FanDuel Studs to Target in Week 8

Todd Gurley

FanDuel Price:$8,100
numberFire Projected Points:15.27

Todd Gurley is going to be a chalky play this week, just as he was last week, but sometimes when the matchup and price are so pristine that it's hard to fade someone as good as he is. Surely, some will advocate fading Gurley in tournaments because his price has risen another $800 from last week, and that might be a viable strategy. But for cash games, it's really hard to justify fading him.

Gurley comes into this game against the 49ers, the league's 30th ranked run defense, on a certified warpath, having topped 125 rushing yards for three straight games, with at least 19 carries in each of those three games. Keep in mind that one of those games was a 149-yard day against the Cardinals' fourth-ranked run defense. Yes, he's that good. And last week, the Rams began incorporating him more into the passing game as he reeled in four catches for 35 yards. The 49ers currently rank 27th at defending receptions from the running back position per Football Outsiders, so it wouldn't be surprising if the Rams try to exploit that weakness as well.

Vegas currently projects this game to produce the lowest over/under of the week at 39.5 points, with the Rams entering the game as 8.5 point favorites. That's an incredibly good projected game script for Gurley, who should be relied on heavily to protect that projected lead. Gurley still represents comparative salary cap relief compared to his upside, as he is still only the sixth most expensive running back available on FanDuel. This will likely be the last week Gurley represents a discount of any kind, so exploit his value while you still can.