The New England Patriots have placed wide receiver Josh Gordon on injured reserve, according to Field Yates of ESPN. Gordon has been battling a knee injury and departed New England's Week 6 matchup with the Giants early because of it. 

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network provides some more specifics surrounding that knee injury to Gordon, reporting that he had two bone bruises in that knee prior to the game against the Giants and exacerbated it when he went down. Gordon was sidelined for Monday's matchup with the Jets in New York and now it appears that his time with the Patriots is completely over. 

Rapoport adds that his tenure in New England is likely over as the team plans to waive him off IR when he's fully healthy. Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports that Gordon believes he's close to returning to play, so it appears like he'll be in a new uniform sooner rather than later. 

The Pats moving on from Gordon and placing him on IR does adds some more context to why they were willing to part with a second-round pick for wide receiver Mohamed Sanu in a trade with Atlanta earlier in the week. 

Gordon, who was able to total 20 catches for 287 yards and a touchdown during his six games played this season, is in the midst of his second season with the Patriots after being acquired in a trade from the Cleveland Browns last year. He played in 11 games for New England in 2018 and quickly built up a strong rapport with Tom Brady, hauling in 40 of his 68 targets for 720 yards and three scores. 

That first season with the Pats ended prematurely after he was suspended by the league, and now this injury seemingly closes the door on his tenure in Foxborough. 

With Gordon now gone, that leaves the Patriots currently with Julian Edelman, Mohamed Sanu, Phillip Dorsett, Jakobi Meyers, Gunner Olszewski and Matthew Slater at the wide receiver position. First round pick N'Keal Harry is also set to make his return to the active roster soon as he's been practicing with the team after starting the season on IR. 

As for a fantasy perspective, CBS Sports fantasy editor Chris Towers notes that Gordon "isn't necessarily a must-drop, in other words, and you should probably lean toward holding him at this point. Of course, given how much uncertainty there is now, Gordon seems like a bit of a long shot to make an impact in 2019 again. Sure, Gordon could catch on elsewhere and make an impact, but he would first need to get healthy and then land somewhere he can make an impact." 

From the Patriots side of things, Towers is of the mind that N'Keal Harry could ultimately be the one who replaces Gordon, but Mohamed Sanu will obviously be a significant part of the offense.