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Denver Broncos running back Melvin Gordon popped up on the injury report with a neck injury and has logged limited practices throughout the week leading up to his Thursday Night Football game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Gordon figures to be the primary running back in the Denver offense after Javonte Williams tore his ACL in Week 4, so his injury status is significant for fantasy managers who drafted him or traded for him.
As always with Thursday night games, players can be inactive for rest coming off of short weeks, so we’ll dive into his latest injury updates.
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Is Melvin Gordon Playing In Week 5 Thursday Night Football?
Despite being limited this week in practice, fantasy managers shouldn't be concerned as it sounds like Gordon will be fine for Thursday night football. Gordon was taken off the injury report and Broncos offensive coordinator Justin Otten mentioned that the plan is for Gordon to be the featured back going forward.
Melvin Gordon is on the practice field and wearing his jersey, but not stretching with the team. He’s listed on the injury report with a neck injury.
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) October 4, 2022
Since Gordon is active, he’s a must-start as the Broncos lead back. There shouldn’t be any chance of a surprise inactive just before kickoff since he’s not listed on the final injury report at all.
Should I Start Mike Boone in Week 5?
Gordon is active as expected, so Boone is nothing more than a deep league flex option or desperation RB2 plug-in. That said, Boone is a great waiver wire add since he gains must-start status if Gordon suffers an injury down the line. In that case, Boone would slide into a workhorse role.
The newly-signed Latavius Murray would move into a deep league flex option in that case, but he has no guaranteed role even if Gordon missed time down the line. It’s worth noting Murray is
inactive for Week 5.
For now, it’s smart to examine how the Broncos handle the running back touches against the Colts, but for now, it’s safe to assume Gordon is the only guy to trust, even after his fourth fumble of the year last week.
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