Week 11 at Chicago Bears
Latavius Murray likely won't be much of a factor moving forward with Dalvin Cook returning to the lineup. He might get a few touches here and there, but likely not enough to remain relevant in fantasy.
Week 9 vs. Detroit Lions
Latavius Murray is expected to start again as Dalvin Cook continues to nurse his injury. He finished with 95 yards and a score last week. He's now had at least 80 yards and a score in three straight games filling in for Cook, so he's been useful in Minnesota's backfield.
He should continue to play well this week against the Lions, who have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing backs. Detroit has given up at least 80 yards to backs in each game this season. As long as Cook stays out, Murray can be viewed as a low-end RB1 option.
Week 8 vs. New Orleans Saints
Latavius Murray had 83 total yards and two touchdowns last week as he continues to fill in for Dalvin Cook. Over the past three weeks, Murray has been a decent option in Cook's replacement, and should continue in that role likely past Minnesota's bye week.
He faces a Saints defense this week that has allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points to opposing backs. New Orleans is allowing the fewest rush yards per game (72.3) and lowest yards per carry (3.1) so it could be a tough day for Murray. He should be viewed as an RB2.
Week 7 at New York Jets
Latavius Murray has been filling in while Dalvin Cook is in injury purgatory. Before last week, he'd been doing a poor job, but he suddenly had a burst of energy and exploded for 155 yards and a TD in Week 6.
Murray's value in fantasy is directly tied to whether or not Dalvin Cook plays. If Cook is inactive again, Murray is a solid RB2 play against the Jets. If Cook is active, then Murray is not much more than a distant RB4.
Week 6 vs. Arizona Cardinals
Latavius Murray filled in while Dalvin Cook was injured and did a decent job. His performances didn't exactly scream "give me more playing time," though. Now that Cook appears to be healthy, we don't expect Murray to have much production for Minnesota.
Week 5 at Philadelphia Eagles
It would make sense that with Dalvin Cook not getting the ball, Latavius Murray would be. But that hasn't been the case. Oddly enough, his carries have gone down as the weeks progress, limited to just two in each of the last two games. He's off the fantasy radar for in Week 5.
Week 4 at Los Angeles Rams
Dalvin Cook was out last week, which meant Latavius Murray was set up to be the main back. Only problem? The Vikings didn't run. Between Murray and backup RB Mike Boone, Minnesota only ran the ball four times—two carries per each back. Murray had just one rushing yard. He did contribute as a receiver, hauling in five passes for 30 yards, but he certainly was a let down.
Assuming Cook sits out again, Murray could get lead-back duties again. He gets a decent matchup against the Rams, who have allowed some decent games to backs so far this season. Just last week, Chargers backs ran for 127 yards against them.
Murray should be viewed as an RB2 play if Cook remains out.
Week 3 vs. Buffalo Bills
Latavius Murray saw a few more snaps last week as he finished with four carries for 19 yards. He could see some increased carries this week. For starters, Dalvin Cook has missed practice Wednesday and Thursday with a hamstring injury. In addition, the Bills are a very bad team, and this game could end up in a blowout, leading to Minnesota wanting to take precautions with Cook.
Murray has proven himself capable as a starter, especially last season with Minnesota. So we like him as an RB2 heading into this game.
Week 2 at Green Bay Packers
Latavius Murray was actually the team's leading rusher last week, finishing with 42 yards on 11 carries. What's interesting is he played on only 14 offensive snaps, which means Minnesota gave him the ball nearly every time he was on the field.
While Murray gained more yards than Dalvin Cook, he still received fewer touches and was only on the field for 20 percent of the team's offensive plays. He had a bigger role than most were projecting with double-digit touches, but we don't expect that trend to continue. Murray is not a good option this week.
Fantasy Upside
Latavius Murray developed a nice role for himself last season after Dalvin Cook went down with an injury. From Week 7 to Week 17 (10 games), Murray averaged 74.5 rushing yards per game while scoring eight touchdowns. He proved to be fully capable of carrying the starting role if needed.
Fantasy Downside
Murray enters 2018 as the backup to Cook. Since he didn’t show much promise as a receiver (15 catches last season), we don’t expect to see him on the field enough to make an impact for fantasy purposes. And while Murray did have some nice games, he also had plenty of struggles last season, averaging 1.6 yards per carry on his first 59 attempts.
2018 Bottom Line
Murray is nothing more than a handcuff for Cook, if you believe in that sort of thing. Murray needs a lot of carries to truly make an impact, as we saw last season, and he just won’t get those as a backup. So keep Murray in mind on waivers if Cook gets injured, but don’t keep him in mind on draft day.
