8 Fantasy Football Winners From the 2016 NFL Draft
Latavius Murray, RB, Oakland Raiders
Latavius Murray dynasty owners can breathe a sigh of relief.
Not only did the Raiders fail to sign a running back in free agency -- they were often tied to Doug Martin -- but the only back they took in the NFL Draft this past weekend was DeAndre Washington, who profiles more as a third-down back than a primary one.
Washington could and probably will limit Murray's overall upside, but there's still little competition for touches in the Oakland backfield. From a fantasy standpoint, that's great for Murray, who shouldn't have much trouble reaching 200 carries. Unfortunately, there could be a reason the Raiders were searching for running back help: Latavius Murray just isn't as good as he appears to be.
In 2014, Murray ended the season with a 40.42% Success Rate, which was pretty average. Last year, though, Murray dipped quite a bit, ending the year with the second-lowest Success Rate among the 15 running backs with 200 or more carries. He finished above only Alfred Morris.
This certainly translated to fantasy football. Despite seeing the third-largest workload of any running back last year, seven running backs finished with more top-24 PPR performances than Murray, while another nine had just as many as he did (8).
His volume should be there, sure. But Murray's going to have to up his efficiency to have a shot at being a top-10 fantasy back next year.