Latavius Murray fantasy football owners were granted a gift on Monday afternoon after it was announced that the Denver Broncos were releasing veteran back Melvin Gordon. Given the change in the Broncos backfield, Murray‘s fantasy football ranking is bound to see a significant jump.
Latavius Murray Fantasy Football Ranking Rising
In the disappointing overtime loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 11, Latavius Murray ran the ball a team-high 17 times for 49 yards and a touchdown. Gordon was handed the ball just eight times for 31 yards. However, he was able to haul in five receptions for 39 yards. Gordon played in 45% of the team’s offensive snaps, with Murray playing 50%.
The pass-catching running back duties would likely be turned over to Chase Edmonds, who the team acquired from the Miami Dolphins at the trade deadline. But he suffered a high ankle sprain on Sunday, opening the door for Murray to handle the bell-cow duties for the foreseeable future for the Broncos.
While the new dynamic in Denver will surely give Murray the opportunity to shine in fantasy football, it’s hard to really gauge how he’ll perform in a Broncos offense that has struggled mightily to move the ground or in the air. In five games with the Broncos, Murray has just 209 yards and three touchdowns, rushing for 3.3 yards per carry. He also has just one catch for 18 yards.
Veteran running back Marlon Mack is now the backup running back in Denver, although he has yet to see any action since being picked up off waivers from the San Francisco 49ers practice squad. Mack, a 2017 fourth-round pick, combined for 1,999 yards rushing and 18 total touchdowns in 2018 and 2019 with the Indianapolis Colts. But has appeared in just eight games since suffering a torn Achilles in the first game of the 2020 season.
Expect Murray to carry the load for the Broncos, but don’t be surprised if they give Mack a chance to prove he still has something left in the tank. Either way, Murray is now a fringe fantasy football starter for the Broncos Week 12 game against the Carolina Panthers.
Feel free to use Stokastic’s free DFS player compare tool to put Murray up against any other player you’re considering and see what Stokastic’s expert projections suggest.
