Melvin Gordon's holdout is coming to an end, putting one of the top running backs in Fantasy back in play while creating a complicated situation for Fantasy players who have been enjoying Austin Ekeler's great start. 

As first reported by The Cleveland Plain Dealer, Gordon could report to the team Thursday, a report that was confirmed by NFL Network Wednesday. Gordon, who has been holding out since training camp hoping for a new contract as he enters his fifth season in the league, won't play in Week 4, but will be back in the building with the team Thursday.

His return is a welcome one for everyone except Fantasy players who have been relying on Austin Ekeler in the early going. Ekeler has 160 rushing yards and 208 receiving yards through three games, with four touchdowns, ranking No. 4 among all running backs entering Week 4. Gordon's return us obviously be bad news for Ekeler's value, though it's hard to say what it actually means just yet.

Given the way the two have been used in the past, the assumption has to be that Gordon will see the majority of the work when healthy. We saw the Chargers rely on both heavily in 2018, with Ekeler averaging 8.5 touches per game to Gordon's 18.8. Gordon averaged 21.4 touches per game in 2017. 

Given how Ekeler has played in Gordon's absence, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him inch closer to 10 touches per game or more, with Gordon losing a few here and there — let's not forget, Gordon has a sizable history of knee issues, so keeping him fresh should be a priority. 

However, it's hard to envision a world in which Gordon isn't the lead back whenever he's back. Ekeler has been a model of efficiency throughout his career, but hasn't been able to sustain that when tasked with a larger role, averaging 3.7 yards per carry in six career starts compared to 5.1 overall. And, coach Anthony Lynn expressed concern about Ekeler wearing down when he filled in for Gordon as the starter last season. Expect Ekeler to return to the smaller side of the platoon. 

Gordon will sit out Week 4, and will likely use Week 5 to get up to speed. You would have a tough decision to make if Gordon is active for Week 5 vs. the Broncos, but you should expect him to be in your lineup from Week 6 on, at the very least. If you've been riding Ekeler, expect another big game Sunday against the Dolphins, and then view him as more of a low-end No. 2 running back in PPR formats when Gordon is back. Gordon, meanwhile, likely returns to his place among the top-10 at running back as soon as he is active for the first time. Justin Jackson, who has been in the flex discussion to date, returns to low-end handcuff status, though he isn't a bad starting option for one last game against the Dolphins. 

Whether his return leads to a long-term deal or just gets the Chargers through the season remains to be seen. But, at least for 2019, Gordon should be the Chargers' lead back for the bulk of the season. For those of you who took a chance on Gordon as he slipped in drafts, that's great news. 

Let's get to the news and notes, compiled by Ben Gretch:

  • Doug Pederson expects Alshon Jeffery back in time for Thursday night's matchup with Green Bay. Dallas Goedert should also be ready, meaning the Eagles will be close to full strength with just DeSean Jackson still out. Mack Hollins will likely fill the Jackson downfield role, while Nelson Agholor will remain in the slot. 
  • The Seahawks traded Nick Vannett to the Steelers, reportedly for a 2020 fifth-round pick. The deal is a curious one for the Steelers, especially since later reports indicated Vance McDonald isn't expected to miss substantial time. Meanwhile, the Seahawks brought back Luke Willson to fill Vannett's roster spot. It still should be a pretty substantial uptick for Will Dissly as Dissly and Vannett had been splitting tight end reps nearly down the middle. Through three weeks, Dissly has run 54 routes while Vannett has run 51. Expect Dissly's share of the tight end opportunity to rise in advance of a great matchup with Arizona, who have given up the most Fantasy points to the position this season by far. 
  • Tevin Coleman is trending toward being active in Week 5 after the 49ers take their Week 4 bye. The 49ers rushing situation has been a difficult split to navigate, but no team's running backs have more yards from scrimmage than San Francisco's combined 697 through three games. They've also combined for the most PPR Fantasy points, as Kyle Shanahan's system has once again been fruitful. With additional reporting indicating goal-line vulture Jeff Wilson may be inactive to make room for Coleman, the uncertain situation is one to target, not avoid.
  • The Texans worked out C.J. Anderson. It's unclear if he'll sign or perhaps wait to see if the Giants have interest, but it's not a great sign for Carlos Hyde's value after Hyde rushed for just 10 yards on nine carries in Week 3. Duke Johnson has also lost substantial value and appears to now be a passing downs back, similar to his role in Cleveland, though he may have a worse target projection in Houston as Deshaun Watson has continued his career trend of not targeting backs heavily so far this season. 
  • The Giants worked out veterans Benny Cunningham, Zach Zenner and Fozzy Whittaker. They will certainly need to add someone as their only three active running backs last week were Saquon Barkley, Wayne Gallman and fullback Elijhaa Penny. Some reports have that player being rookie Jon Hilliman, a UDFA out of Rutgers who has decent size at 5 feet 11 inches and 216 pounds with pretty average athleticism and production metrics across the board. His closest comp on Player Profiler is Paul Perkins, to give you an idea of what we're working with. With Barkley set to miss at least a month and seeking a second opinion that certainly can't be viewed as a positive development, whoever the Giants add to their active roster would be worth a stash behind Gallman in deeper leagues, but Gallman is the overwhelming favorite to lead the backfield for the next several weeks. 
  • Washington expects to have Jordan Reed back at some point this season. There's been some uncertainty about Reed's future after suffering yet another concussion this preseason. There's not even a consensus on how many documented concussions Reed has suffered in his career, but sources typically refer to it as either seven or eight. There's no timetable established, but this is the first indication we've had that Reed may return at some point.
  • T.Y. Hilton is unsure whether he'll be ready to go Week 4. Hilton played through a questionable tag in Week 3, and racked up 10 targets and a score in about half of a game before re-aggravating his quad injury. Hilton has four receiving touchdowns already on the young season; his practice status will need to be monitored throughout the week to determine whether he can be trusted in Week 4 lineups.
  • Cam Newton is reportedly dealing with a Lisfranc injury, something that will substantially prolong his absence and could take as much as a month or more to heal. That Newton wasn't ruled out until Friday last week seemed to indicate he wasn't dealing with a substantial injury, but this new information paints a much bleaker picture for when we'll see him back in the lineup. 
  • The Patriots placed fullback James Develin on injured reserve. This move could have Fantasy implications, specifically that a shift in personnel groupings could be bad news for Sony Michel. It's possible we see the Patriots throw more as a result of losing their lead blocker, especially with Rex Burkhead healthy and productive to pair with James White as a strong duo of pass-catching backs. 
  • The Cardinals released Michael Crabtree. Arizona has run a higher rate of four wide receiver sets that we've seen from any team in recent seasons, and the move locks in Damiere Byrd to continue as a full-time player as he has over the past few weeks. Behind Byrd, Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk, KeeSean Johnson, Trent Sherfield and possibly Andy Isabella would see snaps in the fourth wide receiver spot.

    So who should you sit and start this week? And which surprising quarterback could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 4 rankings for every position, plus see which QB is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that out-performed experts big time last season.