Todd Gurley has had a huge workload for the Los Angeles Rams, and he has been asked to do a lot for the team that he was not doing in the past. He has been great since he got to the team in 2015, but he is not able to run the offense by himself. He is currently playing interference for the passing game to great effect, but can he do this all season? Some might think that he will give you amazing fantasy points while breaking down his body. I happen to think that this is a one-year experiment to see how much progress Jared Goff can make.
The running game has helped so much
The running game in L.A. has been the glue that holds this offense together. Jared Goff looks great because he knows that he can hand off the ball to Gurley. Goff knows that Gurley can break off some big plays, and Goff is asked to do less as a result. Goff looked terrible last year because the running game not used enough to protect him. Now that Gurley is running all over the place, Goff looks amazing. If we have learned anything, head coach Sean McVay is giving Goff the help that he needed last year.
Gurley is not old
We know that running backs tend to break down when they reach age 30, but Gurley, 23, is not anywhere close to 30 just yet. He is young enough to carry the load for this season while you collect all the fantasy points that you could ever want.
You will have to be a little bit smarter with your points next year, because Gurley might not have to touch the ball as much, or they might turn him into a receiving back to extend his career. That would be the smart choice because it would cut down on the wear and tear of downhill running that he is doing right now.
The Rams seem to have a plan
You can safely assume that the plan is to hand over the entire offense to Jared Goff, and that would turn the Rams into more of a passing team than a running team. That means that Gurley will not be run into the ground in the years to come, and it also means that Jared Goff is going to become a much more attractive pick for your fantasy team.
You want Gurley right now, but you will want Goff in the future. Plan your fantasy choices carefully, because this workload for Gurley cannot last past this season.
We are seeing Gurley transform
Todd Gurley was the running back at Georgia who just ran by people because he was more talented than them. He got hurt early in his NFL career because of all the punishment he was taking, and now he is turning into a smarter back who will become a bigger Marshall Faulk over the next couple of years. How many future hall of farmers can Sean McVay create?