Todd Gurley's Fantasy Football Upside Still Intriguing Following Comments From Head Coach Sean McVay

One of the biggest storylines to pop up in the 2018 playoffs was the case of Todd Gurley's knee health. He sat out Week 16 (much to the chagrin of fantasy football players) and Week 17 of the regular season before returning in the postseason. He clearly wasn't 100 percent though, getting out-carried by C.J. Anderson in two of the team's three postseason games.

These concerns have carried over to the 2019 season, with news that this knee arthritis issue could continue to plague Gurley, and fantasy football drafters have reacted accordingly.

Once a lock as an early first-round pick, Gurley's average draft position (ADP) has fallen to RB8, going off the board at the end of the first round, and often falling into the second.

That fall makes sense given the risk now surrounding him for the year, but if he can stay healthy then that ADP could offer some serious upside.

Coaches' offseason comments should always be taken with a huge grain of salt, especially after Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay had positive things to say about Gurley's health heading into last year's 10-carry Super Bowl performance. However, it's hard to completely ignore the positive reports coming out of training camp.

Any projections on Gurley's health or workload are really just little more than guesses at this point. We do know he looks to be a riskier pick than the other top-tier running backs, but that's also why he's available at that discounted price.

If his health is holding up as well as McVay's comments could indicate, Gurley could have the upside to finish as the top-scoring RB in fantasy football.

He led the position in fantasy points per game in 2018, with a bigger gap between Gurley and second place as there was between the second- and sixth-ranked players. He also led the position in 2017, with an even bigger edge on the field.

Gurley is a risky pick no doubt, but if reports on his health remain optimistic and you're willing to take a gamble in the late-first or early-second round of your fantasy football draft, he could prove to be a steal.

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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.