Buffalo Bills running back Latavius Murray remains somewhat in play for Week 16 against the Los Angeles Chargers. Murray vultured a short touchdown in last Sunday's easy win over the Dallas Cowboys, preventing featured back James Cook from an even bigger evening than his 221-yard outburst. Though Murray handled two red-zone touches in Week 15, he played his lowest rate of snaps (15.6%) and ran his fewest number of routes (one) for a mere 11 total yards. Murray is almost certainly going to need a touchdown and perhaps for the Bills to form a sizable lead to have any chance at a decent outcome in Round 2 of fantasy's postseason. It needs to be noted that Ty Johnson's (shoulder) snaps have ascended in each of Buffalo's prior three outings, out-snapping Murray altogether against Dallas. Murray is nothing more than an emergency RB4/flex if Johnson ends up missing Saturday with a shoulder injury.
Buffalo Bills running back Latavius Murray has carved out a consistent role for himself in the team's offense throughout the course of the season. With that said, Murray's red-zone touches, which were about the only facet fantasy managers could bank on in the first place, have dried up. After handling 14 red-zone totes across his first eight games, the 33-year-old has just four during his last five dates. James Cook -- Murray's more dynamic counterpart -- is starting to regain the trust of the coaching staff after a Week 10 benching, leaving the aging veteran in the dust with four consecutive 100-yard displays. Murray is almost certainly going to need to fall into the end zone to leave Sunday with a tolerable fantasy result against the Dallas Cowboys. Bye weeks are no more, so fantasy managers can probably do better than a touchdown-or-bust RB4/flex.
Buffalo Bills running back Latavius Murray gets another week of serving as lead runner James Cook's looming touchdown vulture on Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs. Fellow veteran Leonard Fournette remains relegated to practice-squad duties, but Murray has closed as a top-16 fantasy back in full-PPR scoring just once in 2023 (Week 9). Former New York Jets tailback Ty Johnson has popped up to secure six RB opportunities in each of Buffalo's past two contests. The Chiefs defense is yielding the 12th-fewest fantasy points to the position, but they've stumbled on the ground recently with 127.1 average rushing yards allowed for 4.8 yards per carry across their past seven outings. But Murray has been a TD-dependent RB4/flex all year long, and that won't change in Week 14.
Buffalo Bills running back Latavius Murray saw a new backfield threat emerge during Week 11 against the division-rival New York Jets in the form of Ty Johnson, who unexpectedly pulled in 18.9% of Buffalo's offensive snaps. Johnson turned six combined carries and targets into 58 yards and a touchdown last Sunday, potentially disrupting Murray's perceived stranglehold on No. 2 duties behind lead back James Cook. The Philadelphia Eagles are on tap for Murray in Week 12, and they're silencing opposing RBs for the fewest fantasy points per game (14.32) this season. We wouldn't recommend using Murray in fantasy as anything more than a touchdown-dependent RB4/flex in a dismal draw and a game that figures to be competitive throughout against a 9-1 Eagles squad.
Latavius Murray Tries To Build On Season-Best Showing
Buffalo Bills running back Latavius Murray registered a season-high 68 rushing yards in Week 10's loss to the Denver Broncos, crossing the end zone for the first time since Week 3. It was the best fantasy outcome of Murray's season, which is one that's seen him remain a fixture in Buffalo's backfield alongside James Cook. And with Cook losing a fumble on the first play from scrimmage last Monday evening, Murray outsnapped the Bills' lead back for the first time this year on a 51.9% clip. It's fair to expect some form of 50/50 committee after Cook's rocky showing, but it's not enough to push Murray past the RB4/flex borderline for Week 11's key divisional game versus the New York Jets. The 33-year-old will look to stave off a potential Leonard Fournette promotion from the practice squad, which head coach Sean McDermott hinted on Friday could happen at some point down the line.
Buffalo Bills running back Latavius Murray got off to a nice start in Monday's 24-22 defeat to the Denver Broncos, leading the team in first-half rushing with 54 yards on six totes. It was an opportunity largely granted by lead back James Cook coughing up the ball on the first play from scrimmage. Murray went virtually untouched past the goal line for a three-yard score to knot the game up at 15 points apiece during the third quarter. The 33-year-old veteran ultimately closed the contest with 68 rushing yards on nine handles with two catches for one yard. It's not the first time we've recommended keeping an eye on Murray, who could very well see the backfield pendulum swing in his favor if Cook continues to commit mistakes. While next Sunday's date with the New York Jets appears to be a shy-away spot for Murray, Gang Green's fierce defense has been far more vulnerable on the ground this year.
Buffalo Bills running back Latavius Murray's real-life purpose far outweighs his fantasy utility, as the incumbent journeyman continues to drain a noticeable amount of playing time from lead back James Cook. Murray has out-touched Cook 6-2 on the goal line this season, matching his more dynamic counterpart with 17 red-zone handles. Quarterback Josh Allen places fourth amongst signal-callers with 14 red-zone carries this year, also hurting Murray's chances of finding the end zone in Week 10 versus the Denver Broncos. The Bills are still choosing to deploy the 33-year-old veteran in two-minute drills and crunch-time situations with regularity, leaving Murray with a shred of fantasy relevance on Monday night as a justifiable RB4/flex for single-game DFS contests with Buffalo coming in as sizable favorites. As for season-long setups, fantasy managers can almost certainly do better than a player who hasn't scored since Week 3 and is averaging an unusable 2.5 half-PPR points per game over his last five outings.
Buffalo Bills running back Latavius Murray witnessed a fellow veteran join the team when the organization picked up Leonard Fournette in free agency on Monday. Murray now has another threat for high-value touches, which he has been the favorite for in Buffalo's backfield throughout the season's first half. Fortunately for Murray, Fournette is reportedly set to be inactive in Week 9 against the Cincinnati Bengals since Buffalo decided to not elevate the 28-year-old from their practice squad ahead of play. Murray has handled multiple red-zone touches in five out of eight games this year, but he hasn't hit paydirt since Week 3. Sunday night may very well be the last opportunity for fantasy managers to take advantage of the 33-year-old's role as a touchdown-dependent RB4/flex, with Fournette's Bills debut arriving as soon as Week 10 versus the Denver Broncos.
Buffalo Bills running back Latavius Murray has started back-to-back games, combining for 16 carries and 53 rushing yards with two catches for 20 yards over this two-game span. Murray's value is centered around his goal-line role and tendency to vulture rushing touchdowns from his more dynamic counterpart, James Cook, as he leads the Bills with 15 red-zone touches (four on the goal-line). The 33-year-old didn't embrace a more substantial role in his last time out with Damien Harris (neck) on injured reserve but maintained a 45% snap share, ultimately leaving Murray as a flat RB4/flex on a Week 8 slate without any squads on bye. The Bills are sizable favorites (-8.5) on Thursday versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so fantasy managers turning to Murray out of desperation will likely need Buffalo to play from ahead for a palatable fantasy result.
Buffalo Bills running back Latavius Murray absorbed his largest workload of the campaign in Week 6's tight 14-9 win over the New York Giants, handling 12 carries (four in the red zone) for 45 scoreless yards. Murray started the game, eating into lead back James Cook's snap share for an even split. The 33-year-old grinder may have short-yardage/goal-line work all to himself in Week 7 against the division-rival New England Patriots, since fellow power back Damien Harris (neck) is on the mend. The Bills are the largest favorites (-8.5) of Sunday's slate, so desperate fantasy managers trotting out Murray can hope Buffalo forms a lead for the veteran to help salt away late in the contest. The journeyman back is an acceptable RB4/flex with plenty of squads off in Week 7, but Cook remains the better bet to find the end zone on Sunday.
