Miami Dolphins RB Ollie Gordon should be kept on fantasy rosters.
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Miami Dolphins RB Ollie Gordon should be kept on fantasy rosters.
The Miami Dolphins are not making things easy for fantasy football owners. They have a ton of talent and a bunch of players to covet, but the questions marks are huge, making Miami a fantasy ticking time bomb.
While many will fret over the health of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and how that impacts the production of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, the running back situation is the real conundrum right now.
Starter De’Von Achane (the guy you took in the second round) was limited in practice all week until finally being removed from the injury report on Friday. As many expected, he’ll start on Sunday in the Week 1 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts.
So, Achane will play, but what happens in the game? Will he get a normal workload?
Here comes Ollie Gordon
You’ve probably been hearing his name during training camp and rightfully so. Achane is the lead dog for the Dolphins, but he’s dealt with a calf injury and – as Tyreek reminded us in the offseason – the Dolphins struggle in short-yardage situations.
So, contained within ESPN’s recent piece “NFL Week 1 predictions, fantasy sleepers, upset picks,” is an interesting item on Gordon.
“The sixth-round rookie is De’Von Achane’s backup while Jaylen Wright recovers from a lower-leg injury that could keep him out of the first month of the season,” ESPN writes. “Achane is expected to play as he recovers from his own injury (calf), but don’t be surprised if Gordon has close to 10 touches in short-yardage and goal-line situations.
“The Colts allowed 18 rushing touchdowns last season, tied for seventh most in the league. Gordon rushed for 34 touchdowns over his final two seasons at Oklahoma State, winning the 2023 Doak Walker Award as college football’s top running back.”
The Dolphins absolutely have short-yardage problems. If Gordon can help to solve those it should earn him valuable playing time.
Ollie Gordon should be owned, but not started
Check your waiver wire, because Gordon could be on it. If he is, you really don’t need two defenses. Stop kidding yourself, it’s a complete waste of a roster spot and your friends are laughing at you behind your back. Trust me, yes they are.
Back to Gordon, head coach Mike McDaniel seems rather optimistic with him (although that doesn’t mean he’ll get any kind of a workload).
“I’ve seen a lot of growth. I think that’s one of the guys that took advantage of an inopportune health situation and position, and that opportunity allowed for him to succeed,” he said.
Zach Thompson of Rotoballer has the latest on Gordon’s fantasy status for Week 1 and he’s right. Keep Gordon stashed on your roster, but you don’t want to roll the dice on him without even seeing how the Dolphins use him.
“Miami Dolphins running back Ollie Gordon II is set to be the primary backup for the team when they open the season on Sunday afternoon against the Colts,” Thompson writes. “Gordon had a strong preseason with 126 rushing yards and a touchdown, along with three catches for 48 receiving yards over his three preseason games. Gordon was a sixth-round pick of the Dolphins out of Oklahoma State, and he was the biggest running back in the draft class.
“He showed off his power running style this preseason and could grow into a nice complement and change-of-pace option behind De’Von Achane. Jaylen Wright (knee) has been ruled out for Week 1, leaving Gordon as the primary backup behind Achane. Gordon is the RB41 in RotoBaller’s rankings for Week 1, making him one of the best backups on the board, but a long-shot starter in most standard formats. He’s definitely an exciting rookie to watch in Week 1, but his role isn’t big enough to start him as a FLEX play quite yet.”