The Raiders apparently had some interest in free agent DeMarco Murray, and they brought in Trent Richardson and Roy Helu Jr. But initial reports from practices are that they're giving all the first-team work to Latavius Murray, and that makes him a key possible value in fantasy drafts this year.
Murray is downplaying his No. 1 reps, given that Richardson and Helu are newcomers. But we've seen Richardson's game, and Helu has typically been a third-down back. Murray should be the starter.
Fantasy leagues are often tilted by injuries, but they're also dramatically affected by whether gambles on depth charts pay off or not. C.J. Anderson of Denver and Murray are players who will be drafted by those who are confident they'll be the starters in their respective cities. If that faith pays off, it will determine whether you got a player at a value, or simply wasted a pick.
Jack Del Rio seems to be preaching caution. “Right now Latavius has been running with the lead group, but he knows he’s got to earn that through camp, through the preseason,” Del Rio said. “We’ve added a couple of guys in Trent and Roy and we’ll give them an opportunity as well as with the guys that are here. We’ll sort out our different roles as we get into camp, but we like where we’re headed.”
Murray didn't have a huge number of carries a year ago; just 82, averaging 5.2 yards per attempt. A leap of faith is required when drafting him. But it all looks good so far.
--Andy Richardson
