Latavius Murray

Well, we finally have an undisputed workhorse in Denver. Time to rejoice, right? Not exactly. With Melvin Gordon gone and Chase Edmonds on the IR, Murray slides into a nearly every down role. This could not be any grosser. Among 69 running backs with at least 25 carries, Murray ranks 67th in yards after contact per attempt and 50th in PFF's elusive rating. Murray has zero breakaway runs with his 74 carries. Last week he churned out 72 total yards with his 21 touches. He's purely a gross volume play as an RB3 who likely outplays that ranking if he scores. Carolina has not been good at attempting to stop the run. Since Week 6, they are 24th in rushing yards per game, 22nd in EPA per rush, and 27th in explosive run rate allowed.

Murray is agonizing to watch at this stage of his career, but volume truly does pay the bills. The 32-year old fielded a whopping 21 touches in Week 11 and fell into the end zone to salvage a fantasy performance that was otherwise lackluster. Melvin Gordon also handled a good share of touches, including five receptions to Murray's four. Chase Edmonds was a non-factor with only two rushing attempts, and his fall from grace dating back to his time in Arizona has been tragic. The Denver backfield is very uninspiring as a whole, but there are some positive matchups on the horizon.