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As the Buffalo Bills welcome the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to kick off Week 8, they’ll look to win the rushing battle with their tandem in the backfield. The veteran Latavius Murray has largely operated in a clear-cut backup role, but there remains an opportunity for him to be a sneaky play in fantasy lineups.
We break down the level of value he presents in both PPR and standard fantasy leagues.
Fantasy Football analysis: Bills RB Latavius Murray
Murray ranks as RB45 heading into Week 8, as he’s averaging 5.9 PPR fantasy points per game. The veteran has rushed for 136 yards on the ground with 3.9 yards per attempt while adding nine receptions for 69 yards through the air.
Start or sit in Week 8 PPR leagues?
Sit. Murray is averaging just 5.9 PPR fantasy points per game this season and has hit double-digit scoring in just one game all year. The veteran is operating in a clear back-up role behind James Cook, who is increasingly becoming valuable on the ground and in the passing game. Murray may be a touchdown vulture from time to time, but he’s by no means a viable option in PPR scoring formats.
The veteran running back should be treated as an RB4 with little upside in both smaller and larger fantasy leagues.
Start or sit in Week 8 standard leagues?
Sit. The Bills backup tailback is averaging a pedestrian 4.6 fantasy PPG in standard leagues this season and has yet to hit double-digit scoring in a game this season. The matchup doesn’t bode well for his chances, either, as Tampa Bay’s stout run defense is allowing the seventh-fewest fantasy points (12.6) per contest to tailbacks. Murray may be a vulture at the goal line, but he’s largely irrelevant barring an injury to the running back room.
Murray is an RB4 with little to no enticing upside in both smaller and larger fantasy leagues.
Player(s) you would start ahead of Latavius Murray
Devin Singletary of the Houston Texans operates in a backup role, and yet he has much more upside this week as he faces the Carolina Panthers. Carolina is porous against the run, having allowed the most rushing touchdowns and second-most rushing yards in the league. In the week before Houston’s bye, Singletary out-snapped Dameon Pierce 54% to 33%, illustrating some opportunity in the offense.