Fantasy football connoisseurs, meet the answer to your salary cap prayers. With the 15th pick in the 1st round of the 2015 NFL Draft, the San Diego Chargers had selected 1st Heisman Trophy Runner Up, Melvin Gordon III. The Wisconsin native, who played football at his home-state University, was the second running back to be taken overall in a draft class that was not stacked with athletes who share his position.

Despite his 2nd place patterns, Gordon made mainstream media headlines last fall when he broke the NCAA Division I FBS single game rushing yardage record with 408 yards in 3 quarters. The following week it was broken by fellow running back Samaje Perine of the Oklahoma Sooners who acquired only 19 more yards than he. However, Gordon still remains the second all-time single season rusher in FBS history, and is only 41 yards behind Barry Sanders' 1988 record of 2,628.

Editor’s Note: RotoBaller's NFL Premium Subscriptions are your secret weapon. Sign up now and get access to our in-house developed tools including the DFS matchups tool, lineup sleepers/streamers tool, live expert Q&A chats, DFS lineups picks newsletter, ADP draft sleepers tool & much more. 

San Diego Chargers Situation

San Diego Chargers head coach, Mike McCoy, has newly put the spotlight on their running backs when ESPN reported earlier this week that the team is making some adjustments to their playbook.

Quarterback Philip Rivers spent the majority of his career with the Chargers in a shotgun formation, receiving snaps usually 5 to 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage. However, the team has revealed that Rivers will be playing directly under center in an effort to flesh out their running game. Coach McCoy plans to run the ball in two-back sets, which could explain why the team traded up their pick in this years NFL draft to land a stealthy Melvin Gordon.

Gordon's College Days

Gordon's previous team, the Wisconsin Badgers, is notorious for its run game in the last decade, as a result of their ability to develop offensive lineman and recruit more uniform depth. Because of their belief in a concrete playbook, linemen are fluent in the blocking schemes and the ins and outs of their positions. Additionally, The Badgers consistently develop tight ends and fullbacks that block, who have been known to take on defensive ends.

Adding multiple tight ends and a fullback stretches out opposing defenses horizontally, and creates scenarios where the running back can escape outside and pick up yardage. As a result of each positions' function being utilized to a science, Melvin Gordon was able to excercise his talent more frequently and became the Big 10 offensive player of the year and the Big 10 running back of the year in 2014.

The Big 10 is also the conference of Ohio State University, who, lead by a third string quarterback, managed to shut out Wisconsin 59-0 back in December and went on to defeat the University of Alabama in the playoffs, and the University of Oregon for the National Championship.

2015 Fantasy Football Outlook

Because of the unpredictability of productivity on a fantasy roster, it's better to be more economical than ambitious when it comes to selecting a running back. One good strategy for a favorable outcome is to select a rookie who is set up in an offense where there will be plenty of opportunity for him to help run up the score. Field experience, regardless of success, seems to contribute to the overvaluation of athletes at any position on a fantasy roster.

Also on the Chargers depth chart at running back are Danny Woodhead, Branden Oliver and Donald Brown. Once Gordon gets his feet wet and finds some rhythm in his new offense, all are predicted to be second and third tier in terms of rushing the ball to Gordon, who is more of an "NFL size" (6' 1", 210 lbs).

Gordon's 40-yard-dash time is 4.52, about .08 seconds faster than the average speed of a running back who enters the draft. There's no question that he can outrun a lineman. And you can, quite literally, bet on him giving you a run for your money in fantasy this year. The upside and surrounding situation is certainly there.

NFL & Fantasy Football Chat Room

[iflychat_embed id="c-0" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]