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Todd Gurley had a fairly solid game in his debut game for the Atlanta Falcons in a 38-25 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. Atlanta’s passing game stole the show with three receivers hitting the 100-yard mark, but Gurley put together solid fantasy numbers to begin the season.
Fantasy Football analysis: Falcons RB Todd Gurley
Gurley carried the ball 14 times and gained 56 yards with a touchdown run. He also caught two passes for one yard and scored a receiving touchdown. Running backs Brian Hill and Ito Smith combined for 16 yards on four carries, so Gurley is clearly the bell cow running back in this offense, which is promising for fantasy owners.
It’s remarkable Gurley was able to see that many carries when Matt Ryan threw the ball 54 times. Atlanta was in comeback mode, so it’s unlikely Ryan will drop back to pass that many times moving forward, which should mean more work for Gurley.
Atlanta will head on the road to play the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Dallas matched up with the Los Angeles Rams, Gurley’s former team, in Week 1 and allowed Malcolm Brown to gain 79 yards on 18 carries with two touchdowns. Rookie Cam Akers finished with 39 yards on 14 carries.
Fantasy Start/Sit Recommendation
Gurley is a running back two in standard leagues. With the amount of volume he will see on a weekly basis, he should be in fantasy lineups in Week 2.