After Just Five Carries Against Buccaneers, Odds Say Todd Gurley Gets Heavier Workload in Week 5

• It was a poor Week 4 performance for Todd Gurley as he only received five carries
• Are the smaller workloads a trend to be concerned about?
• Gurley will look to rebound on Thursday Night Football agains the division rival Seahawks

Todd Gurley’s gotten off to a slow start this season, and it hit a lull with just five carries in the Rams blowout loss to Tampa Bay in Week 4.

As it currently stands going into Week 5, Gurley isn’t anywhere near the top of the leaderboards in any statistical categories for his position. He has managed just 219 total yards on the ground which is good for 20th amongst his peers.

The oddsmakers aren’t expecting much from Gurley going into this next contest either.

Odds on Todd Gurley’s Week 5 Rushing Attempts

Odds taken 10/02/19.

The line on the number of carries Gurley is going to get, started at 14.5 but has already come down to 13.5.

Gurley’s 49 total rushing attempts comes to an average of just over 12 carries per game. That stat would just scream at betters to take the under in this situation doesn’t it? Not so fast. Gurley wasn’t nearly as bad as the numbers point out.

Numbers Can Be Deceiving

Gurley only touched the ball five times on the ground during the contest against the Buccaneers, although most of that was due to game flow as the Rams found themselves in a quick 21-0 hole in the eventual 55-40 loss.

There shouldn’t be any worries about Gurley being hurt either. He may have had just five carries on the day, but he did manage to catch seven passes in the contest. Speaking of those carries, let’s take a look at them.

Gurley actually opened up the scoring for his team as he ran the ball in for a touchdown from 13 yards away. He also scored again on the ground from five yards away. Gurley may not have gotten many opportunities but when he did, he was highly effective.

https://twitter.com/NoHuddle_NFL/status/1178418642918285319

Was Week 4 a Sign of Things to Come?

The most recent history of Gurley would seem to indicate that last week’s performance was just an outlier as he’s had at least 14 carries in the previous three games.

Let’s also remember that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers currently have the best run defense in the entire league, that has only allowed 59.3 yards per game. The Seahawks are formidable in that department as well giving up only 79.5 yards per game on the ground.

Gurley will have a tough time carrying the ball for many yards against the Seahawks, but that shouldn’t concern betters. The Seahawks don’t possesses the sort of offense that would indicate that they will be able to set the scoreboard on fire against the Rams.

What’s The Best Bet?

In a divisional game that should be a much slower paced affair, bettors can expect Gurley to get at least 14 touches on the ground against the Seahawks in Week 5.