1. Latavius Murray Rises from the Ashes
As a dude coming off of a nagging injury while playing as part of a backfield committee, Latavius Murray was a fantasy pariah entering Week 7. Buddy done changed that in a hurry.
In his first game back, Murray handled 18 of the Oakland Raiders' 27 running-back carries while also netting 5 targets. He played 58% of the snaps, easily lapping DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard.
The best part of Murray's usage, though, may have been his red-zone involvement. He had five carries inside the 20 (compared to 2 for Jamize Olawale) to go with a pair of targets. Two of those carries for Murray came inside the 10, and he converted both into touchdowns. He appears to have edged ahead of the crowd, and Murray's back in play for fantasy when the Raiders project to be in positive matchups.
2. Jordan Howard Sinks Back Into a Committee
All that love we just poured on Murray? Jordan Howard shall get none of it.
He shot violently in the opposite direction Thursday night, splitting all of his work with Ka'Deem Carey. Carey out-carried Howard, 10-7, while both got a single target, and Carey led in snaps, 54% to 46%. That's bad enough as it is, and it doesn't project to get better anytime soon.
The Bears have waived RB Joique Bell, which may be a sign that Jeremy Langford may be closer to healthy after missing the past 4 games.
— Dan Wiederer (@danwiederer) October 25, 2016
If you toss Jeremy Langford back into that mix, you're going to get a full-blown mess. It's time to give Howard the Murray treatment and sell him for peanuts in season-long, and he no longer has DFS viability.
3. Matt Jones' Fumbles Revive Chris Thompson
Matt Jones was in this column last week, too, after some slightly troublesome usage in Week 6. That was before he took a rocket launcher to his fantasy value.
After fumbling down close to the end zone (and having additional difficulties handling the football) in Week 7, Jones found himself riding the pine with regularity. Chris Thompson wound up leading the team with 12 carries, Jones was second with 10, and Rob Kelley added 4. Thompson also dominated in snaps at 59%, and Jones played a season-low 30%. Understandably, the coaches were none too pleased with Jones Monday.
"We're not gonna give up on Matt (Jones). We've just got to make sure he protects the dang football." - Jay Gruden.
— Brian McNally (@bmcnally14) October 24, 2016
The hit to Jones is obvious, but this means you should probably own Thompson in all season-long leagues. He added seven targets on Sunday, and he seemed to have passed Kelley on the rushing-down totem pole. He'll have viability for his receiving-game role going forward, and any potential rushing-game usage would only amplify that.