Fantasy Alert: Rams RB Todd Gurley Doubtful vs. 49ers with Thigh Injury

There's a very good chance the Los Angeles Rams will be without Todd Gurley in a key divisional clash against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, the star running back was listed as doubtful on Friday with a quad injury. 

Rams head coach Sean McVay told reporters on Wednesday that Gurley was dealing with a left thigh bruise, which "kind of caught us all off guard," per Kevin Modesti of the Orange County Register.

"You think it's your typical bumps and bruises, and it ends up being a little bit more than that," he added.

If Gurley does miss the game, Malcolm Brown becomes the logical handcuff to employ. He's already seen 26 carries this season for 114 yards and two touchdowns, clearly holding down the backup duties this season. 

But Darrell Henderson, the team's third-round pick in the 2019 draft, could also see his first serious playing time of the season if Gurley sits out on Sunday.

"Fortunately for us, we've got some depth at that position," McVay said. "We've talked about it, whether it's this week, at some point, the confidence we have in Malcolm. There's also going to be a time that we're going to rely on Darrell Henderson. It might end up being this week."

And while Brown and Henderson could see a nice workload if Gurley misses the game, the matchup doesn't favor them. San Francisco has given up just 11.1 fantasy points to opposing running backs per week, per Yahoo Sports, the best mark in football. They're also allowing just 81.8 rushing yards per week, fifth best in the league. 

That makes Brown a very, very shaky flex consideration best utilized in deeper leagues if Gurley sits, while Henderson should remain on the waiver wire in shallow leagues and on benches in the deepest leagues. 

As for Gurley, his ongoing injury concerns have to have fantasy players feeling pretty dang nervous. From his mysterious lack of snaps in last year's playoffs to his trainer describing his knee concerns as having an "arthritic component" over the summer—and the Rams limiting him to 15.6 touches per game this season—fantasy players have to be concerned about Gurley going forward.

To this point, he's produced 15.2 fantasy points per week in PPR leagues and is 14th overall in the running back rankings. Not terrible production by any means, but not worth the first-round price point he held in most drafts. This latest injury is only adding to the ongoing worry surrounding his health, and fantasy status, going forward.

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