It seems like Latavius Murray is destined to be fantasy relevant every season in some fashion.
His ROS prospects skyrocketed on Monday when the Broncos waived his primary competition, Melvin Gordon, after his latest case of fumbleitis. Chase Edmonds is also no threat as he suffered a high ankle sprain and will be sidelined for weeks. That leaves – checks notes – Marlon Mack as the lone threat to Murray.
While going all out for a running back on a bad team with a terrible coach isn’t the most exciting thing, Murray’s going to get most of the carries and could be a huge fantasy factor in the stretch run.
Sean Koerner: Not only did the Broncos release Melvin Gordon, but Chase Edmonds also suffered a high ankle sprain and is expected to miss significant time.
Murray will likely be the Broncos' workhorse back for the foreseeable future — it’s hard to imagine Marlon Mack will be able leap-frog him at any point or even force a 50/50 committee. Therefore, Murray is worth a pretty big bid for RB-needy teams in “win now” mode.
I view Murray as a low-end RB2 option as long as Edmonds is out, which could be a handful of games.
Samantha Previte: Stop me if you've heard this one before. Melvin Gordon III is handed the ball at the goal line. Gordon fumbles, ball is recovered by the Broncos, who proceed to miss a very short field-goal attempt to end the half. The Broncos go to overtime and lose 22-16. Time is a flat circle.
Murray led the backfield and recorded 17 carries for 49 yards and a touchdown. He also caught four passes for 23 yards and is currently the RB11 in half PPR. He could emerge as the RB1 with Gordon waived and Chase Edmonds dealing with a high ankle sprain that could sideline him for weeks.
The Broncos next take on the Panthers, whose defense ranks 23rd in rush DVOA and has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to running backs. Murray will be a RB2 with this newfound opportunity.
Mike Triplett: Murray had 21 touches in Week 11, even while Gordon played 29 snaps. He’s a must-add for anyone in need of RB depth — and he should probably be rostered in most leagues until we find out if the Broncos plan to keep giving him that type of workload.
But count me as a skeptic since the Broncos have been constantly churning different RBs into a committee approach ever since Javonte Williams got hurt in Week 4. It has been an uninspiring offense all year, with Murray averaging less than three yards per carry over the past four weeks.
