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Fantasy football sleeper picks you shouldn’t snooze on in 2020

By Matthew Catalano

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - OCTOBER 27: Allen Robinson #12 of the Chicago Bears rects after catching a pass during the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Soldier Field on October 27, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - OCTOBER 27: Allen Robinson #12 of the Chicago Bears rects after catching a pass during the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Soldier Field on October 27, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 29: Running back Todd Gurley #30 of the Los Angeles Rams runs on to the field for the game against the Arizona Cardinals at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 29, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

Todd Gurley – ATL

Todd Gurley‘s career has fallen off a cliff after the last couple of seasons due to his chronic knee issues. While he only averaged 3.8 yards per attempt in 2019, he still scored a grand total of 14 touchdowns and carried the rock 223 times for 857 yards.

In addition, Gurley was RB14 as he posted on average 13.6 fantasy points per game in half-point leagues last year. The Rams had significantly scaled back his touches because of his knee but it appeared to be a bit extreme.

Gurley still looked very good when he did carry the ball and the Rams began relying on him a bit more towards the end as they were trying to make a late-season push to the playoffs. That attempt failed and rightfully so. They should have trusted Gurley earlier on in the season and they declined to do so.

Nevertheless, Los Angeles decided to cut Gurley this offseason but it wasn’t long after that the Atlanta Falcons came swooping in to claim him. The Falcons are in desperate need to find a steady presence in their backfield as Devonta Freeman has been a bust since 2016. Atlanta’s run game also ranked 30th last year as they only managed around 85.1 yards per contest. They are hoping Gurley can help them do a 180 in that department heading into the 2020 season.

Atlanta will likely inflate Gurley’s touches in 2020 as long as he’s healthy. Offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter stated that they will have to wait and see how Gurley’s knee is holding up, but as long as he’s alright, the Falcons will likely feed Gurley a little more than what the Rams were doing towards the end of their relationship. Maybe it won’t be as much as what he was getting when he was the best running back in football, but definitely more than last year. Somewhere in the middle is more like it.

One area I’m sure the Falcons will get Gurley more involved in is the receiving game. Last year, he only had 49 grabs for 207 yards and two touchdowns. A lot of Gurley’s success from his earlier days with the Rams came through the air.

Gurley’s production could very well soar in his homecoming season with the Falcons this year. It’s not the first time that people have doubted his ability before. Before the 2017 season, many viewed him as a disappointment since the Rams were a joke. Then Sean McVay came in and showcased his talents to the world in 2017 and for the majority of 2018.

Dan Quinn and Koetter will have to do the same thing once again in 2020. Don’t completely overlook Gurley in your drafts this year. Proceed slightly with caution, but the risk is absolutely worth the reward if you’re smart about it.

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