Todd Gurley
2018 Fantasy Stock Profile

Overall Rank:

#1

Positional Rank:

RB1

Fantasy Stock Score:

98, A+

Career Stats
(VIA PRO FOOTBALL REFERENCE)

FANTASY STOCK SCORE

Individual Talent

30/30

Usage

25/25

Surrounding Talent

14/15

Coaching Scheme

10/10

Risk

9/10

Upside

10/10

Bottom Line: Last year’s Fantasy MVP by a mile returns to the same glorious set up in 2018, making a repeat of  “Cheat Code” stats highly likely. He is durable, consistent, incredibly versatile, and used to his utmost capacity in an explosive overall offense. As such, Gurley grades at the top of every single meaningful fantasy value indicator. He’s a locked-in Top-Two overall selection, with only Le’Veon Bell approaching his throne.


Ceiling Projection: 350 touches (65 rec.), 2,100 Tot. Yds, 20 TDs


Floor Projection*: 320 touches (50 rec.), 1700 Tot. Yds, 12 TDs

​

*Note - Floors are done without injuries in mind. Of course the lowest floor is torn ACL first play of scrimmage. This assumes 16 games

Combine Results

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 222 lbs

40 YD Dash

N/A

Vertical Jump

N/A

Broad Jump

N/A

Bench Press

17

60 YD Shuttle

N/A

20 YD Shuttlee

N/A

3 Cone Drill

N/A

​​Talent​​
30/30

POSITIVES

  • Equally powerful as he is elusive, Gurley steamrolls or evades would-be tacklers with ease.
  • Despite his sturdy, thick frame, Gurley has rare speed to complement his strength, and can easily house the long one when he finds space.
  •  Flashed incredible receiving versatility when finally utilized to his full capacity by Sean McVay, displaying smooth route running and impeccable hands.
  • Especially dangerous with space and blockers in the screen game
  • Bloodhound nose for the end zone.

Negatives

  • Do you really want me to nitpick? There's truly no real holes in Gurley's games

​Usage​​​​
25/25

POSITIVES

  • One of the few remaining three-down workhorse cheatcodes. . 
  • Gurley’s 343 total touches (279 carries, 64 receptions (84 targets) trailed only LeSean McCoy and Le'Veon Bell in 2017, with Gurley ranking fourth in carries and fifth in targets among RBs
  • Highest red zone usage in the NFL, leading the league in attempts inside the 20 (62), 10 (32), and 5 yard lines (18). 

Negatives

  • Did you read the positives? Move along. 

​Surrounding Talent
14/15

POSITIVES

  • Thanks to the stabilizing additions of Andrew Whitworth and Jason Meyers at LT and C respectively, the Rams offensive line took an enormous leap forward in 2018 -- skyrocketing from PFF’s 27th ranked line in 2016 to the 6th highest grade this past season. Rams RBs averaged 1.90 yards before contact -- fifth-most in the NFL. 
  • Additionally, Jared Goff took a massive leap forward under Sean McVay’s tutelage, aided by strong WR additions in Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods; Brandin Cooks should only bolster an attack that scored the third most points in the league (28.9)
  • The perfect blend of enough surrounding talent to keep defenses honest, yet not too much that Gurley’s usage is in jeopardy.

Negatives

  • While the starting offensive line should again be top-10, they are aging and thin. Injuries to one or two could be devastating.

​Coaching Scheme
10/10

POSITIVES

  • After more-than doubling the Rams’ 2016 offensive output (14.0 PPG to 28.9), Sean McVay left little doubt about his offensive wizardry. 
  • McVay entered 2017 with the goal of “merging the running and receiving games,” and clearly succeeded.
  • Masterfully utilizes the entire play clock for audibling his team into ideal situations, and creates constant mismatches, especially in the screen game
  • Consistently came out firing, as the Rams led the league in 1st half pace of play, before slowing down dramatically to 31st in second halves

Negatives

  • McVay doesn't have a moustache on Jeff Fisher's level. Seriously, no negatives once again.

​Risk​​
9/10*
*Note - Higher Score = Safer

POSITIVES

  • Despite consistently heavy workloads, Gurley has not missed any injury-related time since his first three games of his rookie season when he entered the league recovering from a torn ACL he suffered while at Georgia. 
  • Well built for a pounding, and protects his body well with a lower center of gravity.
  • Consistency-wise, Gurley was a Top-25 RB in 14/15 weeks, Top-10 in 11/15 contests, and a Top-5 RB eight times -- scoring 23+ in all of these contests. This included back-to-back 40+ FP days in Weeks 15 and 16 to hand-deliver fantasy championships to his owners.

Negatives

  • Plays RB, which, by law, minuses one point. The workhorse blessing of a high touch total does mean a higher chance of injury due to more punishment and hits absorbed. 

​Upside​​
10/10

POSITIVES

  • Reminder: Gurley was a bonafide week-winner in over half his contests, topping 23 FPs eight times. This included two 40+ FP efforts in the Fantasy Championships.
  • The rare combination of hefty rushing, receiving, and red zone usage gives Gurley a real chance to top 30 FPs every single week, making him a Fantasy Cheatcode.

Negatives

  • A versatile and bonafide week winner comes with no upside negatives

Stock Watches, News, and Articles

2020 Fantasy Football: Week 11 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em
Read More 
2020 Fantasy Football Strategy: Week 5 Buy Low, Sell High Trade Targets
Read More 
2020 Fantasy Football: Week 3 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em
Read More 


Copyright 2018, Roto Street Journal