7 Players to Avoid in Fantasy Football Drafts

Todd Gurley, RB, St. Louis Rams

By Robert Garcia

There isn’t a player being drafted in the top four rounds with more red flags than Todd Gurley. It's impossible to see the 2015 season as a favorable situation for the rookie, and he can’t be on your team for 2015.

First, Gurley would have to overcome the poor fantasy track record for rookie running backs picked in the first round. Over the past five years of the draft, there have been seven running backs taken in the first round. Only two of those seven have put up top-20 fantasy running back seasons, where Gurley is currently being drafted.

Gurley had gaudy stats in college, putting up 911 yards on 7.4 yards per carry in six games before tearing his ACL. However, when Gurley was lost for the season, his replacement, freshman Nick Chubb, finished the season with 1,547 yards and a 7.1 yards per carry. Gurley didn’t participate in any of his combine workouts due to his torn ACL, so it's not easy to tell whether Gurley is a world-beating back, or simply a good back.

Maybe the biggest issue though is Gurley’s potential usage. In case you forgot, he's still recovering from his torn ACL, and he has been limited in training camp. Coach Jeff Fisher said that it is unlikely that Gurley plays in any preseason game. Gurley might not be back to 100% until a month into the season, and even then he's going to have to compete for carries with Tre Mason, who had a strong rookie season given the offense he was playing in.

Even when Gurley is 100%, it's really hard to see any point in the season when he will be a guy who is getting 20 carries in a game given Mason's presence in the backfield. And even if Gurley does see volume, his upside isn't great with what should be an inefficient passing attack.

Stay away.