6 Players Worth Reaching for in Your Fantasy Football Drafts

DeMarco Murray, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

Current ADP: 2.02

Earliest Willing to Draft: 1st Round

It feels funny to have to write about being willing to move ahead of current ADP to snag last year's rushing title champion.

But DeMarco Murray’s first season in Philadelphia is clouded with draft day doubt. First, drafters wonder if Murray’s 2014 season was in part created by the Cowboys offensive line.

Second, the workload Murray shouldered in 2014 has fantasy drafters skittish about whether his body will hold up.

And third, the acquisition of Ryan Mathews to complement Murray’s services has folks scared of a timeshare in Philly.

All of these issues are, in my mind, overblown.

While Murray did benefit from a stellar Cowboys O-line, Murray’s been an efficient running back his whole career.

He has two seasons under his belt in which he exceeded 0.09 Rushing NEP per rush. Only Lesean McCoy, Jamaal Charles, and DeAngelo Williams have done this more than once since 2007 among backs with 150 carries in a season.

Murray’s 2014 workload doesn’t bother me enough to pass up on him, either. Yes, he did rack up an insane number of touches in 2014, but he still has less than 1,000 total carries in his NFL career.

And finally, the addition of Mathews isn't a huge issue because Murray is moving from the slowest to the fastest paced offense in the NFL. This means that the Eagles can support multiple backs with standalone value.

I’m willing to reach to ensure I get Murray because it’s harder to replace running back production than wide receiver production. Go ahead and grab the guy with top-three upside in the middle of the first round. A top-five receiver should still be available by the time your second-round pick comes around.