Latavius Murray - Fantasy Points Outlook

Bills RB Ty Johnson (shoulder) is inactive for tonight's game vs. the Chargers. RB Leonard Fournette is making his Buffalo debut in this one, joining James Cook and Latavius Murray in the backfield. Cook remains a strong fantasy play. Fournette and Murray are only options on the Saturday DFS slate.

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Bills RB Leonard Fournette will make his 2023 debut tonight against the Chargers. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo expects the veteran to get “some run” behind James Cook. Of course, Cook is coming off a career-best game vs. Dallas, so any work Fournette takes is likely to come from Latavius Murray or Ty Johnson. Ultimately, we’re not expecting Fournette to turn into a fantasy asset down the stretch.

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Bills RB James Cook logged a season-high 22 touches in Sunday's loss to the Eagles: 16 carries and a season-high 6 receptions. It marked the third time this season he has reached 20 touches and the second such game in a row. So does that mean his role is growing? No. Cook's carry and opportunity shares have not increased the past two weeks, following the team's OC switch. In fact, Cook's 51.6% share of RB carries against Philly was his second-smallest of the season. His 53.5% opportunity share (carries + targets) was his fourth-lowest. Cook benefited in each case from high team play volume. The Bills ran a season-high 92 plays at Philadelphia and 76 in the Week 11 win over the Jets, their third-most plays of the year. Buffalo RBs, though, have also seen a boost in target share over the past two games. A 21.9% share against the Jets was the highest since the season opener -- until Sunday's 23.5% share. If that continues, Cook's fantasy numbers would certainly benefit. He has caught four passes in two straight games after reaching that number just twice through the first 10 weeks. Buffalo now heads into a Week 13 bye. Then come matchups with the Chiefs and Cowboys that should support RB targets, because each ranks among the league's toughest WR defenses. Then comes Cook's best remaining matchup (Chargers) and a Week 17 rematch with New England. The Patriots afforded him 102 total yards and a TD at 6.4 yards per touch in their first meeting. Cook should be a solid PPR contributor the rest of the way. He won't be a lock for strong touch counts, though. Latavius Murray actually played 1 more snap vs. Philly, ran six more routes, and trailed Cook by just 1 target. Ty Johnson has also worked in for 6 touches each of the past two weeks. Leonard Fournette, meanwhile, has yet to be called up from the practice squad a month after signing.

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Monday night was an eventful evening for Bills RB James Cook. The second-year back tallied 12 carries for 109 rushing yards in Week 10 vs. the Broncos, the second-highest yardage total he’s recorded in 2023. He unfortunately also fumbled twice in the contest, including a lost ball on the Bills’ first play of the game. He was benched for several series thereafter before returning to the field in the second quarter. Teammate Latavius Murray saw an uptick in involvement as a result (9-68-1). It’s also worth mentioning that Leonard Fournette wasn’t brought up onto the active roster for the second week in a row. This backfield is a bit messy and will only have more complications given that the Bills’ remaining schedule ranks fourth-toughest for RBs per our adjusted fantasy points allowed. Next up on the calendar is an AFC East showdown with the Jets (19th in run defense DVOA).

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