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Murray

The Bills punched their ticket to the postseason with Jacksonville’s loss earlier in the day but must win to avoid the seven-seed in the AFC. Expect Leonard Fournette to step into the role vacated by Murray.

Another week of Murray rushing for a touchdown yet being clearly less effective than fellow back-up running back Ty Johnson. The Bills continue to use Murray in short-yardage situations, but he’s been getting stuffed continuously. He scored on Sunday after his offensive linemen helped literally push him across the goal line. Murray will still act as a touchdown vulture, but if anything were to happen to James Cook, it would likely be Ty Johnson who would step into the main running back role in Buffalo after he rushed nine times for 54 yards on Sunday.

Murray was a bit of an afterthought on Sunday with James Cook playing at a high level and the Bills continuing to use Ty Johnson as a speed back. Yet, Murray was involved in the wildest play of the game. After evading pressure and backpedaling towards the sideline, Josh Allen somehow found Murray running up the sideline for an improbable first down. Yet, after taking three steps, the ball simply slipped out of Murray’s hands and squirted towards the sideline out of bounds. Murray remains part of the back-up committee behind Cook and the main short-yardage back, but with Josh Allen running more again, that role is increasingly less valuable.

Murray briefly replaced James Cook in the first quarter after Cook dropped a would-be touchdown pass from Josh Allen. Cook eventually found his way back on the field and wound up seeing 23 opportunities to Murray’s 14. Murray was active in the passing game, seeing a season-high five targets in the Week 12 defeat, but we wouldn’t expect that to become the new norm. Murray is well off the fantasy radar, especially in Week 13 with the Bills on bye.

Murray was thrust into the featured role for the Bills for most of the first half after backfield mate James Cook lost a fumble on the opening play from scrimmage. He would find paint half way through the third quarter and cede the bulk of the rushing load to Cook in the fourth quarter. Week 10 marks the second consecutive game of increased utilization for Murray, who could be carving out a larger role in the offense moving forward.

According to Schultz, the source relaying this information is Fournette himself. The veteran running back had been linked to the Bills earlier this month, but reports of him visiting with the team never came to fruition. Fournette totaled 1,191 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns with the Buccaneers last season and was a PPR machine playing alongside Tom Brady from over the last three season. It will be interesting to see how the Bills plan to deploy Fournette, who would presumably start as a short-yardage/goal line back with a chance to grow into a larger role if he plays well. His arrival stands to hurt the overall upside of James Cook, whose usage has frustrated fantasy managers through the first eight weeks.

Murray “added” a four-yard reception. It was another brutally-ineffective outing for the Bills’ short-yardage back, who was stood up both at the goal line and in clock-killing mode. It’s long past time for the Bills to expand James Cook’s role, but there has been little indication it is something they are considering. For his part, Murray isn’t scoring enough to offer legitimate RB4 value.

Murray took a backseat to James Cook in this game, though he did see some snaps in the red zone. His most notable “contribution” in the red zone was an offensive pass interference that negated a Dawson Knox touchdown. Once again relegated to backup duties, Murray can only be rostered as a handcuff to Cook.

Murray remained the primary change of pace back behind James Cook but could see additional work in the immediate future after Damien Harris was taken by ambulance to the hospital with a scary neck injury in the first half. He also continues to operate as the primary red zone back which gives him opportunity to see spike weeks when he finds the end zone. Consider Murray a fine bye week fill-in through the middle of the season.

The Bills scored a season-high 48 points, but it was Murray who got vultured for a change. The Bills let James Cook finish a first quarter drive with back-to-back handles inside the five. Josh Allen also contributed an 11-yard rushing score. Entirely touchdown dependent, Murray at least plays in an elite offense. With injuries mounting and bye weeks beginning in Week 5, Murray can be deployed as a desperation FLEX. The same is not true for Damien Harris, who might soon be option four at the goal line.