Todd Gurley is the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year for the Los Angeles Rams and turned in another outstanding campaign for them this season en route to Super Bowl 53.
However, Gurley’s status following a four-carry outing in the NFC Championship Game has made sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com leery about him when creating Super Bowl prop bets for Sunday’s big game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
After taking the last two weeks of the regular season off to prepare for the playoffs, Gurley had 115 yards on 16 carries and one touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys in the Divisional Round. But then he had just four carries for 10 yards versus the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship Game, raising questions about his knee that has bothered him dating back to his college career at the University of Georgia.
Gurley’s prop total for rushing yards would be higher than 72.5 if he was completely healthy, so bettors will need to decide if the extra week of rest will benefit him enough to make a significant impact in Super Bowl 53. The number on his rushing and receiving yards is also 105.5, with the under possibly a good bet if you believe he is not healthy.
Fellow running back C.J. Anderson was a nice addition for Los Angeles down the stretch, and he could play a large role if Gurley is far less than 100 percent on Sunday. Anderson’s total for rushing yards is much lower at 49.5 even though he has surpassed that number in three of the past four games for the Rams. In fact, Anderson has averaged 116.5 rushing yards during that stretch while scoring four touchdowns.
For the New England Patriots, favorites on the 2019 Super Bowl odds, rookie running back Sony Michel has carried a huge load in the postseason with 242 rushing yards on 53 carries and five touchdowns. Another Georgia product like Gurley, Michel has led all NFL players in those three categories during this playoff run. His rushing total is set at 80.5, and another big performance could also catapult him into serious MVP consideration for Super Bowl 53.
Michel is the +1200 fourth choice on the Super Bowl MVP odds behind only New England quarterback Tom Brady (+125), Los Angeles quarterback Jared Goff (+250) and Gurley (+1000). However, he is the +500 favorite to score the first touchdown of the game over Gurley (+600) and +250 to hit paydirt first for the Patriots.
