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Ask 100 people who the top wide receiver in fantasy football is and I would bet that upwards of 90 of them would say Calvin Johnson. Ask those same people who number two would be and you would most likely get names like Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas or Julio Jones, but the name that deserves to lead that list is Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon.
In standard scoring leagues, Gordon is 10th in wide receiver scoring on the year, despite missing two games to suspension. In per game scoring average, he trails only Johnson. He now has 1,249 yards this season to go along with seven touchdowns. He averages 109.8 yards per game. Over the last two games, Gordon has 24 catches, 498 yards and three touchdowns. He is the only receiver in NFL history to have back to back games with over 200 receiving yards.
While Calvin Johnson may be considered the best wide receiver in fantasy, Josh Gordon is right on his heels. If Gordon isn’t the best receiver in football, he certainly has a claim for the number two spot. While Johnson has Matthew Stafford throwing him the ball, Gordon has had to deal with the quarterback parade of Brandon Weeden, Brian Hoyer and Jason Campbell, all far inferior to Stafford. While Demaryius Thomas has to compete for targets with Wes Welker, Julius Thomas and Eric Decker, Gordon is the only true receiving threat the Browns have. While most teams with premier receivers have reliable running games to keep opponents honest, the Browns have the third worst rushing attack in football. Much like Jamaal Charles, even when the opposition knows that they only have to worry about eliminating one player, both keep producing regardless of the situation.
Factor in the Browns overall are really not a great team and often have to play catch up on the scoreboard, and you have a legitimate argument for the top receiver in fantasy. Nothing hurts fantasy value worse than having to split targets and touches. Gordon has no competition for targets. Nothing saps wide receiver fantasy value than having a big lead and running the ball, Cleveland won’t have that problem. What Gordon does have is an almost ideal situation, an amazing player who is the only true offensive threat on a team that should need to throw the ball a lot to keep in the game. What more could fantasy owners ask for?
In keeper or redraft leagues, there is no question that Gordon is a top five pick. The only question is if you take him ahead of Calvin Johnson.
As always, I welcome your comments. If you think I’m wrong, I’m willing to listen. Just back it up with some facts and solid evidence. Thanks for reading and good luck this season.
Dustin Manko is an author at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter @DustinManko, ”Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
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