Latavius Murray Fantasy Outlook on the Rise After Signing With Ravens

Injuries continue to run rampant in the Baltimore Ravens' backfield as the team lost running back Gus Edwards for the season to an ACL tear on Thursday. As a result, the Ravens announced Friday that they have signed veteran running back Latavius Murray.

Source: Ravens add Latavius Murray to ever-changing backfield https://t.co/foqihBmyx3
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) September 10, 2021

Murray was released by the New Orleans Saints earlier this week after the two sides couldn't agree on financial terms. Now, he has a chance to find himself as Baltimore's No. 2 running back behind Ty'Son Williams, which could provide value to fantasy managers in the long haul.

Latavius Murray Fantasy Outlook

If you've been following the Ravens over the last week or so, it's understandable if you think the Ravens' backfield is crowded. In addition to Murray, Baltimore also signed veterans Le'Veon Bell and Devonta Freeman to deals earlier this week. The reality is that both Bell and Freeman were signed to the practice squad, meaning Murray holds the best value as Ty'Son Williams' backup.

Murray excelled in his role as the Saints backup over the past two seasons, recording 292 carries for 1,293 rushing yards (4.4 yards per attempt) and 9 touchdowns. Even if he's No. 2 on Baltimore's depth chart, he should still see a lot of action.

Ravens now have four players who have rushed for 1,000 yards in a season: Latavius Murray, Devonta Freeman, Le’Veon Bell and Lamar Jackson.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 10, 2021

The Ravens averaged the most attempts (40.3) and rushing yards (192.1) per game last season, so the volume is certainly there for him to be a flex play when needed. It just may take two or three weeks before his role is consistent. Additionally, Murray would be first in line to be the lead back if Williams were sidelined for any reason.

If anything, the Ravens may even use Murray as they did Edwards last year (assuming Williams gets the J.K. Dobbins role). Edwards finished the 2020 campaign with 852 total yards from scrimmage and 6 touchdowns, which had him finishing as RB28 in PPR formats. If that's the kind of season Murray can have in Baltimore, fantasy managers should be satisfied with that outcome.

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Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.