Can you hear that sound? It used to be deafening. Now, it's just silence.
No one is hating on Melvin Gordon any more.
Gordon said in an interview with CBS Sports at the Pro Bowl that all the noise -- the hate -- he heard from his disappointing rookie season in 2015 motivated him last year. As a result, he was awesome, and we hope the same thing happens this season.
"Definitely motivation," Gordon said. "It's expected that people are going to talk trash and hate you. It's all part of the game."
As a rookie, Gordon had 184 carries for 641 yards (3.5 yards per carry) and no touchdowns and 33 catches for 192 yards, which was a disaster. Fantasy owners settled for him on Draft Day last year instead of targeting him, and he was the No. 22 running back drafted on average on CBS Sports in Round 6.
But with an improved offensive line and a new approach, as well as Danny Woodhead suffering a torn ACL in Week 2, Gordon bounced back and was a star for Fantasy owners. He finished as the No. 8 running back in standard leagues with 254 carries for 997 yards (3.9 yards per carry) and 10 touchdowns and 41 catches for 419 yards and two touchdowns in 12 full games.
He suffered a sprained PCL in his left knee in Week 14 at Carolina and missed the final three games, but he scored double digits in Fantasy points in nine of 11 full outings. His knee is fine, and his outlook is entirely different -- in Fantasy and reality.
Fantasy owners now covet Gordon heading into this year, and he is expected to be a first-round pick in the majority of leagues. He should have the chance for a repeat performance from 2016 as well, especially with new head coach Anthony Lynn, who spent 14 years as a running backs coach and offensive coordinator and helped seven running backs rush for more than 1,000 yards, including LaDainian Tomlinson, LeSean McCoy, Fred Taylor and Jamal Lewis.
"He can be as special as he wants to be," Lynn told CBS Sports about Gordon. "He works at it. ... I love the way he developed last year and the way he's going to continue to develop."
Woodhead signed as a free agent in Baltimore, and Gordon should have little competition for touches, much like 2016. And the offensive line was upgraded with the addition of rookie guards in Forrest Lamp from Western Kentucky in Round 2 and Dan Feeney from Indiana in Round 3.
The Chargers will also have a stellar passing attack with Philip Rivers leading the way, especially with Keenan Allen back from last year's torn ACL, the addition of first-round rookie receiver Mike Williams from Clemson and the development of Tyrell Williams and Hunter Henry, as well as Antonio Gates still with the team. How can defenses stop the Chargers?
But Gordon will be the first Chargers player drafted in the majority of Fantasy leagues. And he should be their best offensive weapon.
The only sound Gordon hears now is cheers. From Chargers fans and Fantasy owners.
Still going strong: Philip Rivers
Rivers continues to be one of the best quarterbacks for Fantasy owners year after year. He rarely gets the respect he deserves, which drives his price down, yet he's almost annually among the best Fantasy quarterbacks in the majority of leagues. So he's easy to wait for on Draft Day because he mostly delivers as a late-round pick. In 2016, Rivers had the second-most touchdown passes of his career with 33 and his fourth year in a row with at least 4,200 passing yards. He also had a career-high 21 interceptions, but he still finished as the No. 6 Fantasy quarterback in standard leagues. This season, he might have the best receiving corps of his career with Allen back, Mike Williams added to Tyrell Williams and Henry looking like a breakout candidate, as well as Gates and Travis Benjamin expected to play prominent roles. There is the concern of Rivers starting to slow down since he's 35, and he's attempted at least 570 passes in each of the past three seasons. He also has a tendency to fade in the second half of the season, although last year he scored at least 20 Fantasy points in six of his final eight games. But his value is amazing, especially given his upside, and Rivers remains a great late-round pick in all formats.
Breakout: Hunter Henry
Henry has the chance to be a star this year, but he could have been a monster if Gates decided to retire. With Gates back, that lowers the Fantasy value slightly for Henry, although he's expected to take over as the No. 1 tight end. That makes sense based on how Henry played as a rookie in 2016 when he was the No. 11 Fantasy tight end in standard leagues with 36 catches for 478 yards and eight touchdowns on 54 targets, and he had nine games with at least seven Fantasy points. The targets are expected to improve, and we expect more catches and yards with the chance to repeat his touchdown production. Gates will still steal stats from Henry, as well as Allen, Mike Williams and the rest of the receiving corps. But the Chargers have one of the best, young tight ends in the NFL, and we hope they continue to feature him this year. He's still only a mid- to late-round pick because of Gates, but Henry should still have the chance for a breakout season, making him a tight end to target in all leagues.
Bust: Keenan Allen
When Allen tore his ACL in Week 1 last year, the Chargers and likely Fantasy owners thought the passing game was destroyed. After all, Allen was the best receiver for the Chargers, while Tyrell Williams and Henry were unproven, and Gates was over the hill. As we know now, Williams and Henry turned out to be quality weapons, Gates was still productive for another year, and Rivers didn't exactly miss Allen with the second-most touchdown passes of his career with 33 and his fourth year in a row with at least 4,200 passing yards. This year, Rivers has all those weapons at his disposal again, along with the addition of rookie Mike Williams, who was the No. 7 overall pick in the NFL Draft. Allen should still be the No. 1 receiver for the Chargers, but the crowded receiving corps should lower his Fantasy value, although he's currently being drafted in Round 4. That is, if he's healthy. He should be fine for training camp, but Allen has appeared in just 9-of-32 games over the past two seasons after he played only eight games in 2015 because of a lacerated kidney. Allen should still be considered a starting Fantasy receiver coming into the season, but he's a low-end starter at best, especially in standard leagues. Mike Williams, Tyrell Williams, Henry and Gates will all get fed targets, and the running game should be strong with Gordon. It adds up to Allen being worse off now then before he got hurt last year, and his Fantasy production should suffer in 2017.
