Demarco Murray Injury: 5 Waiver Wire Options For Fantasy Owners
By Mike Dyce
The Dallas Cowboys lost running back DeMarco Murray to a MCL injury in the win over the Washington Redskins. That leaves his fantasy owners scrambling to replace him here are some options based on players with less than 50% ownership in ESPN leagues.
1. Mike Tolbert, Carolina Panthers (14%)
He had a big game last week. He carried the ball 8 times for 27 yards and a touchdown and earned 16 points. His point totals are very dependent upon touchdowns because he doesn’t get a lot of yardage on his carries usually. The good news here is that he plays the Rams next week. They have the 31st ranked run defense and they’re allowing 130.5 yards per game. That could set up Tolbert for a big game.
The downside, crowded back field.
2. Brandon Jacobs, New York Giants (2%)
The Giants have a lack of depth at running back and no one else really to rely on. Last week against the Chicago Bears, Brandon Jacobs ran 22 times for 106 yards, two touchdowns and 22 points. That might not happen again, but even half those points would be nice. He’ll be force-fed the ball, running back Da’Rell Scott only got 4 carries last game.
3. Donald Brown, Indianapolis Colts (2.7%)
Last week against the Seattle Seahawks, Brown carried the ball 6 times for 37 yards and the game winning touchdown. That earned him 9 points. The week prior to that he rushed 3 times for 65 yards and 7 points. He is definitely a complimentary back to Trent Richardson but can put up 7-9 points filling in for a week. They also play the Jaguars next week, and they’re the worst team in the league when it comes to stopping the run.
4. Zac Stacy, St. Louis Rams (7%)
Stacy is getting the lion’s share of the carries for the Rams now. Last week he carried the ball 18 times for 79 yards and 8 points. The week prior he carried the ball 14 times for 78 yards and earned 7 points. This week they face the Panthers defense, which hasn’t been friendly to running backs so it comes at a risk.
5. Andre Ellington, Arizona Cardinals (8.8%)
Ellington has gotten 7 carries in each of the last two games and rushed for 52 yards in one and 56 in the other. In that first game against Carolina he got 8 points, in the second game against San Francisco a touchdown helped him get to 14 points. They play the Seahawks next week who have a pretty stout run defense, but that didn’t seem to hold him back against the Panthers who have the 4th best run defense in the league.