Lance Dunbar

Stephen Jones tells @1053thefan Cowboys RB DeMarco Murray will have surgery today on broken bone in his hand.

Per the tweet, Murray is not ruled out for next week - at least not yet. Jones was quoted in a story as saying, "It's probably a tough expectation to think that he can [play], but we'll see." Jones made it seem like even if he responds well to surgery, it may be a long shot Murray suits up in a friendly matchup at home with the Colts. Joseph Randle is averaging 7.0 YPC on 34 carries thus far this season, and is the favorite to take over most of Murray's carries. Lance Dunbar is the better pass-catcher, so he'd likely take on most of Murray's work in the receiving game. If Murray misses the game, Randle would likely be ranked in the top 20-25 in standard formats, while Dunbar would have some PPR appeal.

From our Injury Expert Russell Manalastas:
4th metacarpal fractures can be difficult to return from due to the potential swelling from both the fracture and from the surgery to address the fracture. Location is also important as well, as often times metacarpal fractures are addressed non-operatively. My first guess is that they are going to pin the fracture to allow it to heal properly. The metacarpals are really important in the hand to help with gripping activities, so the concern here is his ability to grip the football.

I'm not sure it's realistic to assume Murray will be back from hand surgery this Sunday, but stranger things have happened. The severity of the fracture and what type of procedure they perform will ultimately determine his availability this week and moving forward. If he does play, he'll have heavy padding around the fracture to help reduce the load on the fracture, with the option to primarily use just his right hand for carrying the ball.