Sleeper Watch

It’s official: Lamar Gordon has been dealt to the Dolphins for a third-round draft choice in 2005, causing his fantasy value to skyrocket. Before the trade, Gordon had been stuck behind Marshall Faulk and Steven Jackson on the Rams’ depth chart. Now, it looks like he’ll be given the chance to be the starter in Miami.

With Ricky Williams no longer interested in playing football and neither Travis Minor nor Sammy Morris looking capable of shouldering the load, the Dolphins were desperate for RB help, and believe to have found their man in the 24-year-old Gordon. In limited action last season (71 carries), the North Dakota State product carried the ball for 298 yards in Mike Martz’s offense, giving him a solid 4.2 yards per carry.

Unfortunately for Gordon, repeating that average with his new squad might be difficult. Unlike the Rams teams Gordon played for over the last two seasons, Miami has all kinds of holes in its offense, and not having had the chance to study the playbook won’t make his task any easier.

This lack of familiarity will presumably keep Gordon on the bench for much of the opener, but expect him to assume starting duties thereafter. Don’t expect him to quite fill Ricky’s shoes, but he might turn into a solid #2 fantasy back as the season progresses. At any rate, he’ll have remained undrafted in many leagues, and unless you’re in an awfully shallow league, any time you have the chance to pick up a starting RB off the wire, you should jump at the opportunity.