Welcome to Week 10 of The Docket, a weekly column that will highlight rule and policy issues effecting players as well as offer strategy and advice on a select few players that you should be targeting or avoiding. This week we take a look at four marquee players whose availability has been in limbo all season long:
Josh Gordon (WR, Clev) – Just two more games until we see the return of Josh Gordon from serving his ten game suspension for his latest violation of the leagues substance abuse policy. This is very good news for Gordon owners, as he is unquestionably a special wide receiver and an every week difference maker at the position. While it may take him a little bit of time to get acclimated, he is also coming in with fresh legs, and since he was able to train at the teams facilities during his suspension, he should be in tip top shape.
If you are a Gordon owner, your patience will be rewarded, if he is on the waiver wire, grab him now, if he is owned by someone else, put in a trade request. One word of caution is for dynasty owners. Remember, Gordon is in Stage 3 of the leagues substance abuse program and will remain there for the rest of his career. So one more screw up and he is getting a year ban. A heady move would be to wait until he goes off for a week or two and then trade him for another stud receiver or running back option.
Aldon Smith (LB, SF) – Aldon Smith is set to return to the San Francisco 49ers Week 11. At his best, Smith is one of the most dominant linebackers in the NFL today. Smith also had a laundry list of incidents off the field including: two DUI’s, an incident where he was stabbed at his house trying to break up a fight and subsequently charged with possessing illegal assault weapons and a peculiar high profile incident at the Los Angeles airport where he was detained for supposedly making a bomb threat. After resolving all of these issues with the courts, Roger Goodell handed down a 10 game suspension even though Smith voluntarily missed five games last season to enter into a substance-abuse treatment center.
There was some optimism that his suspension would be reduced by a week because of the way Smith conducted himself during his suspension, but Goodell, showed no leniency. In terms of Fantasy impact, Smith is a dominant defensive player that will help IDP leaguers big time. Teams that own the San Francisco defense will also get a big boost with his return, which could in turn help their offense as well. In terms of policy, it is a good case study to help see what may happen with Adrian Peterson’s reinstatement.
Adrian Peterson (RB, Minn) - This week, Peterson pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of reckless assault, as the case deferred a finding of guilt for two years while imposing a $4,000 fine and 80 hours of community service. Fortunately for Peterson, the plea contained no mention of child abuse and there were also reports that every single member of the Grand Jury that indicted Peterson claimed to have been “disciplined” as a child. Texas is clearly a much different place then Minnesota, that is something to keep in mind.
Since the allegations of child abuse emerged, Goodell placed Peterson on the Commissioner’s "Exempt List" where he continued to be paid his weekly salary of $691,176 while essentially being suspended from the team. Now that Peterson’s case has been settled in the courts, it remains to be seen what the league and the Viking’s will do with him. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello stated this week that “we will review the court documents” and that “we cannot speculate on a timetable for a decision.”
Only commissioner Roger Goodell can reinstate Peterson from the Exempt List and personal conduct policy issues have always been at his discretion (and whim). However, after the fall out from the Ray Rice incident, the Commissioner put in place a new domestic violence policy, which calls for a six-game suspension for a first-time offender and a lifetime ban subject to review after one year for a repeat offender. The suspension could also be increased if a minor is present, which was certainly the case with Peterson.
In the near future, Goodell is going to have to make a decision on what to do with Peterson, but there is no telling which way he will go or how long it will take for Goodell to make that decision. Remember, he kept Josh Gordon waiting months. There is certainly a good chance Goodell could deem the 8+ games Peterson has missed this season as time served and reinstate him immediately. Peterson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, made it clear that Peterson hopes to be playing for the Vikings when they come out of their bye week.
However, like much in the NFL, things that seem to make sense to us, don’t always turn out that way. Remember, a catch isn’t even a catch sometimes. In any case, as we saw with Aldon Smith, as I mentioned above, just because Smith voluntarily missed 5 games, it didn’t earn him a lesser suspension once Goodell took up his case. So Goodell could still certainly suspend Peterson for 6+ games this year, essentially sidelining Peterson for the rest of the season. With the considerable backlash to Peterson's actions from fans, business partners and even Minnesota’s governor, having him sit out a full year may make a lot of sense from a public relations standpoint. And while the Viking’s players and coaches seem keen to have Peterson return, there is a very good chance the Viking’s are done with him, and with the trade deadline passed, it is certainly better for the team to wait until the off-season to trade him rather then to have to cut him loose now.
For Fantasy, Peterson is an every week difference maker and as a sure bet to perform as any player ever in the NFL, so he is a must add. But just be warned, there is still a good chance he doesn’t play at all this year.
Ray Rice (RB) – Ray Rice is currently serving an indefinite suspension for knocking out his now wife, Janay Rice, in an elevator in Atlantic City earlier this year. NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, initially handed Rice a two game suspension, but reversed his decision and suspended him indefinitely after TMZ leaked a video of the incident inside the elevator. A hearing on Rice’s suspension is going to be heard this week and there are reports that Rice could be reinstated soon thereafter.
Rice claims that he has never lied during hearings and that tapes of the incident were always available to the Ravens and Goodell for viewing. Furthermore, under the NFL's new domestic violence policy, as a first-time offender, Rice should be suspended for only six games regardless. He has already missed seven, so his legal team will argue for immediate reinstatement.
However, the bigger question, is even if he is reinstated to play, will any team pick him up? With so much scrutiny this year in the NFL between this case and the Adrian Peterson case, there is a very good chance no team will take a shot on him until next year simply to avoid any backlash or media scrutiny. However, with Stevan Ridley going down in New England, the Patriots could certainly take a flier on Rice, especially since they have Super Bowl aspirations with an aging quarterback and a coach in Bill Belichick that will do whatever it takes to win. Greg Schiano, Rice’s college coach, is also an advisor for New England this season, and we already saw him help bring Tim Wright into the fold in a trade with Tampa Bay earlier this year. While Rice is not worth an add just yet in most leagues, he is certainly a player to continue to monitor.
Song of the Week – This week I present, Borns, a cool artist that recently released his debut single, 10,000 Emerald Pools, last month. You can check out the song below. Enjoy and good luck this week!
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