The most frequently asked question for the Los Angeles Rams this offseason was: How is Todd Gurley's knee? Shortly after the Rams fell to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 53, it was discovered that Gurley had an “arthritic component” to his knee.
Due to the concerns surrounding his knee, many Fantasy Football players steered clear of drafting Gurley this year. Their doubts in the All-Pro running back came into fruition in Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers last week.
People that have Gurley on their Fantasy Football teams watched in disgust as Malcolm Brown ended up being the beneficiary of both rushing touchdowns for the Rams. However, in the second half of the game, Gurley looked fresh as he raised his yards to 97 to finish the game.
Heading into Week 2, Los Angeles will be hosting the New Orleans Saints in a rematch of last year's NFC Championship Game. After a disappointing debut, what is Gurley's Fantasy Football outlook in Week 2?
Along with Gurley getting limited touches in the offense, Jared Goff and the passing attack looked rusty against the Carolina Panthers last week. Despite the struggles for the offense, the Rams were still able to secure a 30-27 victory over Carolina.
This week, their offense is going to need to be at their best against the Saints and Drew Brees. On Monday night, Brees showed that he can still up points with ease. Sean McVay understands that his best shot at winning this game is if he can get Gurley heavily involved in this game.
In both games against the Saints in 2018, the Rams' starting running back only managed to garner 78 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Along with his abysmal rushing stats, Gurley only caught seven passes for just 14 yards as well.
By looking at that, you may be wary of starting Gurley in your lineups this week but don't overthink it. Gurley may be sharing some of the touches with Brown, but he is still vital in McVay's offense.
The Saints showed off their new and improved pass rush in Week 1 by sacking Deshaun Watson six times on Monday Night Football. Do you know how you negate an opposing team's pass rush? The Rams will try to get the ball out fast in this game, which favors Gurley on screen passes.
The days of Gurley touching the ball 30 times seem to be long gone. But that doesn't mean he won't be heavily used in a game that the Rams want to send a message in. Fans in New Orleans have been complaining about last year's loss in the playoffs and the Rams want to show that it wasn't a fluke.
As good as the Saints pass rush looked, their run defense looked quite susceptible to the run against the Houston Texans. In Week 1, both Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson gashed New Orleans' run defense for 140 yards on 19 rushing attempts.
Therefore, Gurley should be able to have a field day versus the Saints in an offensive-oriented matchup in Week 2. With that being said, what should we expect Gurley's numbers to look like on Sunday?
When predicting Gurley's stat line for Week 2, you have to consider that Brown could vulture some touches from him. Aside from that, there isn't any reason why the Georgia product can't rush for 90 yards and a touchdown, while also catching five passes for 45 yards.
This game is filled with fantasy goodness on both sides of the ball and Gurley will be one of the top performers in the game. Los Angeles wants to limit Gurley's workload this season but this week he will be needed to secure the win.
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