The Los Angeles Rams made it all the way to the Super Bowl last season despite RB Todd Gurley not looking 100%. The Georgia Bulldog great reportedly suffered from knee arthritis that slowed him down towards the end of the 2018-2018 NFL season.

Todd Gurley’s workload took a notable dip over the second half of the 2018-2019 season. Gurley had five games with over twenty carries in his first eight games of 2018, but in his final nine contests (including the postseason) Gurley only had one game with over twenty carries. The UGA product missed the last two weeks of the 2018 regular season. The emergence of a legitimate back up running back in C.J. Anderson decreased Gurley’s workload.

Now, with C.J. Anderson bolting to the Detroit Lions, the L.A. Rams re-signed back up RB Malcolm Brown and drafted explosive Memphis Tigers RB Darrell Henderson in the 3rd round. The selection of Henderson indicates the Rams know they need Todd Gurley insurance. Henderson is so talented he will command several carries a game, which may be good for Gurley.

I trust that Todd Gurley will be able to get his knee issues sorted out in 2019. The off-season and addition of Henderson will keep Gurley fresh throughout 2019 and help him stay healthy for when it matters most: the playoffs. That being said, Todd Gurley is not going to be the unanimous number one overall pick in fantasy football this upcoming season. With Alvin Kamara, Christian McCaffrey, and Le’Veon Bell all healthy, the decision may not be as easy as it has the past couple of seasons.

Ultimately, Gurley is the heart and soul of the the Los Angeles Rams offense. The Rams haven’t lost a game where Gurley has gotten 15+ carries since November 19th, 2017. The problem is the Rams have played in four postseason games during the past two seasons and haven’t given him fifteen carries in ANY of these games. Based on this and the Rams’ recent playoff performances, I think the Rams will conserve Todd Gurley for the 2019 postseason more than the past two seasons.

I project Todd Gurley will split carries this season like most star RBs do in the modern NFL. Gurley has been a rare breed of modern RB that dominates his teams’ snap count on both rushing and passing downs. Now, the Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams are going to look to the future and preserve Gurley, who is signed through 2023, for their next playoff run.