck up."
Fantasy owners are undoubtedly salivating over the easy matchup with Atlanta as well. The Falcons have allowed at least one receiving touchdown to opposing wide receivers in every game this season except one.
However, not everyone is as optimistic. ESPN's Mike Sando explains why owners should temper their expectations.
"As a beat reporter covering Seattle in 1999, I remember the anticipation as speed receiver Joey Galloway ended his holdout and joined a team that had won six of its first eight games," Sando wrote.
"The team won its first couple of games with Galloway, but attempts to get him involved in the offense became frustrating. The Seahawks fell from 8-2 to 9-7 as Galloway scored only one touchdown without exceeding 85 yards receiving in a single game. The Browns should expect more from Josh Gordon as he returns from suspension as early as next week, but there are some similarities. Cleveland, like that Seattle team, exceeded early expectations with a first-year head coach and a surprisingly effective quarterback (Seattle had Mike Holmgren and Jon Kitna back then). There is also recent precedent for the Browns and Gordon. Detroit welcomed back Calvin Johnson last week, with positive results. But during the Lions' defeat Sunday, quarterback Matthew Stafford seemed determined to target Johnson. The two connected five times for 59 yards on 12 targets. Meanwhile, Stafford targeted Golden Tate just twice, by far a season low."
To counter Sando's argument, Gordon did rack up 168 total yards and a score from quarterback Brian Hoyer in his return from a two-game suspension last year. Either way, this week's game should be interesting.
