DeMarco Murray entered the NFL with limited fanfare. He was the 6th Running Back taken in the 3rd round in the 2011 draft. He was expected to be a solid back-up/part-time RB, but an injury to the brittle Felix Jones opened the door for Murray to step-in. When Murray stepped into the starting role he racked up 25 carries for 253 yards. Yes, 253 yards! He went on to run for almost 800 yards in 7 games until he was setback by an injury. Murray's presence helped a lot of fantasy owners make the playoffs in 2011.
Last year fantasy owners viewed Murray as a potential 1st round fantasy pick. And he did nothing but disappoint those owners. Murray has missed nine of 32 NFL games with leg injuries. It's too early in his career to call him soft -- after all, his rookie campaign was cut short by a broken leg -- but the fact is that Murray arrived in Dallas with a collegiate reputation for missing time. When he's out there, Murray fills out the uniform impressively: At 227 pounds he can play the banging role but he's also nimble in space with very good hands. Sixteen games of starting work for Murray would likely result in a superstar season. Maybe his third year will be the charm? Our take is that you shoud temper that enthusiasm and grab him as a marginal RB2 and hope he can stay healthy.